Lobbying For Stops On High-Speed Rail Line

LAKELAND -- Now that plans for a high-speed train between Orlando and Tampa are under way, communities are lobbying for a stop on the rail line.

Transportation officials said they have to limit the number of stops on the high-speed rail system. If there are too many stops, the average speed of the system won’t be fast enough to make the rail system worthwhile.

Lakeland Mayor-elect Gow Fields said he believes there will ultimately be only one stop in Polk County, and he wants it in his city.

“It’s very important we have a stop in Polk County,” Fields said.

If Lakeland does get a high-speed rail stop, the next logical question is: Where it will go?

The interchange for Kathleen Road and Interstate 4 is one prime spot, with plenty of land. Plus, the spot is a quick trip by bus to the city’s Citrus Connection bus terminal.

“People that don’t live here, that get off high-speed rail in Lakeland -- well, they can’t get off where they are going next,” Fields said. “They will have to have mass transit available to them to get to their next destination.”

Besides Lakeland, the Florida Department of Transportation said another site considered for Polk County could be the I-4 exchange with the Polk Parkway, which is also the future home of a huge University of South Florida Polytechnic campus.

Some residents would like the stop at U.S. Highway 27 and I-4, about 3 miles west of the Osceola County line and ChampionsGate, while others would like to see the stop built at Socrum Loop Road, in Lakeland.

Sujoy Daskundo, a manager at the Days Inn and Suites on Socrum Loop Road, said a train stop in the area could bring a boost to business for the neighborhood.

“Next door, we have Applebees, you have Cracker Barrel, Five Guys -- everything,” he said. “All the gas stations, so everything, all the businesses. There will be a flow of money going again.”

The Department of Transportation will make the final decision about the location of the stop. However, officials said they do not know when they will make that call.

Source:cfnews13.com/