SunRail Start-Up: Early Returns

Afternoon Train Arrives at the Winter Park Station,

 May 14, 2014

Hundreds await the northbound train in downtown Winter Park

Central Florida's new $1.2 billion commuter train service, SunRail, officially began operating May 1st.  For the first two weeks the service was free.  Ridership was exceeded expectation by more than double averaging over 10,000 daily passengers and causing some afternoon trains to experience delays of 40 to 60 minutes.  

Serious commuters were not at all pleased as the trains quickly filled with joy riders intent on simply enjoying a free train ride to those looking to make a leisurely day out of the opportunity including many retirees and mothers with lots of kids.  

Perhaps the City benefiting the most from this initial start-up period  was the City of Winter Park, where downtown restaurant saw a remarkably significant increase in  business.  Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine put the increase at over 20% for their lunch crowd.  

Take Aways

It's too early to tell whether or not the ridership will continue to exceed expectations for the system predicted at 4,300 riders per day, but clearly SunRail accomplished its initial goal of getting people to try the train with its two weeks of free train service.  The excessive delays caused by the  high levels of ridership may cause some commuters to adopt a wait and see approach.  One commuter told me she had to wait over an hour for the train to return home from her long work day at Florida Hospital and while she wasn't willing to do that again, she noted that she was willing to try it again after the free ride period ended.  

Clearly one gets the sense that this new rail start is quickly being accepted as a viable and affordable alternative to being held hostage along Interstate 4 and even with delays, it certainly is more convenient and more enjoyable a commute than driving in rush hour traffic.  Scheduling bugs will be worked out and as I-4 undergoes a 10-year road expansion plan, prognosis for Central Florida's commuter train looks promising.