Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatman
Stopping at the Meadow Woods Station is an interesting choice. I guess they don't trust that Sunrail will connect to the Orlando Airport anytime soon (and if it does there is always the option that it will be via a 'shuttle' train that connects to the main Sunrail line with a transfer, which would be lame) and wanted to make a good connection on their own. I feel like I ought to object to a fast train (125 mph east of Orlando) making a stop at a tiny commuter rail station in the middle of nowhere, but the more I think about the connectivity the more I like this plan.
From the airport it looks like they will be following the utility railroad corridor out to the Meadow Woods Station, a distance of ~6 miles. It will be curvy and slow as it follows the old ROW's. Then, about 1.25 miles down the Sunrail line the trains will have to make a sharp turn to the west into the median or ROW of State Road 417. Hopefully this ROW will be built for higher speeds, but since it is only about 9.5 miles to the Disney station (I have no idea where it will be, I measured to the intersection with I-4), I wouldn't expect anything faster than the typical 79 mph.
I wonder how many people riding this line are actually headed to the Disney area? Is this an acknowledgement that the train is more of a tourist attraction than an actual mode of transportation for the locals?
|
The article notes that Virgin Atlantic connects the highest number of passengers from Europe to Orlando. Many of these passengers coming from Europe are probably going to Disney World and are used to riding trains. I am sure that Virgin could market airfare and ground transportation as a code-share ticket to these travelers.