QuoteSunRail handing out free round-trip tickets if you buy a pass
The SunRail commuter train, which starts picking up paying passengers May 1, has sold more than 6,500 passes and is offering a free round-trip ticket to anyone who buys a pass next week at two downtown Orlando office towers.
SunRail intends to sell 10,000 passes – which can be loaded with any amount of money – before opening day.
To help reach that goal, on Monday and Tuesday SunRail promoters will be in the lobby of the Bank of America building, 390 N. Orange Ave., and on Wednesday and Thursday at the SunTrust tower, 300 S. Orange Ave., handing out free tickets worth $4 with every pass purchased.
Downtown is a key location for SunRail because an estimated 95,000 people work there, many of them on a relatively set schedule. That makes them prime candidates for Central Florida's first fixed rail transit system.
"We're getting to the businesses to get to the employees," said Tawny Olore, the SunRail project manager.
full article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-sunrail-passes-freebies-20140207,0,2734221.story
That is pretty good considering it has 3 months before it starts service.
People just hate rail!
Yet there are some people who just don't get it.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130324/COLUMNS/303239985
I hate it when people opposed to rail say it will do nothing to alleviate highway congestion. Taking the train to alleviate highway congestion is exactly like taking aspirin to cure a headache. It only works if you are the one taking it. If I take the train my traffic congestion is cured. If I take the aspirin my headache is cured. No matter how many aspirin I take it can never cure someone else headache. The same goes for rail, only the people taking train see a decrease in traffic congestion. Latent demand dictates that as soon as my car is taken off the road another car will be right there to take my space. If so much capacity is built that latent demand is taken to zero, induced demand will take over.
Here are some SunRail station progress updates:
Debary Station:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/12226481044_6bbda6abfa.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpURj)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/12226255083_c82d4b416b.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoKFr)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/12226074585_807cac101b.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnQ2p)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2830/12226487904_b2ae68ed0b.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpWTA)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/12226671056_7850fd1e89.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCqTko)
Sanford Station:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/12226038175_2c86f7bda4.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnDcD)
Lake Mary Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/12226585836_5ea2402868.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCqs15)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/12226179893_69261d8330.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jConk4)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/12226593176_55375fc8e4.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCqubC)
Longwood Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/12226124403_9f23ef2b8c.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCo5Qk)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/12226127103_fa393329c6.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCo6CT)
Altamonte Springs Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/12226044673_dba5e23052.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnF8F)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/12226455616_4d5a89b097.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpMhU)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/12226457056_ec2b7bab4f.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpMHJ)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/12226282004_e7bf211722.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoTFA)
Maitland Station:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5526/12226404416_526a42a7b0.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpw59)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5540/12226406226_e147c41c7c.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpwBm)
Winter Park Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3794/12226357886_51ea0254b2.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCpheU)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/12226179544_a9c85dcda1.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCone3)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5505/12225951913_14812d37ed.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCncyn)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2852/12226183334_e277ba0d4a.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoomo)
Florida Hospital Station:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/12225853913_4beb9ab7bb.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCmGqH)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/12225672385_0420c4572e.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCkLsV)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/12225673705_3416bccb87.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCkLRF)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/12225859563_c1e054740b.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCmJ78)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/12225678905_1969dc24fd.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCkNpk)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/12225864693_00e5fce5e3.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCmKCz)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/12226097444_aebe3ba88a.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnWPw)
Orlando Amtrak Station:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/12226033844_47fa1e07ca.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnBUY)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/12226214646_5698f92ec0.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoxEf)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/12226217466_ed3166c897.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoyuS)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/12225630015_c11151ef3f.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCkxSp)
Sand Lake Rd Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/12225739703_6c5022efd5.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCm7tz)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/12225741723_2165206585.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCm85p)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/12226153046_cbc9118b53.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCoemb)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/12225977634_77244c00d4.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jCnkcQ)
Lynx Central Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/11984716513_67af9cc33c.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jg3NFk)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/11984798524_ba7ac2cc64.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jg4e4j)
Church Street Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/11984538333_02f89f22f7.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jg2THg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/11984210795_9df6330a82.jpg) (http://flic.kr/p/jg1dm4)
Very cool pictures - thanks for posting. Going over to see the progress has been on my todo list. Maybe I'll go next Saturday.
People will try free once, just to see if it is as good as advertised. Of course, the service has to live up to the billing to keep repeat customers. I am sure many of those paid passes were subsidized by corporations, so patrons have little downside at this moment.
Thanks for posting the construction pics, Prahaboheme. I noticed the development next to Lynx Central Station has already broken ground. Is there a decent amount of TOD already going up within walking distance of Sunrail's stations?
There are a handful of new projects around the stations - i'd expect to see more once the first phase is actually up and running:
Lynx - Central Station development (under construction)
Lynx - Creative Village development (in planning - demolition of O'rena finished)
Florida Hospital Station - several projects under construction at Florida Hospital, who committed to centralizing their services to the downtown location due to SunRail
Florida Hospital Station - Health Village apartments under construction
Winter Park - building a new train station
Orlando Amtrak Station - ORMC hospital expansion project ongoing
Maitland Station: Maitland Village condos / apt (proposed)
Longwood: big TOD development proposed adjacent to SunRail
Kissimmee Station (Phase II): Intermodal Center (SunRail, Amtrak, Greyhound, and Lynx), under construction (this is huge for downtown Kissimmee as it reroutes thousands of daily Lynx bus riders through downtown rather than to the mall). This will be great for local businesses.
More SunRail updates -- about 1.5 months to Phase I opening date:
Sand Lake Road Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/13107010123_9f9e993470.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13107010123/)
Sand Lake Road SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13107010123/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2112/13106898395_a6a891cb16.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106898395/)
Ticket Vending Machines at Sand Lake Road (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106898395/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2297/13106999253_2eef9e840e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106999253/)
Sand Lake Road Handicapped Accessible Parking (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106999253/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Amtrak / Orlando Regional Hospital Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/13107088654_2cab4c7420.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13107088654/)
Orlando Health/Orlando Amtrak Station Platform (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13107088654/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/13106903333_c3489b6bb6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106903333/)
Orlando Health/Amtrak Brick Work (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106903333/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/13106892813_d11ff5c9da.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106892813/)
Orlando Amtrak/Orlando Health SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106892813/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Church Street Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/13106970414_b1338aeecf.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106970414/)
SunRail Train at Church Street Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106970414/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/13106795613_4f08efc811.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106795613/)
Church Street SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106795613/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/13106787333_625780c838.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106787333/)
Church Street Station Canopy Construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106787333/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Lynx Central Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/13106633573_7e71231a63.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106633573/)
Ticket Vending Machine at LYNX Central Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106633573/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/13106629383_9e3ba293d9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106629383/)
Ticket Vending Machine at LYNX Central Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106629383/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/13106519725_8d5fe588b3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106519725/)
LYNX Central SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106519725/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Florida Hospital Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/13106536804_f9f3b75cf2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106536804/)
Florida Hospital Station Platform (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106536804/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/13106351703_3970c2e16c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106351703/)
Florida Hospital SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106351703/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Winter Park Station:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/13105872135_4554c0d9f2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105872135/)
Winter Park Station Canopies (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105872135/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/13105869875_b461099b29.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105869875/)
Winter Park Station from Central Park (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105869875/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/13105980243_4ca3f00396.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105980243/)
Welcome to Winter Park (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105980243/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Maitland Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7419/13106046574_c2a5ed0474.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106046574/)
Maitland Platform Finishes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13106046574/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Altamonte Springs Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/13105923664_8ce526a6d6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105923664/)
Ticket Vending Machines at the Altamonte Springs Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105923664/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/13105765593_c90275bb4b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105765593/)
Altamonte Springs Station Platform (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105765593/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/13105763683_b3229abf4b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105763683/)
Altamonte Springs Station Landscaping (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105763683/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Longwood Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/13105504885_f39baa0caa.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105504885/)
Longwood Station Platform and Canopy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105504885/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/13105770344_aa5d5e049d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105770344/)
Longwood SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105770344/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/13105604293_15319a27e5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105604293/)
Longwood SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105604293/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/13105487055_e9d06980f0.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105487055/)
Longwood SunRail Station Landscaping (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105487055/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Lake Mary Station:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/13105689164_88fdc370f6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105689164/)
Lake Mary SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105689164/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/13105684684_0641bdce4b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105684684/)
Ticket Vending Machines in Lake Mary (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105684684/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/13105512613_7e1899af81.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105512613/)
Lake Mary SunRail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105512613/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Sanford Station:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3778/13105441213_f1c8c390d3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105441213/)
Ticket Vending Machines on the Sanford Platform (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105441213/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
DeBary Station:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2779/13105475854_c558ca246b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105475854/)
DeBary SunRail Station Platform (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105475854/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/13105192095_be12b9a246.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105192095/)
Ticket Vending Machines in DeBary (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105192095/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/13105298013_c5d055efb9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105298013/)
Welcome to the DeBary Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridesunrail/13105298013/) by Ride SunRail (http://www.flickr.com/people/ridesunrail/), on Flickr
Interesting movement happening in the background of these station pics. Just like what happened in Charlotte, Austin, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Houston, etc., TOD has started popping up before the rail line is even complete.......even in the burbs! Who in the world would have ever imagined fixed transit having the ability to achieve this in Florida, once a real local commitment is made? ;)
Lake Mary Station
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2826/13105684684_0641bdce4b.jpg)
Quote200 Apartments Being Built Near Lake Mary SunRail Station
LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Construction is under way and 18 months from now, people will move into the station house apartments. There will be two hundred luxury apartments just across the street from the Lake Mary Sun Rail station.
John Omana is Lake Mary's community development director. He says building apartments near the Sun Rail station is a concept called transit oriented development or T.O.D.
He says, "It's a term that's used in land use to really embrace the concept of live, work and play within a specific geographical area."
Four hundred people will live in the apartments, and businesses will move in to serve them.
Read more: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/23822699/200-apartments-being-built-near-lake-mary-sunrail-station#ixzz2wYlOUIWT
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXtf9d4NXbI/UeRcdxZsszI/AAAAAAAAANQ/hTjSH7J_KmA/s1600/station+house.jpg)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXtf9d4NXbI/UeRcdxZsszI/AAAAAAAAANQ/hTjSH7J_KmA/s1600/station+house.jpg
LYNX Central Station
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/13106519725_8d5fe588b3.jpg)
QuoteOrlando SunRail station to get apartment complex
ORLANDO --
A new luxury apartment community is coming to Downtown Orlando, and will have SunRail at its back door.
"The employment growth is what we're looking for in terms of household formation and this is a great vibrant area," said Jay Curran, Crescent Communities vice president.
Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony makes Crescent Central Station official.
"It's a very central location that has been talked about for redevelopment for a very long period of time," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
Crescent Central Station developers believe the new building fills a huge gap in downtown Orlando. The $56 million project will have 279 apartments with resort-style amenities and 12,000 square feet of ground level retail space. That is enough room for four to five small stores.
"I think the economy has rebounded and certainly SunRail played a big role in this transit oriented development," Dyer said. This locale is ideal right across from the (Orange County) courthouse but more importantly, right next to LYNX Central Station, right next to SunRail and the LYMMO line."
http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/2/6/new_apartment_comple.html
(http://www.wpc.com/projects/aerials/images/fullsize/Crescent.jpg)
http://www.wpc.com/projects/aerials/images/fullsize/Crescent.jpg
(http://crescentcentralstation.com/img/slide-2.jpg)
http://crescentcentralstation.com/img/slide-2.jpg
You know how we kiss the ring of 200 Riverside? Imagine something comparable to that popping up at multiple areas of the city and region, all directly linked together by reliable transit. That is happening in the Orlando area now. Expect more, once AAF kicks into high gear.
Hopefully this is just the beginning of infill projects around SunRail stations.
The Florida Hospital station is likely the most ambitious at the moment in terms of development and integration, as the hospital has made a major commitment to centralizing it's operations at the downtown location as a result of SunRail. The Ivy at Health Village residences is a good start, and the continued growth of the hospital itself is creating a nice cluster just north of downtown.
Hopefully Orlando Health will follow suit and create key connections to the Orlando Amtrak station.
so much better than BRT!! ;D
We could only dream of anything remotely close to that happening here. I give up on our city. Nothing good or productive ever occurs here. My way of dealing with it has been to block it out, but I dont think its working
Quote from: duvaldude08 on April 02, 2014, 10:24:46 AM
We could only dream of anything remotely close to that happening here. I give up on our city. Nothing good or productive ever occurs here. My way of dealing with it has been to block it out, but I dont think its working
It has taken Orlando nearly 20 years to get SunRail up and running. And keep in mind Orlando also said thanks but no thanks to Federal money for light rail about 15 years ago...that $ is now in Charlotte.
What really gets depressing is when you apply that same process timeline to Jax. It's been at least 43 years since initial planning on the Skyway got started and 14 years on BRT.
Quote from: thelakelander on April 02, 2014, 11:47:41 AM
What really gets depressing is when you apply that same process timeline to Jax. It's been at least 43 years since initial planning on the Skyway got started and 14 years on BRT.
Thanks Lake. Now I need conuseling LOL
Was just down in orlando this past weekend. Saw the station in Winter Park on Park Ave. Station looks great. Aside from that station, that part of Park Ave is amazing. Really nice park, with shaded sidewalks (actual shade trees not palm trees) and outside dining restaurants.
Quote from: Bridges on April 02, 2014, 12:08:58 PM
Was just down in orlando this past weekend. Saw the station in Winter Park on Park Ave. Station looks great. Aside from that station, that part of Park Ave is amazing. Really nice park, with shaded sidewalks (actual shade trees not palm trees) and outside dining restaurants.
Took Amtrack to Winter Park a couple weeks ago for the HUGE art festival... I will be doing that every year from now on. BTW... saw all the Sunrail stations between here and Winter Park... they make the amshacks look bad...
Yeah, they do. I'm thinking about going down there and enjoying their grand opening activities next month. It may be the closest we get to seeing a new rail system kick off within driving distance for a few years. It will also be an good eventual comparison to the day that Jax's BRT goes live.
They had a train set up for tours during the art festival... very shiny and new! 8)
Damn....Orlando making moves, building their brand. Lake have you ever thought about moving there?? Has it ever crossed your mind, being a Famu kid and all?
I grew up 20 minutes from Disney and split time between Jax and Central Florida for work. At this point, I'm not interested in moving back down there.
Come on now... JTA did give you a Park-n-Ride with express bus service from Clay County. That's almost the same a having rail, right? I blame James Boyle for moving to Anchorage, Alaska. He was the commuter rail guy at JTA.
Orlando IS OVERCROWDED! Especially in the tourist areas. I hope the Sunrail makes traffic in O-Town much much better.
FDOT press release:
QuoteSunRail announces free service for passengers starting May 1
Sanford – SunRail, Central Florida's new commuter rail system, will provide free rides for passengers for two weeks beginning the first day of service on May 1st.
The free service will last through May 16, with regular revenue service for paying passengers scheduled to begin on May 19. The free service is designed to allow passengers to experience the comfort and ease of commuting on SunRail, and become familiar with SunRail schedules and cost-savings prior to purchasing or activating more than 12,000 pre-sold passes on May 19.
During the free trial period, SunRail ambassadors will be available at each station and on board trains to answer any questions that SunRail riders might have. The Ambassadors will also be available on May 19, and for several weeks thereafter, to assist customers with pass purchases at Ticket Vending Machines located on each platform, and to remind riders to "Tap On" at ticket validators before boarding SunRail, and to "Tap Off" at their final destination. The SunRail
Ambassadors will be easy to spot in black polos with the bright SunRail logo, and black pants.
As a reminder, motorists and pedestrians are urged to use caution, obey all railroad and traffic signals, and look both ways before approaching a railroad crossing and accessing SunRail platforms. The Florida Department of Transportation cares about your safety. Around railroad tracks, please be smart, and stay safe.
I've got to be in Tampa the first week of May. Perhaps I'll head down a day early to do a little rail riding...
Quote from: The Tim on April 15, 2014, 08:48:56 PM
Orlando IS OVERCROWDED! Especially in the tourist areas. I hope the Sunrail makes traffic in O-Town much much better.
Agreed, it is crowded. But the new SunRail service provides no value to either the Disney or Universal properties or I-Drive. (unless they provide direct shuttle services from a station)
You will still see the nightly traffic jams on I-4 from Vineland-Apopka to Sand Lake as people in their rental mini-vans leave the parks.
Just my 2 cents, but none of the parks really have any material interest in creating easier access to their properties because there is a significant revenue source in the paid parking they provide. Any kind of public (or even private) alternate forms of arrival or departure would take that revenue right out of their pocket.
As an example I have tried to use the Disney "drop off" zone which you cannot reach until after you go through the parking admission stand. It's an honor system when you tell them and good luck finding it. There is only 1 sign saying what exit it is and there are no signs after showing you where it is. If you miss it, you end up in the employee parking lot. (I had to get a flat tire fixed while the clan went in)
We finally found it in the middle of a remote lot. Since you didn't pay to be there, you have to hoof it to reach the gate, no courtesy shuttles here.
So I drove up to the Disney bus zone farther up the road (and much closer to the gate by about 400-500 yards) and attempted the drop off and the reaction was swift by Disney Security. I wasn't asked, I was
demanded to leave the bus zone immediately and if anyone attempted to exit the vehicle we would be banned from the park.
So we drove just outside the bus zone and completed the drop off.
The inconvenient placement and security reaction tells me that parking revenue is a protected activity. There was plenty of vacant land right next to the bus zone to create a dedicated drop off zone for non-buses, but why? Why would Disney want to deal with cabs, hired vans, private shuttles or even worse, private buses.
I think having some sort of transit access would be great for all the properties, but the park owners have a dramatically different opinion on it.
Sunrail is now operational. A few images from the Orlando Sentinel:
(http://images.scribblelive.com/2014/5/1/3e7abb53-67a0-44e2-a260-16ee361f124b_800.jpg)
First #sunrail train leaves on time from #sanford http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmilQBwIYAE_TME.jpg
(http://images.scribblelive.com/2014/5/1/a2d74290-e41b-460e-b08a-d3de217da684_800.jpg)
Sharief McDaniel, the first passenger on #SunRail with a bike. Rail will shave 2+ hours off his Lynx commute.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/sunrail/os-sunrail-live-coverage-20140430,0,2327245.htmlpage
^That must have been pretty cool to be the first passengers on the first train, with that new train smell. :)
Am I ridiculous for being excited that there's actually an urban rail system within 100 miles of Jacksonville now? I know I'm crazy for hoping it could be relatively hard for Jax to ignore. Did any Jacksonville news agencies even report on its debut today?
I remember when Marta had new cars and that new car smell, yeah, that was a long time ago......Congrats to O-town. Will have to try it when I visit my sis in Winter Park.
I rode MARTA a couple of weeks ago and it seemed fine to me. The one thing that creeped me out was that the train stations are below street level. If anyone were to accost you during non-rush hour, there would be no one around to see it to help. Only two of us got off the train in Buckhead.
One of my co-workers had a pretty aggressive pan handler. When he said he didn't have any money, the guy got off the train, followed him, and said he'd show Luis where the ATM was. Now that's some enterprising panhandling! He wasn't dangerous, just persistent. But if it had been me, a woman getting off alone, that would probably have scared me.
Debbie, et al, for a period of time during the 80s and 90s Marta was not getting any new cars, but refurbishing cars, so they smelled and you can only put lipstick on a pig for so long. Nice to see they have newer cars with better AC. The 1996 Olympics could have used a few more newer cars, but it was almost 20 years ago, no one remembers that now.