(The Associated Press circulated the following on November 29.)
WINTER PARK, Fla. — The state will pay CSX Transportation Inc. nearly half a billion dollars for a commuter rail in central Florida, officials said Thursday.
The Deland to Kissimmee route will cost about $491 million, with an additional $615 million in state, federal and local tax money needed for platforms, stations and other structures.
About a third of the $491 million will fund 61 miles of CSX track in the Orlando area. The rest will be used to help the Jacksonville-based CSX expand its freight lines and operations.
The project is still awaiting final approval from the Florida Legislature and Federal Transit Administration.
U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, made the announcement Thursday from an Amtrak station in Winter Park. The deal has taken years to put together because it required commitments from the federal government and elected officials in four central Florida counties.
CSX Transportation operates the largest railroad in the eastern United States with a 21,000-mile rail network linking commercial markets in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.
A telephone message left for a CSX spokesman by The Associated Press was not immediately returned Thursday night.