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State Gives CSX Hub Needed Scrutiny

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

Tom Pelham, the secretary of the state Department of Community Affairs, said very little last week during a visit to Lakeland to hear from Polk County residents worried about how the proposed $491 million rail realignment plan might affect local communities and neighborhoods.

But what he told the standing-room-only crowd, however, is important: There will be no agreement between the state and CSX Transportation to allow work on a massive rail hub proposed for Winter Haven before a full regional review is complete.

That announcement by the state's top growth management officer should give Polk officials some breathing room to learn more about the specifics of the secret deal worked out between the state and the railroad that would bring commuter rail to the Orlando area while allowing an unlimited ramp-up of freight traffic on the CSX line that runs through Ocala, Dade City, Plant City and Lakeland.

For the plan to progress, CSX needs to move its Orlando-area hub to Winter Haven, which proponents say would be good for Polk's economic development. The new hub also would focus on the shipping container transfer business, which rail companies see as vital to their growth.

But what may be beneficial to CSX may not be good for the county, and that's what needs to be explored. Increased rail and truck traffic is one downside of the proposal, and it isn't clear exactly what the economic impact would be or how many or what type of jobs the hub would bring.

The regional review should help answer those questions. CSX wisely decided not to pursue an agreement with the state to begin work on the hub site as the review moves forward.

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