(The following appeared on the Miami Herald website on December 8, 2009.)
MIAMI Fla. — Here is a partial summary of rail legislation that passed the Florida House on Monday and is now before the state Senate:
• SunRail: Allows state to spend $432 million to buy 61 miles of existing rail track, owned by CSX Corp., from DeLand in Volusia County to Poinciana in Osceola County for operation of a commuter rail system. Additional money comes from the federal government, four Central Florida counties (Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia), the city of Orlando and passenger fares.
• High-speed rail: Earmarks $2.6 billion over 30 years, most of it federal money, for a high-speed rail system linking Tampa, Orlando and Miami. The first leg of the system will link Tampa and Orlando.
• Tri-Rail: Provides $13 million to $15 million annually to reduce operating deficits in Tri-Rail, which serves Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
• Liability: Requires the state to buy a $200 million liability insurance policy for SunRail, with the annual premium expected to be about $2 million. The state agrees to hold CSX harmless in crashes, but the carrier must pay the state’s insurance deductible (about $10 million) in certain cases caused by the willful misconduct of the company or its employees or subsidiaries.