No, it wasn’t a mirage.
It was an Amtrak passenger train cruising through Brevard County last weekend for the first time since Jacksonville-to-Miami service was canceled in 1968.
The train was on a trial run as state and local officials keep pushing to get a slice of federal stimulus funds to restore the service, something we support because of jobs and revenue it would bring to the Space Coast.
If the money is awarded, Titusville, Cocoa and Melbourne could be selected as stops with new stations constructed in those cities.
The stations could plug into their historic downtowns, a boost for the economy because passengers could get off the train and head into the shopping, dining and entertainment districts, providing businesses with more customers.
More than 100 cities, counties and public and private organizations along the 350-mile route have endorsed the plan, with a state study estimating 176,000 people would board the trains in the first year rail service returns to Florida’s East Coast.
Public meetings on the proposal will be held this month in Titusville, Cocoa and Melbourne, and we encourage business owners and citizens to attend and provide their thoughts.
Everyone’s effort is needed to keep moving the issue down the tracks to what we hope is a successful completion.
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