Time Away From the Beach: Trains on Amelia Island

A privately-funded express passenger rail system in Florida is showing off its first trainset. Brightline is planning to open a new passenger rail connection this year between Miami and Orland

ORLANDO, Fla. – Work on Central Florida’s first commuter rail line is progressing, and the line is expected to open by next year. Work to convert the corridor for use by SunRail remains ongoing and the headway is quite apparent. For example, new platforms are nearing completion at the Amtrak stations in Orlando and Winter Park; the stations will continue to serve the national passenger railroad once SunRail starts operations. As part of the 12-stop, 32-mile first phase, trains will operate between DeBary, north of Orlando’s city center, and Sand Lake Road in Orlando. When the second phase opens in

Amtrak’s long-distance trains between New York and southern destinations more or less look like a compilation of the first dozen or so cars the railroad could find.