Analysts: Rail project would provide spark for transit system

“Analysts: Rail project would provide spark for transit system”
By Margaret Cashill
Tampa Bay Business Journal
August 24, 2009
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/08/24/story4.html

Transportation advocates say that with the construction of a high-speed rail line in Florida, jobs would be created and it would have a positive impact on the environment by removing cars from the roads. The rail is also predicted to have significant impacts on businesses around Tampa Bay. Edward Mierzejewski, director of the Center for Urban Transportation at the University of South Florida, said that the cluster of population surrounding a rail hub could attract retail and would also introduce the need for a well-integrated public transportation system. Tampa Bay does not have the density or the public transit system that makes it easy coming off a train and getting to a destination like other cities such as New York and Washington. An investment in bus systems could help integrate rail stops with bus routes to take travelers along the edge of Tampa’s downtown to the Westshore Business District, and also to tourist beach destinations or Tampa Bay Rays’ games. Well-integrated transit at each major station is an important part of the success or failure of the rail system. The high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando is not nearly as important as the link connecting to Miami, which will offer major time savings. If the initial Tampa to Orlando link is not implemented correctly with proper transit planning in both cities, the Miami link may never hit the construction phase.