Money Stops SunRail Route to Orlando International Airport

Nov. 18, 2013
Though there likely will be a bus ride available from a SunRail station about 5 miles away in south Orange County, there probably will be no tracks for the train to ride on to the airport

Nov. 16--One place the SunRail commuter train will not go when it starts carrying paying customers in May is Orlando International Airport, but officials are trying to come up with a way to make that happen eventually.

Though there likely will be a bus ride available from a SunRail station about 5 miles away in south Orange County, there probably will be no tracks for the train to ride on to the airport for five years or more.

The reason: money. Right now, no one has the estimated $100 million it would take to make a rail connection.

What's more, serving the airport would mean SunRail would have to greatly expand its hours, going from just weekdays to weekends and more runs throughout the day and night for travelers arriving and leaving around the clock.

That could increase annual expenses and operating losses by millions of dollars. Even with the limited initial schedule, the projected deficit for the first seven years is about $50 million.

But those issues have not stopped SunRail officials from investigating a hookup with the airport. Top SunRail officials met late last month to discuss using a rail spur owned by Orlando Utilities Commission as a possible link between the airport and the train.

OUC spokesman Tim Trudell confirmed the session and said the city-owned agency is willing to help out "as long as we protect our organization."

The spur runs along the south edge of OIA property before turning north to the power plant. It is wide enough to accommodate another set of tracks, experts say, and could be extended to the airport, where a depot is slated to be built for a privately financed train that would link OIA with South Florida.

Christine Kefauver, overseeing Orlando's SunRail efforts, characterized the talks as preliminary. The primary concern, she said, is ensuring that SunRail gets up and running as planned and performs on time and safely.

"Let's make sure this is what people want for the community," she said.

The train is making practice trips along 31 miles of track in Central Florida, as well as stopping at 12 stations from DeBary in Volusia County through downtown Orlando to Sand Lake Road in south Orange.

SunRail will run every half-hour during the weekday morning and evening rush hours, and every two hours otherwise, excluding weekends and later in the night.

The route, which largely parallels Interstate 4, is supposed to be expanded 30 miles in 2016, going south to Poinciana in Osceola County and north to DeLand in Volusia.

If the $1.2 billion system does well and is popular with riders -- many of whom are expected to be commuters fleeing a major overhaul of I-4 starting late in 2014 -- the airport link would be a natural next step, Kefauver said.

"It's a smart investment for us to consider," she said.

Steve Olson, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, which is in charge of SunRail, said an airport link makes sense in the future, but not now.

"This is a startup commuter-rail system. It's going to evolve over time," Olson said.

Ross Capon, president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, said it is not unusual for a carrier to start out small and then grow.

"It's a case of walk before you run," said Capon, whose nonprofit is based in Washington and is pro-rail.

Capon said Metro Orlando, which has relied almost exclusively on the automobile for transit, will have to be sold on the benefits of a train, especially when it first starts.

But, Capon said, "I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. Then it will be easier to make the case for expansion."

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