What does All Aboard Florida mean for home values? Verdict... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Click title for a link to an article which provides an overview of the impact, positive and negative, of increased train traffic primarily resulting from All Aboard Florida. That is the fast passenger service that would link Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Some real estate agents are already promoting it as an asset in the downtown West Palm Beach area. Expert opinions differ on the impact depending on whether it is passenger or freight service and the proximity to the tracks. Fixed horns that are directed down the streets, rather than on trains that are omni-directional are one solution for that sort of noise nuisance. The shorter length of passenger trains compared to freight is another consideration. From the article:

All Aboard Florida’s proposal is to run 32 trains per day — 16 round trips — on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, which now handle only freight traffic. The trains are expected to make the journey from Miami to Orlando in about three hours traveling at speeds of 79 mph to 110 mph before turning west at Cocoa and increasing velocity to 125 mph.
Palm Beach County has 114 rail crossings and 170,690 people living within 1,000 feet of the FEC tracks, the easternmost rail line in the county. It also has more single-family homes (2,432) than Broward and Miami-Dade counties combined that would be severely affected by train noise if horns aren’t blunted by some form of mitigation. Another 7,241 homes would be moderately affected.