lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
You can state whatever want, but you keep making declarations based on where you live.
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Rumor Higher Speed Rail from MCO to Disney World
- Thread starter UCF
- Start date
More likely an overnighter. For those who can handle it, maybe even party all night & sleep it off on the 1st train back.
Bob Harlem
Well-Known Member
First train on the new Cocoa/Orlando section. (Delivering rails)
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
That is more impressive than the one I saw out west full of windmill blades. 1600 ft pieces of steel all bending around the turns.... wow
Bob Harlem
Well-Known Member
Brightline begins intercity test runs in Brevard County
The massive project has been years in the making.
www.wesh.com
Bob Harlem
Well-Known Member
Bob Harlem
Well-Known Member
Video showing the first brightline train in Orlando.
"Universal Orlando Resort has pledged to donate 13 acres and money for an Orange County Convention Center-area train station that would be used by SunRail and Brightline.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer presented the update as part of a workshop after the May 5 Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting.
A new presentation on the proposed SunRail/Brightline shared corridor revealed how Universal and other business stakeholders would support the efforts to build out a connection to the International Drive area.
That proposal — which included input from the city of Orlando, Orange County, Universal and other stakeholders — would allow commuter rail system SunRail to operate daily and share a corridor with Brightline in the International Drive area along State Road 528.
SunRail could connect with Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center and Walt Disney World, while Brightline would lease the route and connect to Tampa. Universal stands to benefit due to its upcoming Epic Universe theme park that would be in proximity to the station.
Universal would donate the land and support the creation of a dedicated public entity to help the development and operation of the Sunshine Corridor Plan. Universal and other I-Drive partners would support the dedicated entity’s financing of up to $125 million in private activity bonds to be used to fund the rail corridor and the convention center station.
In addition, Universal and all the Orlando’s Right Rail partners — which include other businesses on International Drive — will guarantee $13 million in annual ticket sales for the new Sunshine Corridor, per the presentation.
The price tag is roughly $1 billion for the tracks and station, but a full design has not been done yet. The station is proposed on Universal owned-land along Destination Parkway, which would be south of roughly 1,000 units of affordable housing proposed on land donated by Universal.
Representatives with Universal were not available for comment on the proposal update. The company has voiced its support for the I-Drive-area railroad pathway before.
Dyer said during the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting that the government, transportation and business groups have been meeting since November 2021.
Volusia County leaders in a May 4 letter to the rail commission said they wanted to make sure they were involved in the process and had concerns about increased maintenance costs to the other counties that are part of the system if it expands.
"The proposal is not nearly as far along as you may think," Dyer said.
Dyer, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings — who are all part of the rail commission board — agreed that going forward, the government partners would make sure no one feels left out of the decision-making process when it comes to costs and other factors.
Brower highlighted that any changes to the governing agreement for SunRail — which covers just the original 61-mile proposed corridor — would require unanimous approval by the five government partners.
Next steps for the corridor would be engaging with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration on grant funding while also working on a projected ridership study for the corridor.
Meanwhile, a proposed penny sales tax increase for transportation improvements in Orange County set to go on the ballot this November could be part of the funding picture for the project, as well, along with other federal grants. Demings said during the meeting that he believes the tax hike has a "good probability" of passing."
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer presented the update as part of a workshop after the May 5 Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting.
A new presentation on the proposed SunRail/Brightline shared corridor revealed how Universal and other business stakeholders would support the efforts to build out a connection to the International Drive area.
That proposal — which included input from the city of Orlando, Orange County, Universal and other stakeholders — would allow commuter rail system SunRail to operate daily and share a corridor with Brightline in the International Drive area along State Road 528.
SunRail could connect with Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center and Walt Disney World, while Brightline would lease the route and connect to Tampa. Universal stands to benefit due to its upcoming Epic Universe theme park that would be in proximity to the station.
Universal would donate the land and support the creation of a dedicated public entity to help the development and operation of the Sunshine Corridor Plan. Universal and other I-Drive partners would support the dedicated entity’s financing of up to $125 million in private activity bonds to be used to fund the rail corridor and the convention center station.
In addition, Universal and all the Orlando’s Right Rail partners — which include other businesses on International Drive — will guarantee $13 million in annual ticket sales for the new Sunshine Corridor, per the presentation.
The price tag is roughly $1 billion for the tracks and station, but a full design has not been done yet. The station is proposed on Universal owned-land along Destination Parkway, which would be south of roughly 1,000 units of affordable housing proposed on land donated by Universal.
Representatives with Universal were not available for comment on the proposal update. The company has voiced its support for the I-Drive-area railroad pathway before.
Dyer said during the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting that the government, transportation and business groups have been meeting since November 2021.
Volusia County leaders in a May 4 letter to the rail commission said they wanted to make sure they were involved in the process and had concerns about increased maintenance costs to the other counties that are part of the system if it expands.
"The proposal is not nearly as far along as you may think," Dyer said.
Dyer, Volusia County Council Chair Jeff Brower and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings — who are all part of the rail commission board — agreed that going forward, the government partners would make sure no one feels left out of the decision-making process when it comes to costs and other factors.
Brower highlighted that any changes to the governing agreement for SunRail — which covers just the original 61-mile proposed corridor — would require unanimous approval by the five government partners.
Next steps for the corridor would be engaging with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration on grant funding while also working on a projected ridership study for the corridor.
Meanwhile, a proposed penny sales tax increase for transportation improvements in Orange County set to go on the ballot this November could be part of the funding picture for the project, as well, along with other federal grants. Demings said during the meeting that he believes the tax hike has a "good probability" of passing."
Notice nobody is mentioning Disney, other than to say they are being contacted (in a prior article.) Disney was not in on this agreement. It remains to be seen whether they'll still want Brightline and/or SunRail on their property if they pass by Universal on the way.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Pretty large spend in an attempt to be included.
From what I'm hearing the county and Orlando are pushing hard for Disney to just accept that if they want to stop Universal/I-Drive have to get a stop too. Disney isn't exactly buying it, but they do strongly believe that this could be a replacement for DME, and it shifts the labour cost of Disney's dime which is quite important nowadays.
Notes from Neverland
Well-Known Member
Where's the evidence of this? Many facts suggest the opposite given the train solution in no way can come even close to what DME did.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Disney already agreed to the stop knowing that the alignment had not been selected.
So, a Sunshine Corridor Improvement District... a SCID?
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
From what we know at this point, hiring a Lyft/Uber (or other car service) will be a much better option for most travelers than using the train.
bpiper
Well-Known Member
Maybe they are thinking SunRail as the DME replacement, not Brightline. Or maybe both depending upon schedule times. Brightline has said they want to run hourly trains. If SunRail runs on the 30, then ever 30 minutes a train would run between Disney and MCO.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but that would still require you to figure out other transport from the Disney Springs stop to your actual hotel (and vice versa), because you can't bring your luggage onto Disney buses. That's the biggest reason the train doesn't seem like a reasonable option for most guests.
If you're going to have to get some kind of car service anyways, why not just go directly from the airport to your hotel?
I suppose they could change the rules surrounding luggage, but those buses don't really have anywhere to put it unless the bus is mostly empty.
bpiper
Well-Known Member
Your thinking about Disney's standard bus, but what if they use the ones that take passengers and their luggage to offsite central rental car locations in dedicated service mode. Those have compartments for luggage storage. Or they hire Bag's to use their box trucks to run the luggage over to the hotels or they use their own trucks.
Easily doable. The big thing is if there is enough ROI to cover the costs of the busses/luggage delivery.
nickys
Premium Member
So having dragged your luggage on and off the train (will those have enough space to store luggage?) you then have to check it in (where?) to a luggage service to be taken to your resort. And people would still have carry-on bags with laptops etc to take with them to the resorts. And of course having to get from the station to the DS bus stops, unless they add extra bus stops at the station. And this would happen round the clock?
Might work for some. But no way would it be feasible for most guests.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
If Disney was going to do all of that, I think they'd have just kept DME running. They'd be adding back most of the expense.
Even then, that's a lot of extra steps for guests that are avoided by just renting a car or car service.