Doubts and controversy over Florida's high-speed rail venture aren't deterring high-powered European and Asian companies from lining up to bid on the project. Talgo Inc. figures to be at the head of the queue.

Eight global consortiums have expressed interest in building and operating the proposed 84-mile line connecting Tampa and Orlando.

One of the leading contenders, Florida Mobility Partners, is headed by Talgo, a Spanish-headquartered train operator that is expanding operations in America.

"This is a most important project for us. The number of trains involved is not very large, but it's significant because it's the first in the United States," Talgo America President Antonio Perez told Sunshine State News in an exclusive interview.

"The U.S. has large potential, and this is important from a strategic standpoint," he said.

Talgo's prospective competitors see the Florida project in much  the same way -- a beachhead for future business as the Obama administration pushes more high-speed rail ventures.

Like Talgo's team, the prospective bidders rely heavily on expertise from outside the United States. Among the consortiums expressing interest to the state:

• Bechtel, Amtrak and France’s SNCF America.
• Parsons and South Korea’s Samsung, Korail, KRTC, GRDC, KRRI, Korean Consortium and Korea Railway Association and Hyundai Rotem USA.
• Florida High Speed Rail LLC; UK's Balfour Beatty Rail; United States’ HDR, Parsons Brinckerhoff, PCL Civil Constructors and Lane Construction; Japan’s Mitsubishi International, Central Japan Railway Co., Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
• Spain’s ACS Infrastructure Development and Dragados USA; United States’ T.Y. Lin International and GE Transportation; China’s TSDI, CSR SF China and CRCC China; and Brazil’s Odebrecht Infrastructure.
• Florida Rail Ventures: Germany’s Siemens; France’s Veolia; Spain’s Global Via USA and FCC; United States’ Granite and Jacobs; and Sweden’s Skanska.
• France’s Alstom and Vinci Concessions; Spain’s OHL USA; United States’ PBS&J, AECOM, Hubbard Construction and Archer Western Contractors; and UK's Virgin Group and Virgin Rail Group.
• An incomplete consortium comprising United States’ Kiewit, Canada’s Bombardier and UK’s National Express.

Talgo's Perez believes that his Spain-centric team -- which includes contractors Ferrovial, Elecnor, Invensys Rail (UK), Prince (U.S.) and concessionaires Soares Da Costa and Cintra -- is best equipped to land the Florida job.

In America, Talgo trains have provided passenger service in the Pacific Northwest since 1994, and operate in other scattered regions around the country.

Prince, a lead contractor in the Talgo consortium, is headed by John D. Watson, a Florida State University graduate. The company has been involved in several transportation projects in the state, including I-595 expansions in Broward County.

As for high-speed rail, Talgo team partner Ferrovial Agroman has laid a quarter of Spain's high-speed track.

"Our group has lots of experience in transportation projects," Perez said. "We're used to taking risks in ridership that not all others are willing to take."

Risk will definitely be part of the package as Gov. Rick Scott has vowed to keep the state's taxpayers off the financial hook.

Though the Obama administration has allocated $2.4 billion for the project, a funding gap estimated somewhere between $280 million and $1.5 billion remains (depending on who's doing the estimating). That does not include expected operational deficits.