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Transportation Leader To Outline Rail Plan

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By BILLY TOWNSEND | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 9, 2007

BARTOW - The head of the Florida Department of Transportation's rail office is coming Thursday to talk about a controversial $491 million rail realignment deal that will bring increased freight train traffic to West Central Florida cities and allow for commuter rail in the Orlando area.

Fred Wise will address the county Transportation Planning Organization's meeting at 9 a.m. at the county administration building in Bartow. The meeting is open to the public.

Wise's visit will mark the first time an FDOT official has given a public presentation on the realignment deal to a Polk group. The plan will pay CSX to relocate most of its Orlando area traffic onto a line that runs through Ocala, Dade City, Plant City and Lakeland. The key to the relocation is a massive new CSX rail-to-truck hub planned for Winter Haven. Critics fear unlimited increases in freight train traffic spawned by the relocation and new hub will damage their cities and put hundreds of new trucks daily onto Polk roads.

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