Sun Rail

UPDATE

 In December of 2009, the Florida State Legislature passed legislation authorizing SunRail.  
 
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will start construction in 2011 with operations expected to start in 2013.  The initial 31 mile operating segment will travel between Fort Florida Ave. in DeBary and Sand Lake Rd. in Orlando.  The second phase will begin operating in 2015 and will extend to Deland in the north and Poinciana in the south.  The combination of both phases will provide nearly 62 miles of commuter rail service.

“This landmark legislation will provide cost effective transportation options for the citizens of Florida and visitors to the state for decades to come,” Mica continued.  “These transportation projects have the potential for creating thousands of jobs, expanding economic opportunity, protecting our environment and reducing energy consumption.”
 

Proposal and Financing

SunRail, formerly the Central Florida Commuter Rail System, will serve four counties: Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. When completed, service will extend 61 miles from DeLand to Poinciana on existing CSX tracks. A 31-mile Initial Operating Segment could be operational in 2011 from DeBary to Downtown Orlando.

Stations will be located in DeBary, Sanford, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, Winter Park, Florida Hospital, LYNX Central Station, Church Street Station, Orlando Health/Amtrak Station and Sand Lake Road. Passenger fares will vary depending on the length of the trip. Later service will be extended to DeLand in the north and Poinciana to the south.

For the total project, the Florida Department of Transportation has pledged $118.4 million for capital costs. The State has also completed major negotiations with CSX to acquire the existing tracks; freight rail traffic will be re-routed, reducing the traffic delays caused by long freight trains.

 A 2001 Capacity Requirements Study and a 2004 Alternatives Analysis identified the infrastructure and operating needs for the commuter rail service. An Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Engineering has also been completed.

The State of Florida, the Volusia Metropolitan Planning Organization, VOTRAN, MetroPlan Orlando and LYNX have all acted in support of SunRail. The City of Orlando and Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties have each provided support for the development of the commuter rail proposal. The project has also been granted authorization in the six-year federal highway and mass transit authorization law, SAFETEA-LU.

Construction costs will be financed by federal mass transit funds (50%), State assistance (25%) and a local match of 25%. Federal support is contingent upon local financial commitments, however. To build the system, the number of stations and track miles within each county require payments from Volusia ($11.7 million), Seminole ($39 million), Orange ($44.3 million) and Osceola ($22.3 million).

 Since the project will serve as a reliever to I-4 as that interstate is widened, the State will cover SunRail operating cost deficits through 2015. For more information, visit the SunRail website at www.sunrail.org.

To expand the regional footprint of service, a third leg could eventually be added to the SunRail Project by running service from Orlando to Eustis in Lake County. This service would run in the Northwest Corridor on 35 miles of Florida Central Railroad tracks. However, ridership and environmental studies must be conducted, financing plans must be developed and track infrastructure improvements must be completed before this additional route can be utilized.

Rationale

  With 43,000 new vehicles registered in Central Florida every year, all of the proposed new and widened roads will not keep up with demand.  Plans to permanently six-lane I-4 from the St. Johns River Bridge to the BeeLine Expressway will cost $1.4 billion (last estimated in 2000) and, with 43 miles of new rights-of-way that must be acquired and many intersections that must be reconstructed, will take decades to complete.

Commuter rail will not solve all of our future transportation needs, but it will provide both a cost-effective short and long-term mass transit alternative to traffic congestion, pollution and expensive infrastructure.  In the years ahead, commuter rail equipment can be moved to serve other routes as light rail and high speed rail systems are approved, designed and constructed.  However, only with the support of interested citizens and the leadership of local elected officials can we move forward to meet our future transportation needs.

Project Website