Brightline woos SunRail to share an east-west rail route

[thelakelander]

The high-speed, upscale Brightline Trains wants to partner with Central Florida’s SunRail commuter train to open an east-west corridor through the region for both rail services.
 
Brightline is building a $2.7 billion extension from South Florida to Orlando’s airport and is in the planning stage of extending rail from the airport to Tampa. Some of the Tampa corridor, according to Brightline, might also serve as a significant segment of a SunRail corridor that would cross east and west across Central Florida.
 
“Our planned expansion to Tampa presents a unique opportunity to accomplish that," Brightline spokeswoman Katie Mitzner said in an emailed statement. "Together, with local elected officials and FDOT, we are exploring a public private partnership that would expand SunRail and meet the growing transportation needs of the region.”
 
Officials of the privately owned Brightline otherwise are saying little about their offer to form a partnership with SunRail, an idea they will formally pitch next week to the SunRail commission of local leaders. Brightline and SunRail leaders have long discussed some manner of cooperation, particularly for passenger service to Orlando’s airport.
 
“I’m excited and this is the right thing to do,” said Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari, a member of the SunRail commission. “I’m excited to see Brightline being part of the equation.”

Full article: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/transportation/os-ne-sunrail-brightline-expansion-talks-20201026-i3uz46tc5rdsjbksmdhultx25q-story.html

[marcuscnelson]

So investing in public assets now leads to better opportunities from private developers later?

Whodathunk?

[Sonic101]

Are these new lines only for passenger trains or is there a chance that freight traffic will be allowed as well?

[Pottsburg]

Are these new lines only for passenger trains or is there a chance that freight traffic will be allowed as well?

No freight on the cocoa to Orlando line.  Part of the deal was no freight for 99 years. 

[bl8jaxnative]

Brighline's all over the place.  They're desperate for cash.

[marcuscnelson]

Very disappointing, but I guess in a way not surprising.

When it comes to air travel, the public happily subsidizes the company building the planes, the runways, the terminals, the access roads, and the traffic control system, among other things.

When it comes to rail (or at least Brightline), we subsidize… basically none of that, in a lot of cases cases. Companies have to build the track, the train control, the terminals, and everything associated, save for rare cases like SunRail. If you're lucky, in the case of Amtrak, then some state subsidy comes up (in part of the Midwest, California, and the Pacific Northwest). But certainly not to the extent of air travel.

[thelakelander]

Hopefully Sunrail is wooed by Brightline. That commuter rail system will never make it to the airport without Brightline.