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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and CSX Transportation have tentatively agreed to transfer operational control of an 81-mile rail corridor, used by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) to operate Tri-Rail commuter-rail service, from the Class I to the state.

FDOT and SFRTA would assume control of maintenance, and passenger- and freight-train dispatching along the West Palm Beach-to-Miami corridor. The tentative agreement also would open the door for SFRTA to extend service near Miami International Airport southwest to Homestead, and operate commuter-rail service along a 61-mile corridor between DeLand and Poinciana in central Florida.

FDOT and CSXT expect to finalize an agreement during the next several months.

“This agreement in principle represents a long-anticipated resolution to the complex and important issue of how to meet freight- and commuter-rail desires in the robust Florida economy,” said CSX Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward in a prepared statement.