UNIVERSAL PLANS ORLANDO AIRPORT RAIL LINK

Universal Orlando Resort has filed paperwork and pledged 5.3 hectares for a commuter rail station that could link the seventh busiest airport in the US with the heart of the tourism district in one of the top travel destinations in the world.

Universal filed an application with Orange County, Fla., to form a quasi-governmental body that will plan, finance, construct, operate, own, and maintain a new SunRail station located at the Orange County Convention Centre. Once completed – possibly as soon as 2030 – the line would connect the main corridor of Orlando’s tourism industry with Orlando International Airport.

The current Sunrail route doesn’t have any stops at the airport or in Orlando’s tourism district.

The new line also would connect residents and visitors to Brightline, the privately run intercity rail line currently serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach for now. It is coming to Orlando International Airport later this year.

“We are one step closer to creating a multi-directional commuter rail system that benefits our entire region,” said John Sprouls, chief administrative officer at Universal Parks & Resorts.