NEWS: Orlando Airport Train One Step Closer To Becoming Reality

A new train will soon connect Orlando International Airport to other parts of Florida, including Miami! The train station at the airport is set to open in 2023.

The plan for the train’s route includes something called the Sunshine Corridor, which would have Brightline sharing tracks with the existing SunRail trains. Although there were once plans for a station AT Disney World, the current plan only includes a station near the resort. So let’s look at the LATEST update on the train.

Previously, we reported that the planned route from the airport through other parts of Orlando was getting complicated. That’s because various private and governmental groups are involved in the planning, meaning there are a lot of organizations to go through to make that route happen.

Lounge at the Airport Station©Brightline via The Orlando Sentinel

Another issue is funding. According to The Orlando Sentinel, some of the route will be funded at the federal level. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) began accepting grant requests from an infrastructure fund through March 7th. However, the FRA extended that deadline to April 21st.

The Florida Department of Transportation is responsible for coordinating with local governmental organizations and Brightline to seek a grant from that fund. However, the organization commented that it would be difficult to do so by March 7th.

The FRA’s deadline extension for the grant requests gives the Brightline project more time to seek the funding it will need to bring its plans to fruition. The grant money will go toward engineering and design work for the shared tracks of the Sunshine Corridor. Eventually, a larger grant will be requested to cover construction costs.

The Florida Department of Transportation is working with Brightline to determine how much money to request through the grant. Brightline has previously agreed to cover the local matching portion of whatever grant is received.

So for now, the project is still moving forward and the extension deadline for the grant request will mean that the funds for the Sunshine Corridor are more likely to happen.

There are a LOT of moving parts with the project, so we’ll continue to monitor all the happenings with the Brightline expansion and let you know the latest. Stay tuned to AllEars for more!