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Commuter Rail

Mica: SunRail ‘a dramatic evolution step for central Florida’

Officials in Florida are hoping the new SunRail commuter line will spur economic growth and reduce congestion on Interstate 4. But, when the line opens for service next year, it’ll also be the first step in a larger rail network that may one day include a high-speed rail connection. “This is a dramatic evolution step for central Florida. It’s the first time we’re building a fixed transit system — a regional one — with the ability of being able to connect into high-speed (rail),” The Associated Press quoted U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., as saying. Florida Gov. Rick Scott previously

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Commuter Rail

With No Funding, No Rail Link to Orlando Airport, Newspaper Reports

It will be at least five years before SunRail trains connect with Orlando International Airport because there is no source of funding for the estimated $100 million it will cost to build the connection, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported. Despite that, SunRail officials are looking at a Orlando Utilities Commission-owned spur, which runs alongside airport property and could be expanded to two tracks, as a possibility for a rail link between the airport and the commuter rail system, the newspaper reported. “This is a startup commuter-rail system. It’s going to evolve over time,” the newspaper quoted Steve Olson, a spokesman

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Amtrak

Central Florida’s SunRail scheduled to open next year

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