ORLANDO, Fla. – SunRail started operating back in May of 2014, and the last stretch of the initial project was completed.
The DeLand SunRail train station in Volusia County started operating on Aug. 12 and the expansion now connects four Central Florida counties with 17 train stations, covering more than 61 miles.
Last month there was an average of about 4,000 people a day who rode SunRail.
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Moving forward with the future of SunRail was a key point in a meeting Thursday afternoon with FDOT and the local partners of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties along with the City of Orlando.
SunRail currently travels from north to south and back, but after Thursday’s meeting, transportation officials are trying to make sure it expands east and west to cover some of the tourist areas. To do so, they need about $3 million for a study.
Mayor Buddy Dyer is optimistic they can come up with the money.
“What FDOT has said is they are willing to go ahead towards the $5 or $6 million, they are willing to go ahead and put $2 million in,” Dyer said. “The local government participants have to pay their share. I think we are all working well and are all in concert that we do want to do the Sunshine Corridor.”
The Sunshine Corridor is the name of the next phase of the project that will make sure travelers can ride the train from the airport to Disney Springs and back, along with other stops in the tourism district.
Even after they come up with the money for the study, it will take about two years just to complete it.
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