Rumor Higher Speed Rail from MCO to Disney World

[joelkfla]

JetBlue is expected to be the only airline in terminal C and getting to the intermodal station from there requires some (to be determined) form of transportation.

No, the new terminal and the intermodal facility are parts of the same complex. There will be a short skywalk.

From existing A/B, you have to find your way from your flight, over a sky train to the terminal, get off of that and find the next people mover to get you to the intermodal terminal.

It's a 4-minute ride on a modern, speedy people mover. Direct, non-stop. Actually, quite a pleasant and scenic ride. No more hassle than riding an elevator.

*The intermodal terminal is publicly accessible meaning any bags coming over would presumably need to be security screened.*

IIRC, Brightline does screen passengers & carry-ons at its stations. But it's a simple walk thru a metal detector at the ticket check, and carry-ons thru an X-ray belt. No elaborate rigamarole like TSA.

Brightline handles checked baggage at its current stations. If the company decides to provide service between MCO & WDW (which at this time is unknown), and if the WDW station is built to handle checked baggage, hand-off directly from the airlines to Brightline would likely be available.

If the service is provided by SunRail (which is another possibility), there will be no checked baggage (unless Disney provides the service separately), but also no screening under the current model.

 

[nickys]

No, the new terminal and the intermodal facility are parts of the same complex. There will be a short skywalk.

It's a 4-minute ride on a modern, speedy people mover. Direct, non-stop. Actually, quite a pleasant and scenic ride. No more hassle than riding an elevator.

IIRC, Brightline does screen passengers & carry-ons at its stations. But it's a simple walk thru a metal detector at the ticket check, and carry-ons thru an X-ray belt. No elaborate rigamarole like TSA.

Brightline handles checked baggage at its current stations. If the company decides to provide service between MCO & WDW (which at this time is unknown), and if the WDW station is built to handle checked baggage, hand-off directly from the airlines to Brightline would likely be available.

If the service is provided by SunRail (which is another possibility), there will be no checked baggage (unless Disney provides the service separately), but also no screening under the current model.

The x-ray belts I’ve seen at any airport though aren’t big enough for large suitcases and bags. But many guests will have huge cases, especially if they’re flying internationally. I guess they’ll have to have some extra large luggage belts for screening at the MCO and DS stations at least.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

The x-ray belts I’ve seen at any airport though aren’t big enough for large suitcases and bags. But many guests will have huge cases, especially if they’re flying internationally. I guess they’ll have to have some extra large luggage belts for screening at the MCO and DS stations at least.

Anything that large would probably need to be checked and carried in the trains baggage car.

 

[nickys]

Anything that large would probably need to be checked and carried in the trains baggage car.

To be clear, I’m talking about a normal suitcase, that might be 23-30kg, not an oversized bag. That’s normal for international flights. And of course for international flights passengers have to retrieve their luggage before immigration and customs, so there would need to be screening again before check-in. That will add delays since presumably they want people travelling on the same train as the bags.

And at both MCO and DS there would need to be a Collection point too, since they can’t be transferred direct to the airline like for domestic passengers.

 

[joelkfla]

To be clear, I’m talking about a normal suitcase, that might be 23-30kg, not an oversized bag. That’s normal for international flights. And of course for international flights passengers have to retrieve their luggage before immigration and customs, so there would need to be screening again before check-in. That will add delays since presumably they want people travelling on the same train as the bags.

And at both MCO and DS there would need to be a Collection point too, since they can’t be transferred direct to the airline like for domestic passengers.

For sure, international travel complicates things (it always does). But Brightline already handles checked baggage, so I'm confident baggage checking and retrieval facilities will be included in their MCO and WDW stations. They would need them anyway for travelers from Miami.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I love trains. I wish the US had trains going everywhere. What’s better than getting on the train, nodding off and waking at your destination. But I really doubt this will all work. I doubt it will make enough money to sustain its self. It will not be as convenient and popular as the free magical express Disney has taken away.

I suspect Orlando airport is gonna be organized chaos with all the folks getting their various forms of transportation from the airport to WDW.

It will be interesting to watch.

 

[GimpYancIent]

I love trains. I wish the US had trains going everywhere. What’s better than getting on the train, nodding off and waking at your destination. But I really doubt this will all work. I doubt it will make enough money to sustain its self. It will not be as convenient and popular as the free magical express Disney has taken away.

I suspect Orlando airport is gonna be organized chaos with all the folks getting their various forms of transportation from the airport to WDW.

It will be interesting to watch.

Europe has had a lot of success with trains for passenger transport conversely the U.S. has had success with rail transport in the movement of freight. AMTRACK is an example how U.S. rail struggles as a passenger service.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

AMTRACK is an example how U.S. rail struggles as a passenger service.

How so?

 

[GimpYancIent]

How so?

Look at the low ridership and need for government supplement. Not self sufficient nor as efficient as it needs to be. A whole lot of people would rather zip up and down the 95 corridor in motorized vehicles or fly (yes, deal w the airport hassle) than ride the train.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Look at the low ridership and need for government supplement. Not self sufficient nor as efficient as it needs to be. A whole lot of people would rather zip up and down the 95 corridor in motorized vehicles or fly (yes, deal w the airport hassle) than ride the train.

FDOT is making Brightline subsidize the highways.

 

[GimpYancIent]

FDOT is making Brightline subsidize the highways.

Ok so how does that make things more efficient and reduce the carbon footprint? I thought the hope was to entice motorists to not drive but rather just ride rail transport. No thought given to make the concept appealing though.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Look at the low ridership and need for government supplement. Not self sufficient nor as efficient as it needs to be. A whole lot of people would rather zip up and down the 95 corridor in motorized vehicles or fly (yes, deal w the airport hassle) than ride the train.

Not to get too off-topic but all forms of transportation in this country require government funding.

And I’m guessing you haven’t ridden many trains, they are typically quite full.

The Amtrak corridors in the northeast (Harrisburg to Philadelphia and DC - nyc - Boston) and California are exceptionally well run and well patronized corridors.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

To be clear, I’m talking about a normal suitcase, that might be 23-30kg, not an oversized bag. That’s normal for international flights. And of course for international flights passengers have to retrieve their luggage before immigration and customs, so there would need to be screening again before check-in. That will add delays since presumably they want people travelling on the same train as the bags.

And at both MCO and DS there would need to be a Collection point too, since they can’t be transferred direct to the airline like for domestic passengers.

They have these kinds of scanners for the Eurostar trains that go between London and continental Europe. It's reasonably efficient from experience, but, yes, just more hassle for families with multiple suitcases considering this option.

I love trains. I wish the US had trains going everywhere. What’s better than getting on the train, nodding off and waking at your destination. But I really doubt this will all work. I doubt it will make enough money to sustain its self. It will not be as convenient and popular as the free magical express Disney has taken away.

I suspect Orlando airport is gonna be organized chaos with all the folks getting their various forms of transportation from the airport to WDW.

It will be interesting to watch.

Living in Europe, I absolutely love travelling by train. Only reason I would ever choose a plane over a train would be time or a big difference in cost.

I agree, though, that it's hard to see this working as a major method of transportation to and from WDW. Too much hassle, hard to imagine it will be that much cheaper (if at all) for an entire family, and a market that is mostly not used to travelling this way. Maybe there is enough of a market to keep it viable for day visitors and solo travellers, but I don't see it transporting a significant amount of WDW resort guests.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Not to get too off-topic but all forms of transportation in this country require government funding.

And I’m guessing you haven’t ridden many trains, they are typically quite full.

The Amtrak corridors in the northeast (Harrisburg to Philadelphia and DC - nyc - Boston) and California are exceptionally well run and well patronized corridors.

Fair enough! For the record I have ridden my fair share of trains, that said, either my personal experiences have not been good or I am just not enthused by trains.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Fair enough! For the record I have ridden my fair share of trains, that said, either my personal experiences have not been good or I am just not enthused by trains.

I’m either quite lucky or am just wired different. I genuinely enjoy all forms of travel. Planes, Trains, Boats and Busses!

Much of my enjoyment at Disney is the transportation. Horse Drawn Streetcar, Red Car Trolley, steamboat, people mover, steam train, monorail, skyway, friendship boats, even the parking lot trams!

Back to brightline - I think the MCO to Disney Springs connection will be one small piece in the puzzle. Some will use it, others will use mears, taxi, Uber, and limo services. More options are better for everyone.

 

[Disstevefan1]

How so?

AMTRACK doesn’t actually make a profit. It’s a service propped up by the tax payers.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

AMTRACK doesn’t actually make a profit. It’s a service propped up by the tax payers.

Just like all other forms of transportation....

I’m not saying that *Amtrak spends all of their money in the most logical ways, but they are providing a transportation service that helps link this country. The states that have invested in Amtrak corridors (California, Washington & Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Maine, etc.) seem to be seeing good ridership.

 

[joelkfla]

I love trains. I wish the US had trains going everywhere. What’s better than getting on the train, nodding off and waking at your destination. But I really doubt this will all work. I doubt it will make enough money to sustain its self. It will not be as convenient and popular as the free magical express Disney has taken away.

Brightline is not building a train line to take people between OIA & WDW; they're building a line between Miami & Orlando, and hopefully between Orlando & Tampa. The WDW stop just expands their market, and makes the train more convenient & attractive to get between WDW & Miami.

Brightline has not even said that they intend to carry local passengers between OIA & WDW. That's all speculation by WDW fans.

 

[lazyboy97o]

AMTRACK doesn’t actually make a profit. It’s a service propped up by the tax payers.

How does I-4 make a profit?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

How does I-4 make a profit?

Currently Asking for $1 Billion dollars for I-4 improvements just in the Orlando area alone....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cl...-i-4-beyond-ultimate-projects/?outputType=amp