The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is considering building a commuter rail between St. Johns and Duval Counties.
During a St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce event last week, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) CEO Nat Ford said he was in talks with St. Augustine leaders and others about creating a commuter rail, as was reported in The St. Augustine Record.
The population of both Duval and St. Johns Counties is growing rapidly and that’s expected to worsen traffic congestion over the coming years.
Commuter rail service between the two counties could help alleviate that congestion. Less cars on the road would also mean less fossil fuel emissions, which would help lower the region’s carbon footprint.
@MyFDOT District 2 Secretary Greg Evans and @JTAFLA CEO Nat Ford will be featured on this morning’s panel hosted by @yoursjcchamber and moderates by @fiorentinogroup Shannan Schuessler. pic.twitter.com/E2cTRhfB4Q
— FDOT District 2 (@MyFDOT_NEFL) March 26, 2021
Spokesman David Cawton told WJCT News that JTA received a grant last year to study commuter rails. However, JTA would need partners to make the commuter rail a reality.
The JTA Board of Directors is scheduled to meet at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and will take up a list of proposed projects that would be funded by local gas tax revenues, including a preliminary design for commuter rail.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
