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Local takeover of SunRail is being delayed

Turns out that Central Florida’s local governments will not be taking control of SunRail next year, as originally planned. When SunRail launched 6 years ago – May 2014 – the plan was for the Florida Department of Transportation to manage the commuter-rail system and pay for most of the operations until May 2021. However, at Thursday’s quarterly meeting of the SunRail funding partners – Orlando, with Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Volusia counties – a consultant said the takeover would likely occur in May 2022. Consultants are currently analyzing every facet of the SunRail operations to prepare the funding partners to take over the system. That process will take about 18 months. SunRail depends on a host of contractors for services that include everything from ticket vending machines to train operators. All those functions would be managed by the local funding partners when FDOT steps back in the transition. The biggest question about the timing of the trans

Stop blowing smoke SunRail, fix these problems

SunRail needs to stop blowing smoke when it comes to improving the passenger experience for its most loyal riders. During the past 2 weeks we’ve attended meetings where we’ve heard frustrated riders complain about 2 major topics: 1. Several morning and evening rush-hour trains are packed – many people are left standing. Unlike subway cars – SunRail trains are not equipped with hand holds for standing passengers. Riders want a 3 rd passenger car added to those packed trains. 2. Passengers continue to have problems with their reloadable SunRail SunCards that they use to pay their fares. Due to these problems, some passengers have been “hotlisted.” That means the fare system shows that their pre-paid fare accounts have been overdrawn. Some riders have been kicked off trains because of this problem. Yet SunRail has turned these issues around to somehow be the fault of riders. On the crowded train issue , the SunRail managers say they’ll monitor the situation

Get Saturday SunRail NOW!

OK we have a plan to get some Saturday SunRail service, but we need YOUR help. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings proposed increasing the county sales tax by a penny to help pay for transportation improvements – including expanding SunRail service. We strongly support his goal, but we know persuading voters to increase a tax will not be easy. It never is. Even though SunRail drastically improved its ridership during the past year – some trains are standing-room-only, there remain, residents, who view SunRail as a boondoggle because it doesn’t run on the weekends or late at night. SunRail was created as a commuter service – Monday to Friday mostly bankers’ hours – and it was funded as such by the Florida Department of Transportation, which is footing much of the bill. Regular readers of this blog know that there is no transit system that is supported mostly by the farebox. Tax dollars are required to keep public transit running, the same way those dollars pay for fi

Use SunRail to entertain out-of-town Thanksgiving guests

Here’s an idea: How about using SunRail as an inexpensive way to entertain out-of-town guests who are visiting you for the Thanksgiving holiday? You already know that SunRail isn’t running on Thanksgiving Day. But it is running on the Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving. Put your guests on SunRail -- or be their SunRail guide. Riding SunRail and checking out points of interest along the way will easily eat up much of the day. It will be fun, too! It’s our bet is that Sand Lake Road will be one of the busiest SunRail stations because it’s a little more than a mile from fabulous Florida Mall – considered one of the most robust shopping malls in the nation. Riders can get a free transfer from SunRail to a Lynx bus that will take them to the mall. At Sand Lake Road, riders can also transfer to the Lynx bus that will take them to Orlando International Airport – about a 10-minute ride. (This could spare you from having to drive a departing guest all the way to OI

Southbound Magic game-night service returns

Beginning with the Orlando Magic regular-season opener Oct. 23 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, FDOT is again running a special late-night SunRail train that leaves from the southbound Church Street Station. FDOT has decided to fully fund this additional train, as it enhances service for its southern customers who embraced this expanded service last season. The FDOT funding only covers the 2019-2020 regular season. The later train service will coincide with all Orlando Magic regular season 2019-2020 home games at the Amway Center played Monday through Friday. If passengers—attending the game or staying downtown late—wish to take the southbound train home those nights, they should make their way to the southbound platform at Church Street Station, where the train will stage and leave for points south at 10:30 p.m. Regular fares apply. The northbound route, where the last train normally leaves the northern Church Street Station platform at 10:30 p.m., will stay the same.

When you gotta go...

Have you ever been waiting 30 minutes or more for the SunRail train, and suddenly you have an urge to use the bathroom? You are not alone. We’ve all been there. One of the biggest complaints many riders express is that SunRail did not include restrooms in their stations (though there is a restroom on the train). That said, we understand and support that SunRail decision because public restrooms are costly to maintain and become a breeding ground for illegal and undesirable activities. But that explanation doesn’t help you answer the call of nature. So, we’ve prepared this cheat sheet to help you find relief at some stations. Winter Park: Restroom inside the Amtrak station. Lynx Central Station: Restroom inside the Lynx bus station Orlando Health/Amtrak station : Restroom inside the Amtrak station Sand Lake Road: (This is the mother lode) There are public restrooms inside the nearby McDonald’s, Burger King and Denny’s restaurants, and across the str