ORLANDO, Fla. — Virgin Trains USA has confirmed it is meeting with the Walt Disney Co. to establish a station at Walt Disney World. The station would open at the same time as its Orlando International Airport station is ready to host trains from Miami in late 2022.
Previous Virgin Security and Exchange Commission filings and maps had only hinted at a possible station either at the Magic Kingdom or at Celebration, Fla., where access to other attractions would be possible.
Disney officials tell the Orlando Sentinel, “While we have not yet made any definitive commitment, we have mutually agreed to more formally explore developing a train station on our property.” Still to be determined is whether real estate development would accompany the stop. The paper learned from local highway officials that Virgin Executive Vice President Mike Cegelis had told them that discussions with the theme park operator are in a “rather advanced state now.”
Virgin, whose Miami-West Palm Beach service will remain branded as Brightline into 2020, continues to finalize agreements with the Central Florida Expressway Authority, Florida’s DOT, and the Orlando Utilities Commission for access in the median or adjacent to Florida State Road 417 and Interstate 4 west of the Orlando airport to Tampa. Cegelis tells the Sentinel that the negotiations “are taking a little bit longer than we would like them to take.”
The company had planned to begin construction all the way to Tampa once service to Orlando began, but that strategy was revisited, an observer tells Trains News Wire, after plans were announced to greatly expand lanes and reconfigure ramps on I-4 between now and 2025.
The broad median — specifically constructed to accommodate rail — was to provide an unfettered right-of-way for a 180-mph “starter” high speed rail system originally funded in part with $2.4 billion in 2009 federal stimulus money until then-Gov. Rick Scott killed the project and turned back the grant in 2011. With the new construction affecting engineering plans for the stillborn project Virgin had intended to adapt, a route without potential complications built only to a station serving Orlando’s popular tourist attractions could quickly harness additional patronage.
On the way to I-4, planned trackage west of the airport would pass the Virgin trainset maintenance facility, now under construction, and connect with SunRail at the Orlando commuter operator’s Meadow Woods station.
Establishing multiple stations to increase ridership in developed areas drove Virgin’s decision to add stations on the south end at Port Miami to directly serve cruise ships, and in downtown Aventura, and Boca Raton.
Last week, Boca’s Raton’s city council approved a lease on a 1.8-acre site near the town library. The deal calls for the city to build a $12.1 million, 455-car parking garage, with Virgin constructing the station. The rail operator is responsible for future garage expenses, offering complimentary parking to library visitors, and managing the property, the Miami Herald reports. Any garage profits will be split between the city and Virgin.
The SR417 toll road is run by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), which is a public agency. Their plans for future expansion of SR417 west of MCO are not as far along as the I-4 Ultimate plans are. I previously read that Brightline plans to use the north side of the SR417 ROW for most of its length west to I-4 near Disney. I-4 Ultimate (West Phase) will completely rebuild the ROW from “fence line to fence line” along I-4 from US27 east to Sand Lake Road, thus requiring much greater coordination and accommodation from Brightline as they design and plan their route along I-4.
There are future “Lexus Lanes” and other lane expansion planned for I-4 in Hillsborough County (downtown Tampa to east of Plant City) that will also require accommodation by Brightline as they design that section.
Building a ROW along a private tollroad is a whole lot different than building a new one in a public ROW.
Public demands are more extensive than private ones.