Sun Rail

History

Since 1993, plans have been in place for a commuter rail service connecting Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties.  In 1995, after years of studies and reviews, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) combined the commuter rail proposal with light rail as part of the regional Interstate-4 Multi-Modal Master Plan.  Both commuter rail and light rail routes were then given federal authorization as the "Central Florida Light Rail System" in the 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act (TEA-21).

 In 1999, the initially proposed 14-mile segment of light rail was rejected by the Orange County Commission because of local routing concerns.  Following that decision, Rep. Mica began working with community leaders to salvage some of the $45 million and years of planning that had been spent on developing a light rail system.  In January of 2000, Mica proposed that work begin on the commuter rail component of the Central Florida Light Rail System.

The commuter rail concept is not really a new proposal.  In the late 1980s, the Florida State Legislature created a local commuter rail authority for the Central Florida region.  Congressman Mica also conducted demonstrations of Tri-Rail's commuter rail vehicles in 1996 and of Siemens' RegioSprinter commuter rail vehicles in 1997 on CSX and Florida Central Railroad tracks.  Data from a 1989 Commuter Rail Study, the 1997 LYNX Light Rail Study and the 1999 Volusia County Commuter Rail Study confirmed that substantial ridership exists in the I-4 corridor for a commuter rail service.

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