Brightline train expansion to Orlando won't include station on Disney property

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

Plans to expand the Brightline passenger-rail service to the Orlando area from South Florida will no longer include a stop at Disney Springs, officials announced this week.

In November 2020, Brightline and The Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement to build a train station at Disney Springs, the corporation's retail and restaurant complex along Interstate 4 south of the company's theme parks.

This past week, Brightline announced that in addition to expanding its service to Orlando International Airport, it now plans to build stations at the Orange County Convention Center and an alternate site near Disney Springs, but not on Disney-owned land.

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Brightline also is planning to build a route between Orlando and the Tampa Bay area. Brightline is partnering with SunRail, a Central Florida commuter train service.

“Late last year, we were asked by several community leaders to explore alternative alignments for our planned expansion from OIA to Tampa," Ben Porritt, Brightline's senior vice president for corporate affairs, said in a prepared statement this week.

"The original plan called for a single station at Disney Springs. Along with a broad range of stakeholders, we have identified a solution now known as the Sunshine Corridor, which contemplates two new stations and integrates Brightline’s intercity service with SunRail, through an east-west expansion," Porritt said.

He added that the three integrated stations – at the airport, the convention center and the third site – will provide access to the "largest economic employment centers in Central Florida and offer the best opportunity for the success of Brightline and SunRail."

Passengers can expect rail service between South Florida and Orlando to start in early 2023, Brightline officials have said.

Brightline began offering service from Miami to West Palm Beach in 2018. In March 2020, the company temporarily suspended service because of the coronavirus pandemic, resuming operations in early November.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline train schedule to Orlando won't include station at Disney