Since SunRail trains first rolled down the tracks more than a decade ago, proponents have dreamed of connecting the rail line to the massive Orlando International Airport, which serves nearly 60 million passengers a year.
The planned Sunshine Corridor would also extend all the way to Disney Springs, making it possible to get from theme parks to the airport gates without joining the crowds on area roads.
But now a critical hurdle to Central Florida’s transportation future has finally arrived:
The region must come together to pay for a $6 million study that shows the Sunshine Corridor is worth its now estimated cost of $4.4 billion.
The need for consensus comes as local governments take over operation and maintenance of the state’s existing, money-losing 49-mile SunRail route starting Jan. 1. While they may worry about those costs, regional leaders will need strong persuasion to convince a new Trump administration to make a multibillion-dollar federal investment in public transportation for the Orlando region.
“The airport is the most critical connection,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday, reciting his pitch. “I know a lot of people who probably never use SunRail, who would only use SunRail to get to the airport.”
So far, the city of Orlando has agreed to donate $500,000 toward the project, development and environmental study – known as a PD&E. The Florida Department of Transportation — which will oversee the investigation — said it will provide $2 million.
Now the responsibility falls to Osceola, Seminole, Volusia and Orange counties, whose leaders largely support the Sunshine Corridor but have not yet committed to any funding for the PD&E study.
The two-year comprehensive analysis will take into account rail alignments, environmental impacts and community support. Without such a study, “it would be impossible” to apply for federal funding, Dyer said.
Essentially, that would mean local governments would have to find a way to raise billions of dollars to build the Sunshine Corridor entirely without federal aid; build only parts of it; or nix the project completely.
Brett Blackadar, deputy director of public works for Orange County, called the Sunshine Corridor a “critical” project to help alleviate traffic congestion in the tourism corridor, which is expected to increase as Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park opens in May.
More than 100,000 residents work in the area around the airport and the theme parks along the corridor.
“We see this [Sunshine Corridor link] There are a lot of service workers coming around, especially those who already rely on public transportation,” Blackadar said.
Orange is currently in discussions with the state DOT to contribute its $500,000 share of the PD&E study, he said.
Seminole County commissioners expressed support for the Sunshine Corridor in April 2023 and agreed to support all investigations. But county officials have yet to decide how much they will contribute to the PD&E, though some have spoken enthusiastically about the corridor project.
“You never have to drive your car to the airport again if you don’t want to. And that’s huge,” said Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart, who lives near Sanford.
Volusia County spokesman Clayton Jackson said Thursday that county staff recently received a letter from the state about their contribution to the Sunshine Corridor.
But county leaders “haven’t had the opportunity to talk about it yet,” he said.
Osceola County is also in discussions with FDOT about its contribution. But at a Dec. 2 meeting, commissioners balked at funding the study after raising concerns about the funding that will be needed to cover construction and maintenance costs of the Sunshine Corridor. The matter is expected to be brought before the committee again next month.
“You do the PD&E, but what happens next?” Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said on December 2: “What will be our expectations…. for future funding?”
It’s possible that private financiers could step in if the five governments along the SunRail fail to raise the money, Blackadar said.
Eager to see the project succeed, Universal, for example, donated 30 acres of land in 2022 for a SunRail station at the Orange County Convention Center along the Sunshine Corridor.
The theme park giant also partnered with the I-Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce, which says the Sunshine Corridor has support from the area’s businesses.
“We have a private-public partnership that works together, and that is what is needed,” said Maria Triscari, chamber president of I-Drive.
In 2023, Orange County — with the chamber’s support — approved a special tax district for the donated Universal land.
“That’s a mechanism that will generate money,” Triscari said.
Another likely source of funding is Brightline, which announced plans to expand its service, which reached Orlando International Airport just over a year ago, to Tampa.
Under the Sunshine Corridor proposal, SunRail would share about 12 miles of track with Brightline – from the airport to the Convention Center, then to the South International Drive tourist area and finally to Disney Springs. From there, the Brightline trains continue to Tampa.
Central Florida Secretary of State John Tyler said the Sunshine Corridor could be built in phases, and he presented several options.
One shows a SunRail service from the Lynx Central station in downtown Orlando, heading south before making a sharp turn east just north of Meadow Woods and heading straight to the airport. That would cost just under $400 million to build and serve an estimated 3.7 million riders within the first year.
A more expensive option would create an estimated $2.4 billion connection between the airport and the Convention Center. That would attract an estimated 4.4 million riders within the first year.
The longest route, to Disney Springs, would cost up to $4.4 billion and serve an estimated 6.4 million passengers in its first year.
“This is a very expensive project when you add up all the costs of getting all the way to Disney Springs,” Tyler said. “But you will also have a dramatic result in SunRail ridership. Just by connecting to the airport you will triple the number of passengers you see now. … It will produce profound results.”
Dyer said he is optimistic about gaining support from the Trump administration. President-elect Trump has selected former Wisconsin congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy to lead the U.S. Transportation Department. That said, he has also tasked business magnate Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy with exploring how to cut trillions in federal spending.
“We need to do more about public transportation to places other than New York and Chicago,” Dyer said. “For places like Central Florida, we can’t build too many more roads.”
