TBARTA made its master plan available to the public last Friday.  You can find it online right here. 

The gist of it for rail is that TBARTA envisions 103 miles of short-range rail (i.e., light rail in these parts for all intent and purposes though no particular technology is overtly proposed) running through parts of the 7 county region by 2035, starting with Hillsborough.

Rail (highlighted in red) connects Hillsborough and Pinellas County.

This chart explains rail specs to readers of the master plan.

The linked information goes into all the funding details and what not.  What I'd rather focus on beyond the rail excitement itself is the masterful effort by TBARTA to dessiminate this information throughout the web.  Tonight, for instance, they held a town hall meeting to discuss the plan.  They not only allowed participants to dial in and participate via phone conference (which they've been doing for some time actually), they aggressively tweeted the event in an attempt to draw participation and increase their reach.  Ironically, I myself was in, of all places at the time, a subway car!

TBARTA's Twitter feed tonight.  In a word: Impressive!

The adoption of a rail supplement to the region's growing transportation needs is a terrific shore-up to the work Hillsborough County has committed itself toward in bringing real mass transit options to the county.  In what seemed like a crossing of purposes at first, Hillsborough County and TBARTA managed to eek out a plan that allows Hillsborough to independently pursue a starter light rail line.  One that will pilot the red line you see above in the first image.

Introducing Tampa Rail's Content Contribution Programs

As recently alluded in a recent posting here at Tampa Rail, I am opening the doors to Tampa Rail albeit in a very controlled manner.  The intent is to save the local content generation for the site while I myself can only watch from NYC. 

There will be several of these types of programs I'm going to announce.  However, in this posting, I am happy to start with the introduction of Tampa Rail Sponsored Entries. 

The Tampa Rail Sponsored Entries program is a unique value/value contribution program for business owners or business operators that operate within one mile of an urban rail station in Hillsborough County.  It boils down to an opportunity to reach Tampa Rail's readership via the very space you're reading these words from in exchange for a business owner's positive perspective on rail as it may impact their business or otherwise enhance it.  You can read the details here, and I certainly encourage all business owners within one mile of a Teco Line station to do so.

This is just the first developed program.  Expect to find new ways to make your own TR postings at TR's public contribution information page as each new program comes online.

Tampa Light Rail News

• People Get Ready, There's a Train a-Comin'
• TBARTA Puts Regional Master Plan Before Public
• I'll Ride the Barry But Never the TB!  (posted as laugh-at fodder)
  
• Light Rail is Right Path
• Sunrail is Gone for Now