Brightline marks one year operating in Orlando on Sunday, September 22, with 2.6 million rides taken between Central and South Florida.
Meanwhile, SunRail last month completed a three phase plan to add 17 stations across Central Florida, after celebrating its 10 year anniversary back in May.
With more than 20 million people living in Florida, Bob O’Malley, President of Right Track Public Affairs, said the expansion of passenger rail is important.
“In Florida, our population is (over) 22 million people, and add to that 140 million people that visit Florida every single year,” he said. “So the roads can only carry so many people. We need different ways of moving people to their jobs, school, and doctor's appointments, or if they're here on vacation, to the theme parks.”
However, given the limited scope of operation in that Brightline only runs between Orlando and South Florida, and Sunrail doesn’t operate on the weekends, are these rails actually benefiting Central Florida residents?
“(When) SunRail started out, (it) was envisioned as a commuter rail system Monday through Friday, operating during peak commuter times. But that's not how people work anymore. Ever since COVID, most people don't work Monday through Friday, nine to five. People work all kinds of different hours.”
O’Malley said SunRail will need to evolve to serve seven days a week to serve a different population and to connect people to all different types of jobs.
He also says SunRail will need to expand geographically, which Central Florida leaders are working to do through the proposed Sunshine Corridor.
The Sunshine Corridor will expand SunRail to connect the Orlando International Airport, then west to the Orange County Convention Center, and eventually southwest to International Drive and the Disney Springs area.
“That East-West expansion will serve tourists, which is great, but also you got to keep in mind that between the airport and the I-drive area, there are 125,000 jobs,” said O’Malley. “So that will connect people that live all up and down the North South Line to those jobs in the I-drive area and at the airport.”
Under the plan, Brightline would operate on the same line as SunRail, to connect Orlando to Tampa.
The Florida Department of Transportation conducted a Sunshine Corridor Transit Concept & Alternatives Review Study (TCAR), found that 80% of survey respondents supported the expansion of SunRail and Brightine.
“Florida Department of Transportation, along with local leaders, will then start working with the Federal Transit Administration to help continue to study the corridor, develop it, and then eventually find a funding plan for it,” said O’Malley.
Universal Orlando Resort has pledged 13 acres of land at no cost to be used for a station at the Orange County Convention Center.
Universal, along with Orlando’s Right Rail partners, will contribute to or guarantee $13 million in annual ticket sales, which is the current estimated operating cost for the Corridor to operate 365 days a year.
In addition, O’Malley said local leaders are working with the Florida Department of Transportation to leverage federal money to fund the corridor.
In 2021, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which included more than $100 billion to modernize and expand passenger rail.
Other than expanding geographically, O’Malley said it’s also important to encourage development around stations.
“So people can move next to a SunRail station and then get to one of those jobs along the line,” he said. “It’s just expanding outward, but also redeveloping and expanding inward around those transit stations is important as well.”
Rail Safety
Brightline’s inaugural year was far from smooth, as safety concerns began to arise amid several fatal train accidents.
And in the 10 years SunRail has been operating, it has seen its fair share of fatalities, with its most recent in Orlando earlier this month.
O’Malley said the Florida Department of Transportation continues to work on rail safety, but ultimately it comes down to human behavior.
“And obeying the rail traffic signals, not driving around the gates, not trespassing on railroad property and not walking along the tracks,” he said. “I think Brightline and other railroads, along with the Florida Department of Transportation, have done a lot of good work, but people need to make good choices as well.”
Both Brightline and SunRail have tips and resources on their website on how to stay safe around the rail.
According to Brightline, more than 40 thousand people have signed the Brightline Safety Pledge.
Making Rail Accessible
Expanding SunRail to connect from the airport to the convention center is a good first step in making commuter rail a reliable mode of transportation for all Central Floridians, according to O’Malley.
“I think that will help us get to seven days a week SunRail service, which is desperately needed,” he said. “It will also connect people in Central Florida, in Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties, to even more jobs, both at the convention center and the airport. So I think that the Sunshine Corridor is a critical first step.”
Beyond that, O’Malley said local leaders should look at possibly expanding inner city rail to Tampa.
“In addition to that, there's already passenger rail between Tampa and Orlando. Amtrak operates between the two cities and expanding Amtrak service to more than just the one train a day that currently operates, I think would be a good way to connect Tampa and Orlando as well,” said O’Malley.
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