SunRail shines: avg. 4,572 boardings, station locations & TOD, and

[Green Maned Lion]

In time there will be light rail everywhere. Will we live to see it? Likely not.

 

[afigg]

Looks like more service could be on the way for us. Also, SunRail will be getting cars from Tri-Rail. They will be available for us in December and they're the DMUs.

,,,

http://www.wesh.com/news/local-leaders-discuss-possible-sunrail-expansion/26696520#!4ZvMu

From the WESH article:

Everywhere I go people ask me when can we get more SunRail service, weekend and special event service? And we may have an answer," Mica said.

Mica pointed out at the meeting that some diesel-powered trains, technically called DMU's have been used in South Florida for 10 years.

The contract runs out in six months, and he's thinking that the they should move north.

"We have six vehicles originally intended for Central Florida, that I would like to see us bring to Central Florida, first for additional SunRail service," Mica said.

He says it could mean SunRail expansion faster than many had thought, and he even suggests the cars could at some point, be used on existing tracks stretching north and west, through Apopka and into Lake County.

I find it a little odd that a senior Congressman is talking about moving DMUs from southern Florida to SunRail. Is he a Congressman or the operations manager for SunRail? What's next, he sets the schedule for the trains?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Rep Mica' other jobs as a Congressman and Amtrak Food Service Expert don't keep him busy enough so now he's going to Micro Manage Sun Rail too!

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Looks like more service could be on the way for us. Also, SunRail will be getting cars from Tri-Rail. They will be available for us in December and they're the DMUs.

,,,

http://www.wesh.com/news/local-leaders-discuss-possible-sunrail-expansion/26696520#!4ZvMu

From the WESH article:

Everywhere I go people ask me when can we get more SunRail service, weekend and special event service? And we may have an answer," Mica said.

Mica pointed out at the meeting that some diesel-powered trains, technically called DMU's have been used in South Florida for 10 years.

The contract runs out in six months, and he's thinking that the they should move north.

"We have six vehicles originally intended for Central Florida, that I would like to see us bring to Central Florida, first for additional SunRail service," Mica said.

He says it could mean SunRail expansion faster than many had thought, and he even suggests the cars could at some point, be used on existing tracks stretching north and west, through Apopka and into Lake County.

I find it a little odd that a senior Congressman is talking about moving DMUs from southern Florida to SunRail. Is he a Congressman or the operations manager for SunRail? What's next, he sets the schedule for the trains?

Now that you mentioned it, I recalled reading something online not too long ago (it was actually prior to SunRail opening) where the DMUs from Tri-Rail were going to be used for SunRail service once it opens. I need to find it again.

 

[chrsjrcj]

The DMUs came back to Hialeah today via a special Amtrak move earlier this afternoon.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Looks like the airport extention may happen after all for SunRail.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/07/sunrail-moving-forward-with-phase-connecting-to.html?ana=e_orl_bn_breakingnews&u=le1O48c4zijx0ETR5Sf/ng0d04608e&t=1405961099

Phase 3 as they call it.

 

[beautifulplanet]

Thank you so much for posting this:

Looks like the airport extention may happen after all for SunRail.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/07/sunrail-moving-forward-with-phase-connecting-to.html?ana=e_orl_bn_breakingnews&u=le1O48c4zijx0ETR5Sf/ng0d04608e&t=1405961099

Phase 3 as they call it.

Basically, the article seems to say that last month, FDOT submitted a project development proposal to FTA, for the airport expansion.

Some may disagree to some of the comments below the above article, f.e. how SunRail and its planned airport expansion is described as "From nowhere to nowhere and beyond nowhere", as f.e. downtown Orlando on the existing line is hardly "nowhere". And some might think if it wouldn't be so sad, then it would be amusing, when MCO airport is called "beyond nowhere", after all being the 13th-busiest airport in the United States and even the 29th-busiest airport in the whole world (by passenger traffic), f.e. handling more than 34 million passengers in 2010.

That the airport expansion is called Phase 3 seems new to me, still at the same time like a good sign, that the plan is to have this phase operational right after Phase 2 is finished (or even before Phase 2 North?).

After all, the $215 million multi-modal center that could possibly see the start of its construction next year, and be operational in 2016, could possibly be a good incentive to move forward quickly on SunRail to the airport as well. It could seem kind of strange to already have a train station completely built at the airport's multi-modal center, and then no trains using it for years, especially as All-Aboard-Florida currently seems to see delays regarding its rail line to Orlando airport.

Here is some information about the airport's multi-modal center, an article from February about it receiving funding according to the governor's plan:

New train depot planned at Orlando International Airport
Posted: Feb 17, 2014 11:10 PM
Updated: Mar 10, 2014 10:10 PM

by WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/24746219/new-train-depot-planned-at-orlando-international-airport

 

[beautifulplanet]

Orlando Business Journal split up its coverage of SunRail related matters of yesterday's meeting of FDOT and the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission into three articles. One was linked above by CJ, here in this post there are the links to one of the other two.

There are also (besides the airport expansion) the topics of

1) expanding service hours of the current SunRail service to nights and weekends and

2) other SunRail aspects and planned improvements (see next post).

About topic 1):

4 things that need to happen for SunRail to expand service

Jul 21, 2014, 12:08pm EDT

by Anjali Fluker

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/07/4-things-that-need-to-happen-for-sunrail-to-expand.html?page=all

It seems like it hasn't been posted yet on this thread, there is a pretty amazing grassroots campaign going on:

The website Sunrailriders.com last week launched a petition and had gathered 1,700 signatures.

This is the link right to the petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/ananth-persad-florida-secretary-of-transportation-run-sunrail-on-the-weekends-and-later-at-night

So the OBJ writes about FDOT looking into service hour expansion, and those are 4 things it would take:

- Create a proposed operating plan to add off-peak hours and weekend service to existing service.
- Determine operating cost estimates. The department has estimated special-event service could cost about $2,500 per train on weekdays and $4,000 per train on weekends, depending on requests and train/crew availability. But it has to determine costs for continuing service.
- Renegotiate interlocal agreements, as well as federal and CSX agreements.
- Consider buying additional vehicles to accommodate both Phase 2 and expanded service.

Olore said cost estimates may be determined by the end of August, and the proposed plan and agreements may be finalized by year’s end.

To many that might sound amazing, the possibility of actually having the proposed plan and agreements finalized by year's end.

Another article, that sums up all topics of yesterday's Orlando rail meeting, writes about service hour expansion:

Tawny Olore, FDOT's program manager for SunRail, said not only is money is an issue, but so are the actual trains.

"We do have operating windows with our partner, CSX," Olore explained. "The operating hours for them and their exclusive freight time is between midnight and 5, so that's another challenge that we would face."

There was also the issue of noise brought up by residents in Sanford. SunRail leaders said they are working with those residents.

source:

SunRail leaders talk expansion to Orlando airport, weekend service

Last Updated: Monday, July 21, 2014, 12:43 PM

By Sandra Osborne, Bakari Savage and Mike Westfall, Team Coverage
http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/7/21/sunrail_meeting.html

To some, it might seem like the deal that was made with CSX when "purchasing" the rail line were not as good as it could have been, and it might come up as a problem now, the requirement for the line to be free of passenger trains from midnight to 5am. It might seem like the midnight deadline might make the expansion of the service hours into the night more complicated. Many might wish FDOT luck in trying to renegotiate with CSX regarding this issue.

Also to some, the noise issue brought up above might seem like a valid concern. Some might think it was unfortunate, that no funding was allocated for quiet zones around the rail crossings, except for 4 crossings around Orlando Health station. Many residents along the route might already be suffering now from the 100 decibel blasts of the SunRail trains (though they are not as noisy as the freight trains, which is good), and especially if trains run even later into the night, and on weekends, then some might think it would be helpful to allocate funding towards making the crossings quiet, in order to gather more support instead of some degree of understandable opposition from residents along the route.

 

[Anderson]

I'm not surprised that there was a temporal separation deal involved...CSX did have substantial previous operations in the region, if I'm not mistaken, and this issue came up with respect to the River Line in NJ (the line's operations are similarly restricted, which in turn limits some commuter stuff early in the morning as well as limiting night-time service which could be of use when some sports events let out).

I suspect that a slot or two might be able to be opened up, but I can't blame CSX for wanting "their time" to run whatever they have through unobstructed. "Full" overnight service is likely a long way off, and indeed it might end up being easier to coordinate some kind of stand-in bus option for part or all of the late-night stuff.

 

[beautifulplanet]

Regarding the information from the commuter rail meeting on Monday, the third article of Orlando Business Journal is about (see lasts post for other articles/topics):

other SunRail aspects and planned improvements.

Parking, riders and connections: The latest facts and figures on SunRail

Jul 21, 2014, 2:50pm EDT

by Anjali Fluker

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/07/parking-riders-and-connections-the-latest-facts.html

About more SunRail information being accessable via website and new mobile app:

SunRail this week expects to roll out a “train tracker” feature on its website that will allow travelers to check their trains and plan bus connections through Lynx, the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

More about the new website features and new apps can also be found in the following article:

FDOT still working on SunRail mobile app, data

Paul Brinkmann

10:58 a.m. EDT, July 21, 2014
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/blog/brinkmann-on-business/os-fdot-still-working-on-sunrail-mobile-app-data-20140721,0,7566040.post

It reads:

[SIZE=small]FDOT is working on two apps, Train Tracker, which would give real-time data on trains, and Trip Planner, which would use the published schedule and interact with other transportation schedules, like bus routes.[/SIZE]

Currently, only an iPhone app showing the schedule is available from a private company, which was not able to receive live information about the train's movements though.

About the official new apps and website features, Orlando Sentinent reports:

[SIZE=small]SunRail has been working on the projects with Orlando-based tech company Data Transfer Solutions. [...][/SIZE]

[SIZE=small]Steve Olson, spokesman for FDOT, said the delay for some of the data was intentional.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=small]“In order for us to develop our Train Tracker program, we needed to test and develop it in an environment where trains are running on a regular schedule, on the corridor, which is occurring now,” Olson said. “When the feeds are reviewed … they will be debuted on the SunRail website.”[/SIZE]

Finally, about showing SunRail on Google Maps' transit information:

[SIZE=small]Back in April, SunRail had attempted to get some of the train schedule data uploaded into Google Maps, which is a common way for people to explore maps and transportation options. But that effort stalled when a test showed trains running on weekends. So far, SunRail is only running weekdays.[/SIZE]

On the topic of parking, the Orlando Business Journal reports:

[M]ore facts and figures [Tawny] Olore [- FDOT SunRail project manager -] shared with the commission:

• The DeBary SunRail Station’s 275-space parking lot has averaged 81.8 percent capacity as of July 11, so the transportation department is looking at taking some existing extra land it had previously purchased and adding another 100 parking spaces.

To some, it may seem like it was a wise decision of FDOT to purchase extra land around the DeBary station. And it might appear to some that it is laudable that FDOT takes the initiative now to add 100 parking spaces to the DeBary station, as with an average of 81.8 percent of capacity it already seems well filled, and with future SunRail service additions and upcoming interstate 4 construction demand may increase even more.

In addition, Orlando Business Journal reports about bus and shuttle services connecting to SunRail:

Local communities and businesses invested into shuttling workers to and from stations and major destinations. For example, Sanford is investing about $173,000 per year into adding a NeighborLink bus system; Lake Mary is providing a 50 percent discount to businesses that start their own Lynx Vanpool service; and this group of businesses have started Vanpools at their companies: Darden Restaurants Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Seminole County’s Five Points Complex and Winter Park Memorial Hospital.

To some, this might seem to great news. There has been a lot of talk about how do I get from home to the rail station, or how do I get where I need to go? These shuttles are offering tailor-made connectivity solutions for different groups of potential users. One example can be seen in Sanford with the existing NeighborLink, more information on that can be found here:

http://www.golynx.com/plan-trip/route-details.stml?portalProcess_dd_0_1_1=showPublicPosting&calendar_entry_id=1854

It might seem to some that these offerings could be even more widely known, as f.e. many Sanford residents in the service area probably are not even aware. And some might mistake NeighborLink with AccessLynx, a service that is only available to select group of eligable passengers. But AFAIK NeighborLink is available to anyone, and with prior appointment can give a ride f.e. from a home within the service area to the Sanford SunRail station.

Finally Orlando Business Journal reports that:

SunRail’s WiFi system was beefed up after the huge numbers of riders initially were blocking large bandwidth apps, such as movie streaming.

While there are some passengers that don't use WiFi, for many this might be good news.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I'm not surprised that there was a temporal separation deal involved...CSX did have substantial previous operations in the region, if I'm not mistaken, and this issue came up with respect to the River Line in NJ (the line's operations are similarly restricted, which in turn limits some commuter stuff early in the morning as well as limiting night-time service which could be of use when some sports events let out).

I suspect that a slot or two might be able to be opened up, but I can't blame CSX for wanting "their time" to run whatever they have through unobstructed. "Full" overnight service is likely a long way off, and indeed it might end up being easier to coordinate some kind of stand-in bus option for part or all of the late-night stuff.

Actually the RiverLINEs temporal seperation issues make the line nearly useless for anything but midday local traffic and the Philly/Trenton commuter crowd. It almost discludes New York commuters for instance.

 

[XHRTSP]

Does anyone have any idea if they would ever extend the line onto the Disney property? Assuming Disney kicked in their fair share of the cost of course. Or is that already in the works down the line?

I'm curious what kind of Disney inspired train station the architects there would come up with if such a project happened...

 

[beautifulplanet]

For many, it might be understandable that with World Disney World Resort in Orlando being one of the world's most famous tourist destinations (having an attendance of more than 50 million annually), there would probably not only be a huge ridership but also a lot of excitement about a direct rail connection. Having had the privilege to visit more than once, now I can understand myself now how everything appears magical to some people, even if it is just a shuttle bus it turns into something special with all the Disney characters on the side of it, or even plain light poles show Micky Mouse ears.

I'm curious what kind of Disney inspired train station the architects there would come up with if such a project happened...

So to many, a Disney-inspired train station probably would look very exciting, and feature a cool design. Currently, at least when it comes to the SunRail commuter rail system, a connection onto Disney property is not planned.

Does anyone have any idea if they would ever extend the line onto the Disney property? Assuming Disney kicked in their fair share of the cost of course. Or is that already in the works down the line?

Currently, SunRail is already operating all the way from DeBary through Winter Park and downtown Orlando to Sand Lake Road in Pine Castle (a census-designated place and unincorporated area, basically southern Orlando ).

Phase 2 South plans to extend that to Kissimmee and Poinciana, and was scheduled to open in 2016.

Phase 2 North plans to extend the current line to Deland, and was also scheduled to open in 2016, maybe it will be a year or two later.

"Phase 3" is what just recently the airport expansion has been labeled, and in case all funding comes into place, it may be operational in a couple of years.

There are plans (being studied, being far from becoming a reality)

- for an expansion to Daytona Beach, and

- for a spur to Sanford airport.

No SunRail line onto Disney property is currently planned.

Despite this, the World Disney World Resort seems to support SunRail. See following press report from 2011:

“The Walt Disney World Resort is a strong supporter of the project and the economic development which we think will arise,” Anthony Connelly, chief financial officer of Disney’s U.S. parks unit, wrote to [governor] Scott last month.

Disney agreed to pay toward a commuter-bus service to one of the line’s stops[.]

source:

Scott Heeds Disney in Backing Orlando Commuter Rail Line
By Jerry Hart
Jul 1, 2011 8:25 PM GMT+0200

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-01/florida-heeds-disney-s-urging-in-approving-orlando-commuter-rail.html

At the same time, there has been speculation in the past by some, that there is also some opposition to a direct rail link onto Disney property, f.e. by some local transportation providers. For example the company called Mears Transportation might possibly lose a considerable portion of their current business. Once again, it seems like this is just speculation though, AFAIK there have been no confirmed press reports on this.

 

[Scott Orlando]

The Phase 2 Southern terminus will be at Poinciana. A possible expansion to Disney could continue south (actually west) past Intercession City on existing track (although it would need to be double tracked) to the point where the track turns southwest. From there, new track could be constructed to Disney property entering from the south. Much of the land between that point where new track would need to be constructed to Disney is either undeveloped, already Disney property or both. It could go NW to cross I-4 near the Celebration exit, then straight north, west of ESPN Wide World and Sports and east of Disney Studios, with perhaps a station at the monorail line between EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom.

Disney gets a rail link and direct airport to park (keep the visitors on property!) and FDOT and SunRail get big boosts in ridership on phase 2 south/3 airport/4 Disney

Mears wouldnt like it but there are going to be millions of passengers and many dont care if its bus or train.

Walt loved trains, I bet he would approve.

 

[Scott Orlando]

The Sunrail website now has a real time train status map. So far it looks like it updates much more frequently than the Amtrak status map.

 

[chrsjrcj]

The Sunrail website now has a real time train status map. So far it looks like it updates much more frequently than the Amtrak status map.

Updates look like they're almost right to the second! Pretty cool. Includes speed too.