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  • Brightline Orlando (MCO) and Disney Extension - PHASE 2

  • This is a forum for all operations, both current and planned, of Brightline, formerly All Aboard Florida and Virgin Trains USA:
    Websites: Current Brightline
    Virgin USA
    Virgin UK
This is a forum for all operations, both current and planned, of Brightline, formerly All Aboard Florida and Virgin Trains USA:
Websites: Current Brightline
Virgin USA
Virgin UK

Moderator: CRail

 #1498182  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/ne ... theme.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brightline exec says there will 'likely' be a theme park station on Orlando-to-Tampa route
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“On our way to Tampa we will likely have a station somewhere around theme parks in Orlando and we think that’s going to be a great thing for our partnership with the Tampa airport," Bob O'Malley, Brightline’s vice president of governmental affairs, said during the Synapse Summit on Jan. 23.

Which Orlando-area theme park was not named; however, in Brightline's bid to the Florida Department of Transportation, it had suggested Brightline may have a connection to Central Florida's commuter rail SunRail as well as a potential stop in Lakeland, and in a previous document it had revealed possible plans for a stop at Disney World.
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However, Brightline was looking at connecting to the SunRail Meadow Woods station, which would provide easy access to Osceola County.
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Brightline anticipates commencing passenger rail operations for the Tampa expansion in 2021 and that the Tampa route, being served with Virgin trains, would only be an hourlong travel time period for passengers. A one-way ticket will cost $35 for the Orlando-to-Tampa route.
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 #1530363  by Arlington
 
If I were Universal, Sea World, & the Convention center, I'd wrangle a funding coalition for better I-Drive access.
 #1542365  by Jeff Smith
 
Going to start a new topic for the extension, although the current topic will remain open to discuss current operations (which have been suspended):

https://www.rtands.com/rail-news/bridge ... n-project/
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Bridge work has begun on bridges over Crane Creek in Melbourne, Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Goat Creek in Grant-Valkaria, Sebastian River on the Brevard/Indian River County line and the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter.

Specific bridge work varies by location with initial work including the mobilization of cranes, materials, equipment and crews as well as pile driving to install temporary work trestles for crane access. The majority of bridge work, including pile-driving, will take place during daylight hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Bridge work is expected to continue until mid-2022. The removal and replacement of existing bridges has been extensively coordinated with the Army Corps of Engineers, the State Historic Preservation Office, multiple state water management districts, and, for any bridges over navigable waterways, the U.S. Coast Guard. Virgin Trains will work with the U.S. Coast Guard to provide information for Notices to Mariners for bridges over any waters used by recreational and commercial boaters.

Construction on the 170-mile Orlando extension is comprised of more than 840 workers. That number is expected to increase over the next four months.Bridge work has begun on bridges over Crane Creek in Melbourne, Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Goat Creek in Grant-Valkaria, Sebastian River on the Brevard/Indian River County line and the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter.

Specific bridge work varies by location with initial work including the mobilization of cranes, materials, equipment and crews as well as pile driving to install temporary work trestles for crane access. The majority of bridge work, including pile-driving, will take place during daylight hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Bridge work is expected to continue until mid-2022. The removal and replacement of existing bridges has been extensively coordinated with the Army Corps of Engineers, the State Historic Preservation Office, multiple state water management districts, and, for any bridges over navigable waterways, the U.S. Coast Guard. Virgin Trains will work with the U.S. Coast Guard to provide information for Notices to Mariners for bridges over any waters used by recreational and commercial boaters.

Construction on the 170-mile Orlando extension is comprised of more than 840 workers. That number is expected to increase over the next four months.
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 #1542388  by Pensyfan19
 
Nice to see that Brightline is taking advantage of the stay-at-home orders and getting construction done ahead of time! :-) All they need to do now is complete the trackwork from the FEC mainline to Orlando International Airport (and later to Tamps and to infinity and beyond! {Disneyworld})!
 #1542667  by CentralValleyRail
 
Doing things the right way. Despite lacking number to start I think they will be very successful in the MCO-MIA corridor. Getting the Disney link right is vital too. Your talking about families with kids so it has to be seamless. Seems like the MCO part is easy enough. People mover to Brightline but where the Brightline station is on Disney property and ease of access of getting people on shuttle busses needs to be done right for people to use it. Most people who are going to Disney aren't going based on budget at least not for the "once in a lifetime trip" and will spend extra for connivence so if the car makes the most sense $$ isn't going to matter.

I could see NJT screwing that up royally but Patrick Goddard is pretty bright so I think they'll be just fine!
 #1542709  by NaugyRR
 
My girlfriend and I were at Disney for our first vacation in December, and if it's something the Mouse gets right is transportation. I was extremely impressed with the Magical Express service to and from the airport, which was probably the easiest airport link I've ever been on. Scan your Magic Band, get in the line for your resort, boom, done. Same for the return... they drop a slip under your room door the night before you leave that tells you what time to be a the front of the resort in the morning. I'm sure they would have absolutely zero issue running an efficient shuttle for the train.
 #1544001  by Jeff Smith
 
https://insidethemagic.net/2020/05/brig ... ation-tm1/
On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Brightline proved that railroads continue to be synonymous with progress, even in the midst of a pandemic. The private high-speed rail company, currently being rebranded Virgin Trains USA, Tweeted a picture of freshly laid tracks at its Orlando International Airport station as exciting announcements emerged from Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and others signally the state’s continued push towards fully reopening.
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Called “On Track to Orlando,” the Brightline describes the projects as such:

Brightline is developing 170 miles of new track into the new South Terminal at the Orlando International Airport (MCO) as part of the company’s Phase 2 expansion into Central Florida. The massive infrastructure project is making progress and encompasses four zones including the area of the Orlando International Airport and the Brightline Vehicle Maintenance Facility. This monumental endeavor, which will use 225 million pounds of American steel, will include the laying of 490,000 ties and transporting 2.35 million tons of granite and limestone by 20,000 railcars. Additionally, approximately 2 million spikes and bolts will be hammered and put in place over the next 36 months.

We look forward to connecting South Florida to Orlando in 2022.
 #1544416  by Jeff Smith
 
Disney extension still looks to be "on track" (pun intended): WDW News Today
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Virgin Trains signed a letter of intent with Walt Disney World in 2018 to establish a station at the resort, with engineering and design work for the station currently underway. Virgin Trains president Patrick Goddard said last year about the Orlando line, “It’s our expectation to get it done and to build out to Disney.” Currently, Brightline operates stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
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and from a previous article: WDW News Today
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ast we checked in on the status of the South Florida to Orlando expansion, Disney and Virgin Trains USA were already in advanced talks for a train station to built on or near the resort. Michael Cegelis, Virgin’s EVP for Infrastructure, told local officials that talks with Disney were in a “rather advanced state.” Now, it seems like Virgin Trains USA is making quick progress on its planned stop at Walt Disney World.

Since memorandum of understanding that was established in November, work on engineering and design work for the proposed project is coming to fruition, according to a new monthly revenue and ridership report from Virgin Trains, reported on by the Orlando Business Journal.

Here’s an excerpt from the report:

The station and related rail infrastructure would provide a direct connection between Disney, the most visited theme park destination in the world, and South Florida. With a seamless connection to our planned station at PortMiami, the busiest cruise port in the world, cruise passengers would more conveniently be able to supplement their cruise voyage with a visit to Disney theme parks. The extension of our system from the Orlando airport to the Disney station would also serve as the first phase of a potential future connection to Tampa.
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 #1546408  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.constructionequipmentguide. ... rway/48905
In late May, as part of the larger construction of the new high-speed Virgin Trains rail line through Brevard County, crews closed the railroad crossing at Prospect Avenue in Melbourne for two years to build new twin bridges spanning Crane Creek.

Since the beginning of the year, Virgin Trains has worked to put down tracks in several parts of the city, including along heavily used roads such as New Haven Boulevard and Strawbridge Avenue in Melbourne, which split the downtown area. Crews also installed a second set of tracks at crossings between Babcock Street south to University Boulevard along the Florida East Coast Railway.

The construction is part of the second phase of Virgin Trains' $2.5 billion passenger rail line extension, connecting Orlando International Airport and areas of South Florida. The total length of the project is 235 mi. — more than 50 mi. of which will travel through Brevard County.
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 #1546409  by Jeff Smith
 
More from the same source: ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com

Fair-use:
Orlando to Miami in Three Hours…That Could Happen By 2022
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The work to build Virgin Train's Extension Phase 2 began in 2019 with Orlando International Airport's new South Terminal, itself under construction. The new train station there will be part of the airport's Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF). Tracks and support structures are being built from there north for 3 mi. through airport property before heading straight east for 37 mi. on the south side of Beachline Expressway/State Road 528 to Cocoa, in Brevard County.
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The Phase 2 construction is divided into four zones of activity under work concurrently, according to Michael Cegelis, executive vice president of rail infrastructure of Virgin Trains.

The major component of Zone 1 is the train line's huge 138,000-sq.-ft. Vehicle Maintenance Facility, built on 62 acres south of the airport at a cost of $70 million. It will include a 30-ton overhead crane for servicing the trains, 6 mi. of maintenance and storage track for working on 10 trains a day and an 80,000-gal. biodiesel farm to create fuel for the diesel electric trainsets.

"Zone 2 continues north from the ITF, including the platforms, along Jeff Fuqua Boulevard to SR 528," Cegelis explained. "The work that encompasses Zone 3 begins at the intersection of those two roads and runs parallel to SR 528 to all the way to U.S. 1 in Cocoa. The longest stretch of work is found in Zone 4, from Brevard County south through Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties."...
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 #1546413  by bostontrainguy
 
Not so sure how they are going to get onto Disney Property to make a "direct seamless connection" although Walt Disney World is so spread out now there really isn't a single transportation center anymore where everything is accessible. These guys have surprised me before however (actually since day one) so let's see what they come up with.

Also it's going to be interesting to see how a Virgin branded train with a Virgin branded cruise line is going to promote a competitive Disney Cruise Line. And yes, Disney Cruises are for adults too!
 #1546490  by NaugyRR
 
I bet they'd do something like the existing Ticket & Transportation Center, build an intermodal station for rail, bus, Minnie Van, and maybe boat if they place it on/near a waterway. Offer day visitors bus connections to Disney Springs and the actual TTC, and maybe resort guests a down-scaled version of the Magical Express to get them to their resorts.
 #1548643  by NaugyRR
 
Looks like track has been laid at the airport...

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/tr ... story.html

Fair Use:
"Virgins Trains has laid tracks at its airport station, the first such installation of rail along the passenger train’s 170-mile extension from West Palm Beach, and the region’s expressway authority has begun to overhaul the airport’s front entrance, a complex and congested meeting of state roads 436 and 528."
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