Sunrail Commuter Rail System

[SkyDiveJunkee]

Time to start snapping some construction photos!

[jzquince69]

Yeah, FH South is pouring its platforms as well.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

Slideshow: Riding the future SunRail route

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/b...e-sunrail.html

This includes several station construction pictures - Debary, Florida Hospital, CSS.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

SunRail station progress - Lynx / Orlando Central Station:



Church Street Station:



Cabs:



Photos courtesy of SunRail.com: http://www.sunrail.com/

[DGM]

I just hope it doesn't take them 27 years to build the extension to the airport like it did in Miami. The trains look great. Way better than All Aboard's Halloween themed set.

Orlando people, what are the chances that they extend the SunRail west an extra ten miles to connect into Sea World, the Outlet Mall, Downtown Disney, and Epcot?

[jzquince69]

it will have to be ala an intermodal connection to another system, b/c there is no existing rail line to the west from Sand lake Road to connect to the Sea World area. Other proposed systems are on other threads on this forum.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

There are two possible extensions to this line that are currently in the proposal phase:

1) Extension to OIA, Lake Nona, and points East
2) A spur into Lake County (Apopka, Mt Dora, etc) called the Orange Blossom Express (OBX)

Both of these have support and are more likely to happen at present time than a lightrail system to the attractions area.

[jzquince69]

on the topic of existing track, there is a spur off of the OBX rout that ends up in downtown Winter Garden. that would be a fantastic spur if they could swing it.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

Downtown Winter Garden is the perfect location for commuter rail.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

Winter Park SunRail platform:


Photo courtesy of SunRail.com: www.sunrail.com

[ThatFloridaDude]

Any News of OBX?

[SDK4]

Any new pictures or updates? Still on schedule?

[ThatFloridaDude]

Originally Posted by SDK4

Any new pictures or updates? Still on schedule?

Pictures of what? I can try and get some pictures, but as of now it's mostly dirt and platforms.

[jzquince69]

Check out this article on OBX:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/n...or-orange.html

Look at the list of civic partners: Ocoee and Winter Garden. For them to be partners, that means its not just the main line off of 441 they plan to improve, it also includes the spur that goes through downtown Winter Garden.

Which means, that they are planning- potentially- to incorporate a train that uses that spur near Silver Star which could service West Orange.

[SDK4]

All you have to do is get the ball rolling, now things will evolve on their own.

[Bobdreamz]

By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel
5:58 p.m. EST, February 22, 2013

A federal check of more than $87 million was delivered to the state this week for the continued construction of the SunRail commuter train in Metro Orlando.

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff made the official announcement Friday during a news conference a few yards north of the planned SunRail depot at Florida Hospital's campus near College Park, just north of downtown Orlando.
The money, Rogoff said, "creates construction jobs now when we need them … and creates sustainable jobs that we need in the future."

Rarogoff was standing in for federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who canceled his appearance because he was needed in Washington, D.C., for a White House briefing to discuss potential effects of the sequester budget deal.

SunRail, which will cost $1.2 billion, is set to open in May 2014. The first 31-mile phase will link DeBary in Volusia County with downtown Orlando and south Orange County. The second phase is supposed to open in 2016 and add DeLand to the north and Poinciana in Osceola County to the south.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the train has prompted the announcement of 26 developments near the 17 stops of the route.

Those projects will create 6,700 construction jobs and 8,400 permanent jobs, the mayor said.

The work includes a new headquarters building for the Florida Hospital campus, plus an apartment house. Both are close to the hospital's depot.

"Right now we are building the dream," said Noranne Downs, who runs the Central Florida office of the state Department of Transportation. "We are working on the railroad."

Copyright © 2013, Orlando Sentinel

Link with map: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,4740582.story

[jzquince69]

it's pretty surreal when you think about it, especially in this town with its jaded history concerning rail.

[SkyDiveJunkee]

Couldnt agree more -- it is still a little hard to believe this thing is actually under construction and that cities along this line are going the extra step to customize their station concepts to meet individual city characteristics (Winter Park, Kissimmee, FH, Longwood).

The OBX seems even more implausible, and yet, it is moving forward with the initial studies stage.

[Bobdreamz]

Meanwhile the FEDS won't give Miami any money to extend it's Metrorail system even though it has a sales tax in place solely for transit! Oh and Tri-Rail hit a record last year with 4 million passengers for 2012. Hopefully central Florida will support SunRail in the same manner since Florida lacks badly in mass transit. We need the FEDS to take Florida seriously in this regard in order to keep them funding the state especially after the HSR debacle!

[alex7677]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

Check out this article on OBX:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/n...or-orange.html

Look at the list of civic partners: Ocoee and Winter Garden. For them to be partners, that means its not just the main line off of 441 they plan to improve, it also includes the spur that goes through downtown Winter Garden.

Which means, that they are planning- potentially- to incorporate a train that uses that spur near Silver Star which could service West Orange.

If the West Orange County railroad spur gets fixed, WOW, I am at a loss for words on how quickly the entire region can potentially be connected, and it's all rail already in place!! If that line gets extended out to Clermont, with all the proposd rail going on, that means our northern, northwestern, western, southwestern (tourist corridor), and southern suburbs will have rail service!!

This goes to the naysayers never taking the time to realize Sunrail would potentially be the backbone to something greater.