The Orlando City Council has approved a $2.62 billion Capital Improvements Fund that includes a $100 million placeholder for the proposed multibillion-dollar rail link connecting SunRail and Brightline through Central Florida.
Transportation staff noted that the city has not committed funding as the placeholder rather identifies a potential future financing option, either a loan or a bond, for Orlando’s share of SunRail’s more than $4 billion airport expansion.
SunRail currently operates from DeLand to Poinciana, while Brightline connects Miami to Orlando International Airport. The proposed shared rail corridor would link the airport to planned stations at the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive near Walt Disney World Resort. It would also create a path for Brightline to extend service to Tampa along the Interstate 4 corridor.
On April 24, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission unanimously approved advancing a Project Development and Environment Study. The study will review feasibility, cost estimates, environmental impacts, funding strategies and requirements for federal grants. It is a necessary step before the state can enter the Federal Transit Administration’s project development process.
A recent survey of residents in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties found that 77 percent of residents would use SunRail if it connected to the airport, indicating strong local support for the expansion. Renzo Nastasi, a transportation advisor with Orange County Public Works, said the project will likely be built in phases beginning with creating a direct connection from the airport to the existing SunRail line. Although the full schedule is still to be determined, city officials said construction on the initial phase could begin as early as 2031 and continue through 2033, with service starting in 2034.
Photo by Phearak Chamrien from Pexels
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