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Memorandum to Treasure Coast Congressional Delegation March 10, 2014 Page Two quiet zones at the lowest possible cost to state and local governments. The FRA should also provide a clear definition of what constitutes a "sealed corridor" along the "Class Six" segment of the railway from approximately Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in Palm Beach County north to State Road 52S in Brevard County. • Stations and Stops in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties The Congressional Delegation should direct Amtrak to immediately advance the Amtrak/FEC Corridor Project, which is already funded in the Florida Department of Transportation Five -Year Work Program. This would provide stations in Stuart, Fort Pierce, and Vero Beach, which should be designed to also accommodate AAF trains. FECI should be compelled to add limited AAF service stops in these communities in the first phase of service. • Mitigating Railroad Bridge and Navigation Conflicts The Congressional Delegation should direct the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR § 117.299 and CFR §117.317) to limit, for example, railroad bridge closures at the Loxahatchee and St. Lucie rivers to not more than fifteen minutes per half-hour. FECI should further be required to modernize both bridges with upgraded bridge machinery and provide bridge -tenders during weekends and holidays to increase safety and public access, and reduce navigation delays. • Reallocation of Freight to the CSX Rail Corridor The Congressional Delegation should compel FECI to execute a freight rationalization program in conjunction with the AAF project to shift long-distance freight trains away from the FEC's coastal route and onto the CSX's inland route to reduce impacts on local communities and bridge closures. • Broadband Access to Public and Select Not -for -Profit Institutions at a Discounted Rate The Congressional Delegation should compel FECI's telecommunications division (Parallel Infrastructure) to establish a discounted rate for broadband access by local governments and agencies, educational systems including colleges and universities, hospitals, and not-for-profit biomedical institutions. • Establish a Reasonable, Consistent, and Predictable Rate Structure for Municipal Grade Crossings The Congressional Delegation should compel FECI to establish standardized agreements with a reasonable and consistent long -tern rate structure to provide greater certainty about the annual and periodic costs to local governments and public authorities for maintaining FEC rail corridor grade crossings. a 5� • A. 14 •