Nov 5, 2009 10:19 am US/Eastern
Crist Wants Special Session On Fla. Commuter Rail
On Friday, Crist submitted the proposal to the federal government. If approved, Florida would be on track to receive a $2.5 billion for a Tampa-Orlando route and an additional $8 billion to extend the high-speed rail down to Miami.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
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File: The French V150 TGV high-speed train near Grigny in eastern France. Gov. Crist wants Florida to have it's own high-speed train route.
AP
Gov. Charlie Crist is moving forward with a proposal to create a high-speed train system connecting Tampa, Orlando, and Miami, calling for a special legislative session in December to seek approval of a commuter rail system in central Florida.
The commuter project is seen as vital to Florida's chances of getting federal money for a high-speed system linking Orlando and Tampa and eventually extending to Miami.
Crist has the power to call a special session, but Thursday said he wants support from legislative leaders before doing so.
Last Friday, Crist submitted a proposal to the federal government. If approved, Florida would be on track to receive a $2.5 billion for a Tampa-Orlando route and an additional $8 billion to extend the high-speed rail down to Miami.
The federal government is making $8 billion available for high-speed systems across the nation. A key criteria, though, is that such systems have links to local transportation networks.
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