There's proposed to be 3 stops in Orlando, the Meadow Wood Sunrail transfer station is to connect this train for our local transit system. Sunrail goes downtown and to Winter Park, which is likely where tourists wanting to explore the local Orlando spots will want to go. The only big missing link is I-Drive/OCCC/Universal, but that is no doubt on purpose to keep Disney happy. If the proposed airport to I-Drive rail link gets built you should be able to get there by going to the airport with Brightline and then transferring to that, but it will be less then ideal.
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Rumor Higher Speed Rail from MCO to Disney World
- Thread starter UCF
- Start date
There's proposed to be 3 stops in Orlando, the Meadow Wood Sunrail transfer station is to connect this train for our local transit system. Sunrail goes downtown and to Winter Park, which is likely where tourists wanting to explore the local Orlando spots will want to go. The only big missing link is I-Drive/OCCC/Universal, but that is no doubt on purpose to keep Disney happy. If the proposed airport to I-Drive rail link gets built you should be able to get there by going to the airport with Brightline and then transferring to that, but it will be less then ideal.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The “Disney” station is likely to be more Disney adjacent than actually on Disney property. Going up to the area between SeaWorld Orlando and the current part of Universal Orlando Resort would be a deviation from the goal of getting to Tampa. This is more of an inter-city project than a local project looking to serve the greater Orlando area.
Rider
Well-Known Member
Virgin Trains (Brightline) has signed a letter of intent with Disney to link the resort at the same time they open their airport station.
www.orlandosentinel.com
Virgin Trains plans to link with Disney World, SunRail at same time as Orlando International Airport
The train that will run from South to Central Florida is slated to stop at Walt Disney World and SunRail’s Meadow Wood station at about the same time it opens its Orlando airport station, Vir…
www.orlandosentinel.com
IrishSailor
Member
I just saw this... VERY interesting!!Virgin Trains (Brightline) has signed a letter of intent with Disney to link the resort at the same time they open their airport station.
Virgin Trains plans to link with Disney World, SunRail at same time as Orlando International Airport
The train that will run from South to Central Florida is slated to stop at Walt Disney World and SunRail’s Meadow Wood station at about the same time it opens its Orlando airport station, Vir…
homerdance
Well-Known Member
Mears gonna be mad
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
This isn’t replacing DME, which will still be more convenient than this service.
homerdance
Well-Known Member
But this isn’t just competition to DME but also taxis. And there are going to be people who take the train to avoid roads
Disone
Well-Known Member
Mears doesn't have the same leverage as last time when they joined with Universal to put a stop to the project. First, since then Uber and Lyft have exploded on the scene and have taken a huge chunk of the business away from Mears. They're just not as big of a company anymore. So they've lost some influence there.
Second and this one's more important, last time it was a government project using government subsidies to fund the project. They're basic angle of attack was that it was not fair for the government to favor a private business, Disney, over other private businesses themselves and Universal. This does not apply when it is in fact a private business, virgin trains, that is funding the line. Sure government is involved but the net result is How is being paid for is completely different.
Will they fight it, most likely!. However because they won the battle last time does not mean they're going to be able to win the battle this time. The logistics are very different this time. As are the players.
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lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Cost of tickets, frequency of service and “last mile” connections are all hurdles that will protect the taxis. It doesn’t really make sense to take a train to Disney and then take a taxi to your hotel off US 192 or I-Drive.
ryguy
Well-Known Member
Having a stop at Disney certainly makes this much more appealing, so I can see why they are getting the additional funding. As someone who lives in a town that will be directly effected by the trains, I am not really stoked about 100mph trains blowing through town 24 times a day. So it's not all good news for everybody. We don't even get a stop so zero benefit for Vero. Right now there are no plans for stops anywhere close to Vero. People here wish they would use the tracks west of 95 where there is less population. Especially if they are not going to have a stop nearby. Many towns along the line have been trying to get this stopped but have been unsuccessful. As it stands now we get all the hassle, safety concerns, and noise without any benefit. Oh by the way the town has to upgrade all the crossings for the new trains. So you can see why local governments aren't thrilled about the train.
My major concern is the safety aspect. Americans are not use to high speed rail. Since Brightline (now Virgin) opened down south there have been several deaths of pedestrians. Here in Vero the train will go through our busiest portion of town so I can see something bad happening along the tracks. Right now the train is out of sight, out of mind. But once these trains start blowing through town people are going to be up in arms. It's going to be interesting for sure.
My major concern is the safety aspect. Americans are not use to high speed rail. Since Brightline (now Virgin) opened down south there have been several deaths of pedestrians. Here in Vero the train will go through our busiest portion of town so I can see something bad happening along the tracks. Right now the train is out of sight, out of mind. But once these trains start blowing through town people are going to be up in arms. It's going to be interesting for sure.
raymusiccity
Well-Known Member
Pedestrians are killed and injured by all forms of transportation on a daily basis. It's a weak argument that 'there have been several deaths of pedestrians' along the tracks. A simple search lists pedestrians struck by taxis, uber, buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles, heavy equipment, et al.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
100 people died today in the United States due to car accidents. How many died due to trains?
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
Typically those are people that are trying to "beat" the train by going around the gates or just aren't paying attention. There's only so much you can do to get someones attention (gates, bells, lights, etc.) that a several hundred ton hunk of metal is about to pass by them. However, whenever someone tries to knowingly "beat" the train through a crossing and loses...well...I really can't say I feel sorry for them.
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
Does this help?Does anyone know any other site carrying this story, one that isn’t blocked to the U.K. please?
I know it’s on here, but it would be nice to read that article.
The train that will run from South to Central Florida is slated to stop at Walt Disney World and SunRail’s Meadow Wood station at about the same time it opens its Orlando airport station, Virgin Trains’ president said Thursday.
“It’s our expectation to get it done and to build out to Disney,” Virgin Trains president Patrick Goddard said of a time frame that hinges on permits and financing. “It is entirely conceivable that that can happen with the delivery of the Orlando station.”
Virgin officials said their top priority is getting 30 to 36 months of construction started “imminently.”
Sir Richard Branson, white shirt, tours the renamed Virgin MiamiCentral. (Virgin Trains.)
As recently as Tuesday, Virgin Train officials had emphasized that the company was in negotiations with several landowners in the area of the region’s theme parks for a station site.
Goddard said, however, that Virgin Trains last year signed a letter of intent with Disney.
“We’ve had an excellent relationship with Walt Disney World,” Goddard said. “They are big supporters of our project.”
Goddard spoke by phone after touring Virgin Trains in South Florida with Sir Richard Branson, founder of the venture-capital Virgin Group, which last year partnered with the owner of the train system previously known as Brightline.
The system is now officially called Virgin Trains, but the public rebranding will play out this year and included Thursday’s dedication and renaming of the train’s Miami station as Virgin MiamiCentral, a hub of retail, restaurants and residences.
“That’s the first glimpse of the brand transition,” Virgin spokesman Ben Porritt said.
Last year, the train company secured rights to issue $1.75 billion in tax-free bonds. It did so late last month and is looking to finalize the bond issuance in the coming few weeks.
Goddard said that the $1.75 billion is sufficient to start construction from the current run of Virgin Trains between Miami to West Palm Beach, which went into operation last year.
The company also is pursuing a link to Tampa, with construction possibly starting while the tracks from West Palm Beach to Orlando are still under construction, according to company officials.
The company also will seek approval Friday to issue another $950 million in bonds. That funding would be instrumental in completing construction for the Orlando link, Goddard said.
Branson said that his Virgin Atlantic airline delivers more passengers to Orlando from Europe than any other airline. He said, among other destinations, Virgin trains from Orlando will deliver passengers to Virgin cruise ships in South Florida.
“So Orlando is very important to us,” Branson said. “Connecting Orlando to Miami is a real dream. It will transform the lives of many people.”
Branson said his company’s presence has kept the Orlando link on track.
“Under the Virgin Trains banner, the team was able to raise nearly $1.8 billion here in the last three weeks,” Branson said. “That’s the money we need to build to Orlando.”
Branson said Virgin has “98 percent brand recognition in America and nearly 100 percent in Europe, whereas Brightline is really only known in Miami.”
“So I think the Virgin brand has helped in the process,” Branson said. “I think many people will learn about Virgin Trains in Orlando and jump on them.”
Goddard added that a Disney station “would integrate with their transportation system, hotels and theme parks.”
A nearly 20-mile extension to Disney would include a stop at SunRail’s Meadow Woods station about 10 miles south of downtown Orlando in south Orange County, meaning that the region’s commuter-rail system would finally have a link to Orlando’s airport.
Having started up five years ago, SunRail under the Florida Department of Transportation management no longer even has a proposal in place for linking with Orlando International Airport.
The prospect of Virgin Trains providing a link between SunRail and the airport has tantalized local leaders. But many differences between the two systems would have to be resolved.
SunRail’s base fare is about 10 cents per mile, while Virgin Trains’ charge about 30 cents a mile. With the higher fares of the two trains, Virgin offers more of a luxury experience; SunRail prohibits food and beverage on its trains, while Virgin serves them.
Goddard has said previously his company is ready to resolve operational differences.
“The Meadow Woods connection with SunRail obviously would be a pretty meaningful integration with the Central Florida transportation network,” Goddard said on Thursday.
Source: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/new...anson-talks-virgin-trains-20190404-story.html