Why Brightline/SunRail Sunshine Corridor will cost over $2B

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The work needed to bring the Brightline/SunRail-shared Sunshine Corridor for passenger trains to life will carry a hefty price tag compared to its distance — primarily due to its complexity.

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Florida Department of Transportation District 5 Secretary John Tyler on Sept. 28 gave the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission an update on the work being done on the corridor that would be shared by Miami-based intercity passenger train Brightline and local commuter rail service SunRail. The corridor would connect Orlando International Airport with train stations at the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive.

Specifically, Tyler shed more light on why the corridor extension from the airport to the tourist corridor is estimated to cost roughly $2 billion — a price tag he called “significant.” That’s up from an initial estimate of $1 billion. In comparison, building the 170-mile Brightline rail from South Florida to Orlando cost $2.8 billion.

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Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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Video: Brightline begins high-speed train service between Orlando and South Florida Brightline’s high-speed train service between central and south Florida begins Friday. (WFTV)

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