Brightline/Virgin Trains USA

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
So much prep is happening around here. You can see alot of the work occurring. Alot of the local passholders are hoping for a Disney Station and a local station. Disney with no driving. Sign me up.
It’s not a local train. Unless you live near the airport or SunRail, it’s not really going to provide Disney without driving to locals.

I'm still curious to how the line with navigation the other exits. I'm always looking for clues when taking the B-line.
I believe it will end up following the spur line that goes to the Power Plant.

They are gonna have to make major changes to infrastructure correct?
They who? What infrastructure?
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Reedy Creek? Which powerplant please? I was not aware of a rail spur to the one north of the MK.
The alignment to Tampa is still being determined. The land clearing to which I was referring is out in east Orange County near the Stanton Energy Center. The facilities still receives coal by rail and the line goes right past the airport. SunRail and Virgin are both interested in using the same right-of-way to connect to the airport from the west.
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
It’s not a local train. Unless you live near the airport or SunRail, it’s not really going to provide Disney without driving to locals.


I believe it will end up following the spur line that goes to the Power Plant.


They who? What infrastructure?
I probably should have specified. I don't mean local as in Orlando. I mean the Passholders that live on the Space Coast. They are supposedly having conversations to add a station in Cocoa (if Brevard Country is to be believed).
 

UCF

Active Member
It’s not a local train. Unless you live near the airport or SunRail, it’s not really going to provide Disney without driving to locals.
Sunrail covers a fairly wide area, and often times these trains aren't about making it no driving, but much less driving. It may make sense for a local to drive to a Sunrail station, transfer to Virgin, to avoid driving and paying for parking and dealing with the I-4/Disney traffic. We'll have to see the pricing for the Meadow Wood to Disney ticket.

Right now in South Florida, they have a BOGO offer and kids are free... and the round trip price from Miami to Ft Lauderdale is a grand total of $22 right now for 2 adults + kids. Cheaper than Disney parking, not even including the cost of driving.
 

Crazydisneyfanluke

Well-Known Member
This can potentially serve as a replacement for My Magical Express at minimal cost to Disney.
Maybe, they would need a frequent train just going back and fourth between the airport and Disney. It depends if this is in the plan or not. (End response)

My questions are: How many platforms will be at MCO? Will their be a dedicated line just for Disney? How would a train station near ESPN effect the local traffic? Will the infrastructure (roads) already in place at ESPN be enough to accommodate for the increased traffic?
 

Neel24

New Member
Original Poster
Hopefully the next announcement will be that an agreement has been made and they can give details about a location. Would be great to open at the same time as Orlando airport station, anyone think that is possible or am I dreaming?
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
I probably should have specified. I don't mean local as in Orlando. I mean the Passholders that live on the Space Coast. They are supposedly having conversations to add a station in Cocoa (if Brevard Country is to be believed).

A Cocoa station is needed IMO. Might get some resistance from Branson but it is in Disney's interest as well as locals. I see why negotiations are taking some time.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Sunrail covers a fairly wide area, and often times these trains aren't about making it no driving, but much less driving. It may make sense for a local to drive to a Sunrail station, transfer to Virgin, to avoid driving and paying for parking and dealing with the I-4/Disney traffic. We'll have to see the pricing for the Meadow Wood to Disney ticket.

Right now in South Florida, they have a BOGO offer and kids are free... and the round trip price from Miami to Ft Lauderdale is a grand total of $22 right now for 2 adults + kids. Cheaper than Disney parking, not even including the cost of driving.
SunRail would have to beef up its schedule to be a good option for many. Unfortunately that is just generally true for SunRail.

My questions are: How many platforms will be at MCO? Will their be a dedicated line just for Disney? How would a train station near ESPN effect the local traffic? Will the infrastructure (roads) already in place at ESPN be enough to accommodate for the increased traffic?
You can see the station in satellite images. There are two separated island platforms with three guideways for tracks built. Adding a fourth track seems doable. The questions will be how many of those Virgin builds out.

A Disney exclusive train seems doubtful unless demand really surges. The focus here and locally seems to be all about the Disney station but that is just a stop on the way to Tampa.

Hopefully the next announcement will be that an agreement has been made and they can give details about a location. Would be great to open at the same time as Orlando airport station, anyone think that is possible or am I dreaming?
Probably dreaming. The Disney station is part of the expansion to Tampa and that route is much further behind the route to the east where rights of way are all acquired and construction is under way.
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
Is that in writing?
It's probably not in writing but I can 100% see brightline trying to make that agreement for the cruise side of the industry. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. That's potentially a big numbers generator (maybe not money) for ridership getting the Cruise line bus riders going to the port. This is of course assuming they can get a station near the port. Even if your not really making money, ridership is a big deal in getting more investors for expansion.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
It's probably not in writing but I can 100% see brightline trying to make that agreement for the cruise side of the industry. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. That's potentially a big numbers generator (maybe not money) for ridership getting the Cruise line bus riders going to the port. This is of course assuming they can get a station near the port. Even if your not really making money, ridership is a big deal in getting more investors for expansion.
Virgin has still not committed to a stop in Brevard County. Without adding a spur out to Cape Canaveral, the stop would likely be in Cocoa, not even Cocoa Beach.
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
Virgin has still not committed to a stop in Brevard County. Without adding a spur out to Cape Canaveral, the stop would likely be in Cocoa, not even Cocoa Beach.
Everything I said was hypothetical hence why i added the Assuming they can get a station. Brevard County is trying really hard to get a station in Cocoa, offering one plot of land with another plot already being own by Virgin/Brightline. Heck they keep using the words "A station is likely" but until formal paperwork is signed nothing will happen.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Virgin has still not committed to a stop in Brevard County. Without adding a spur out to Cape Canaveral, the stop would likely be in Cocoa, not even Cocoa Beach.

The spur could be a dedicated bus service with designated lanes to and from the train depot.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
It's probably not in writing but I can 100% see brightline trying to make that agreement for the cruise side of the industry. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. That's potentially a big numbers generator (maybe not money) for ridership getting the Cruise line bus riders going to the port. This is of course assuming they can get a station near the port. Even if your not really making money, ridership is a big deal in getting more investors for expansion.

The catch is Virgin cruises will be home ported in Miami. So Disney and them are in some competition. Although demographics don't completely overlap. So they need to work that out before cocoa would be agreed to IMO. But Brightline/Virgin having a stop at WDW is a win-win. Universal might be the more difficult piece of the puzzle. The location of their new park might help though being much closer to mco.
 

nickys

Premium Member
It's probably not in writing but I can 100% see brightline trying to make that agreement for the cruise side of the industry. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. That's potentially a big numbers generator (maybe not money) for ridership getting the Cruise line bus riders going to the port. This is of course assuming they can get a station near the port. Even if your not really making money, ridership is a big deal in getting more investors for expansion.

But Magic Express is nothing to do with cruises.

Currently they have buses running every 30 minutes on something like 8-10 routes to WDW (based on 3 or 4 resorts per bus). And often the space under the bus for luggage is full. That’s a lot of passengers for a train line that is an express service; loading passengers and that much luggage would take a while, not to mention where all the bags, strollers and ECVs would go.

There’s also the issue of everyone having to queue up to get tickets for the train, then find their group and then boarding.

Not sure the operational logistics would be easy, seems like duplicating the effort both at MCO and then at the WDW station.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
But Magic Express is nothing to do with cruises.

Currently they have buses running every 30 minutes on something like 8-10 routes to WDW (based on 3 or 4 resorts per bus). And often the space under the bus for luggage is full. That’s a lot of passengers for a train line that is an express service; loading passengers and that much luggage would take a while, not to mention where all the bags, strollers and ECVs would go.

There’s also the issue of everyone having to queue up to get tickets for the train, then find their group and then boarding.

Not sure the operational logistics would be easy, seems like duplicating the effort both at MCO and then at the WDW station.

Luggage could be checked through to the resorts allowing guests to bypass claims on domestic flights. Luggage can also be transported by truck instead of the train.
 

nickys

Premium Member
Luggage could be checked through to the resorts allowing guests to bypass claims on domestic flights. Luggage can also be transported by truck instead of the train.

Luggage from domestic flights already get transported by truck. If they have the yellow DME tags they don’t go near the buses.

So most of the luggage that goes in the buses are from international passengers or people who want/need their bags with them - medical, kid’s stuff, strollers. A lot of them won’t want to hand over their luggage to be taken in a truck, they need it with them when they get to the resort.

A lot of international guests like us, already hand over luggage receipts at the DME desk, and the bags are collected from the carousels. Handing them over once you arrive at WDW could be over three hours after the flight arrives - meaning they wouldn’t be delivered until more like six hours later, not to mention that would be too late to notify airline desks if there were issues like them not being there.
 

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