Universal, SunRail, Brightline eye $1B rail expansion from Orlando airport to I-Drive

A presentation Thursday called the “first salvo” by Orlando’s mayor shows Brightline, SunRail and Universal working toward building passenger-rail tracks from Orlando’s airport to a station near the Orange County Convention Center and then to south International Drive.

Dubbed the “Sunshine Corridor,” the tracks and station would cost roughly $1 billion, though no design has been done for a cost estimate, and are envisioned for hourly Brightline trains and quarter-hour SunRail service.

As part of the presentation and for the first time publicly, Universal and International Drive partners disclosed pledges of $125 million for rail and station construction, 13 acres for a station site, a guaranteed $13 million in annual ticket sales and $2 million annually for maintenance.

The budding partnership is a major turnaround from an acrimonious dispute over Brightline’s initial plan to skip I-Drive on its way from Orlando’s airport to Walt Disney World and then Tampa because of costs.

The potential funding, timing and governance promise to be dizzyingly complex. SunRail operations will shift from state to local control and costs in two years, Brightline is pushing for an extension from Orlando’s airport to Tampa and Orange County voters will go to the polls in November to decide on a proposed penny increase in sales tax for transportation.

But fueling optimism that challenges can be overcome are the billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding that will cycle through multiple transportation agencies in coming years.

SunRail’s north-south service from Volusia to Osceola county generally parallels Interstate 4 and has been been hampered with low ridership since service started in 2015. A link to the airport along with running more frequently and on weekends are widely considered essential for the commuter rail’s success.

“You are at a very, very rare moment,” said Corey Hill, a vice president at the planning consultant Kimley-Horn and a former federal rail executive, describing funding potential to local SunRail partners, Brightline executives and International Drive partners at the presentation.

This is a developing story. Check back for an update version.

kspear@orlandosentinel.com