“变革性”是通常用来描述Brightline的词,这是佛罗里达州所有人建造的私人资助的乘客铁路系统。在许多方面,这是一个合适的描述,也是基于珊瑚山墙公司作为ENR ENS ENS ENSORS年度所有者选择的主要原因之一。新利luck

The approximately $3-billion rail project is entirely a private-sector effort—the only such transit program currently underway in the U.S.—and aspires to counter South Florida’s long-standing car-centric notion of mobility with modern, brightly colored trains providing fast, amenity-filled service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and eventually extending to Orlando and, perhaps, beyond.

此外,佛罗里达州的所有船都在建造由Skidmore,Owings和Merrill(SOM)和迈阿密的Zyscovich Architects设计的电台,以提供铁路服务的无缝过渡到其城市环境。该公司声称,该项目在未来八年内对该州的经济影响可能高达64亿美元。

“They’re definitely doing it right,” observes Andy Kunz, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. High Speed Rail Association, adding that unlike the public sector, which treats transit as a basic service, All Aboard Florida is approaching the entire project as a business.

他说:“建立自己的电台还将帮助人们乘坐火车,并引起周围发展的连锁反应。”

即使Brightline距离载有其第一位乘客还有一年的路程,即使Brightline还有一年的路程,已经感觉到了这种效果。

Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, credits the under-construction 60,000-sq-ft West Palm Beach station for spurring roughly $2 billion of additional office, residential, hospitality and mixed-use projects in the community’s permit pipeline—a level of activity unseen since the 1990s.

她说:“我们谈论的是一个与今天所在的城市完全不同的城市。”

This makeover reflects a shift in thinking about transportation, says Michael Reininger, All Aboard Florida’s president.

Though part of Florida East Coast Industries, a descendent of Henry Flagler’s namesake railroad, All Aboard Florida is characterized by Reininger as “a hospitality company in the railroad business,” a depiction that no doubt reflects his previous stints with subsidiaries of the Walt Disney Co. and leadership of the redevelopment of Denver’s Union Station into a model transit-oriented urban center.

Reininger补充说,时间安排也适合运输替代方案,例如Br​​ightline。他引用统计数据表明,佛罗里达州日益多样化的经济是美国增长最快的经济,部分原因是对所谓的“千禧一代”有吸引力的企业,他们对城市生活的偏爱使汽车的拥有量不那么重要。

对于那些仍然需要自己的车轮的人来说,莱辛格问道:“如果您总是陷入1960年代建立的道路网络上的交通,那么有什么乐趣?”

可以肯定的是,佛罗里达州的所有人都以交通选择的想法而不仅仅是一个想法。莱因林(Reininger)称之为“礼物”是建立了一个现成的,维护良好的铁路基础设施,该基础设施将是Brightline的一部分的城市区域,主要是在现有基础设施围绕。为了确保这些铁轨随着货物的运输而安全有效地移动人们,Archer Western正在签订一份1.539亿美元的铁路基础设施合同,涵盖Brightline的66.5英里长的迈阿密到西棕榈段。该项目包括加利福尼亚州西门子目前正在准备的五场教练火车套装的测试轨道。

作为一家私人实体业务,佛罗里达州的所有人还拥有大多数公共部门运输系统只能梦想的财务资源,使佛罗里达州的所有人能够在设计准备就绪后立即启动车站建设。萨福克建筑公司(Suffolk Construction)正在建造耗资200万美元的迈阿密人车站,这是一个占地9英亩的多模式综合体的一部分,而Moss&Associates是较小的劳德代尔堡和西棕榈滩站的总承包商。

莱因林格说,让佛罗里达州“企业家和创新的思维定势”上的所有顾问和承包商都对该项目的成功至关重要。其中一位承包商是Moss&Associates董事长Bob Moss,他反驳说,佛罗里达州所有最大的优势很可能是Reininger本人。

莫斯说:“佛罗里达州最备受瞩目的项目之一的领导者比他拥有更好的领导者。”18luck官网“他还与其他有才华的人包围,他们擅长完成大型,复杂的项目。”18luck官网

在Brightline的情况下,完成工作已经要求当事情不按计划展开时,刺激性换档。

While the initial Miami to West Palm Beach segment is funded using company equity, the original plan to finance the 168.5-mile extension to Orlando International Airport with a $1.5-billion federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Loan was roundly criticized by project opponents in 2014 who claimed that the public would be on the hook for a potentially risky enterprise.

Despite reassurances that no public money would be involved with repaying the loan, All Aboard Florida opted instead to sell $1.75 billion in tax-exempt bonds—just as the capital markets began a downward spiral.

美国运输部的两次扩展为公司提供了额外的时间来完成销售。但是,由于没有立即的市场改善,奥兰多的扩建时间更加流畅。

“We’re pressing pause until market conditions improve,” Reininger says, declining to say how long that might be, but noting that the extension’s final environmental impact statement has already been issued. “We don’t want to be under pressure to sell the bonds and wind up with less attractive financing that compromises the service we want to deliver.”

去年7月,佛罗里达州的所有人还雇用了Archer Western在Orlando International Airport,Brightline的其他终点站(Orlando International Airport)管理铁路基础设施的建设,承包商将与大奥兰多航空管理局合作,建造铁路,道路和相关结构。

筹款活动显然不是北部反对者的问题。马丁和印度河县的政府已将660万美元分配给旨在阻止Brightline的诉讼,诉讼称这将对财产价值和生活质量产生不利影响。

Reininger says that the concerns stem from “misinformation and misinterpretation” of the program from “a very minor but vocal group of people who have chosen to put roadblocks in the process.” All Aboard Florida has repeatedly offered to address community concerns through measures such as constructing tracks to higher safety standards and eliminating the need for trains to sound their horns, he says.

As a counter to the critics, Reininger points to several communities along Florida’s Space Coast that have expressed interest in becoming a part of a Brightline route.

他说:“他们看到了优势和机会,并希望领先曲线。”他补充说,正在就新站点的潜在位置进行讨论。尽管这些决定没有时间表,但它们肯定会使用佛罗里达州所有在其三个初创企业中投资的详尽研究进行。

T.J.观察到:“他们正在考虑大型的事情,例如在最有意义的乘客进入的地方找到这些站点。”Gottesdiener,SOM的Brightline Station的执行合伙人。“他们正在寻找未来50年的时间,并思考自己想要的地区以及铁路系统将如何成为其中的一部分。”

例如,在迈阿密植物站,Brightline火车将利用一个高高的高架平台,保留现有的街道级连接和活动。内部,200,000平方英尺的零售和食品和饮料空间将链接为该市其他运输服务服务的Concourses,而户外广场和开放空间则可以用于各种活动。

戈特斯迪安说:“像经典的火车站一样,迈阿密中心将编织到城市的各种用途,但不会打断街头网格。”“您可以在车站周围移动,然后进入它。”

Many factors could crimp All Aboard Florida’s ambitious aspirations, from continued cheap gas prices that typically drain riders from other transit systems, to an economic downturn that might slow development around the stations.

Yet with the investment already made in facilities, infrastructure and start-up operations, All Aboard Florida is building up a figurative head of steam for next year’s debut. And there’s already talk about potential extensions of Brightline service once the Orlando segment is ready, with Tampa and Jacksonville frequently mentioned as potential destinations.

Those are issues for another day, insists Reininger, as All Aboard Florida is focused solely on getting its trains and stations ready to roll on schedule.

“When that’s complete, we’ll do what any business would do and look for ways to expand and capture more customers,” he says. “If something looks financially viable, we’ll formulate a way to do it.”