ORLANDO, Fla. — In a unanimous vote Tuesday, Orange County leaders agreed to contribute $500,000 for a feasibility study looking into the proposed Sunshine Corridor project to extend SunRail services.
The study, which will cost $6 million in total, is needed to be eligible for federal funding and calculate the expansion cost.
The proposed extension is expected to extend SunRail's route from Orlando International Airport to the Orange County Convention Center and the theme parks.
District 3 commissioner Mayra Uribe says she is concerned about the cost of this expansion in the future.
“It's a half million dollars. It's a lot of money. My concern wasn't so much in the study. My concern is what it's going to cost and how it's going to get paid for,” she said.
FDOT will contribute $2 million towards the study, while Seminole, Osceola, Orange County and the city of Orlando have agreed to contribute $500,000 each.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is also considering a contribution.
Volusia County leaders have not yet committed to contribute funding.
“The concept was always a public-private partnership and in order to make this happen the public sector would have to put some dollars into this as well. The unknown at this point is what the true cost is of the land acquisition and some other things,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said.
Regarding ridership, Chief Transportation Advisory Renzo Nastasi said Nastasi said at the meeting it is unlikely that the entire corridor will be done all at once, instead it will be built in segments.
It’s estimated that by just building the first segment between the airport and the existing SunRail station, ridership will more than triple in the first year.
District 3 commissioner Nicole Wilson said it will also help address the growth the county is expected to see in upcoming years.
“I think it’s so important for us to look towards places around the world that have dealt with population growth the way we are dealing with and how they are moving people around, and it’s certainly investing in that transit,” she said.
Uribe, though, worries even with the robust amount of ridership that’s expected to be generated from the Sunshine Corridor, it will not be enough.
“We know and everyone says public transit never pays for itself. Understood. But at some point, how do you keep investing more and more money on something that isn't even able to break even, isn't even able to cover their operational costs,” Uribe said.
According to the most recent Transit Concept and Alternatives Review (TCAR) study, the cost of the Sunshine Corridor is estimated to be well over $4 billion – but an exact amount will be determined once the PD&E study is completed.
The feasibility study is expected to take place over a two-year period from 2025 to 2027.
Over the duration of the study, FDOT will coordinate with funding partners and provide updates of the process.
