The Palm Beach Post – See how All Aboard Florida will impact boating

By Kim Miller

Videos highlighting how All Aboard Florida will impact boaters are now posted on the Federal Railroad Administration website, but mariners have disputed their accuracy.

The animations were produced as part of the draft environmental impact statement and revealed at public meetings that began last month to discuss the more than 500-page document.

Another round of meetings, sponsored this time by the US Coast Guard, begin Wednesday.

Boaters at the environmental meeting in Stuart questioned the timing of when data was gathered by the company that wrote the report.

“This isn’t just a little boating issue for us, this waterway is like our Panama Canal,” said Barbara Cook, a Stuart resident who often navigates her 40-foot trawler through the bridge opening.

“They say the current wait time is 20 minutes. I’ve never waited less than 30.”

All Aboard Florida plans to run 32 passenger trains per day on the Florida East Coast Railway Tracks. The tracks cross three major waterways used by boaters. When drawbridges lower to let trains pass, boats can get backed up in strong currents.