SunRail

[Jernigan]

Interesting. Mid-day attempts or during peak hour train service?

[gibby]

I usually take the 6:21 southbound out of Church Street.  It always arrives at Sand Lake on time and the 111 has never been there.  I usually end up getting picked up by the 11, which I could have taken in the first place at Orange and Jackson at 6:15.

[Jernigan]

Interesting / it should be there at 6:36 3 minutes after the train gets there.

I'd let LYNX know so they can make adjustments

[Boomer136]

Sunrail announcing it wants no pedestrian or bike paths along the route. (Sentinel)

 

What will happen with Gertrude's Walk?

[Jernigan]

Doesn't apply to the existing stuff that isn't on FDOT land in the first place.

It does, however, scream shananigans to the claims about safety since the trail is so close downtown with no problems at all. Sort of like how they said they could build the Maitland station further south towards City Hall because of a bend in the tracks yet Church St Station is on a big curve

[gibby]

Interesting / it should be there at 6:36 3 minutes after the train gets there.

I'd let LYNX know so they can make adjustments

I'm going to try the Sunrail-111 trip to the airport again today, leaving at 6:21.

[FLheat]

This from the "Downtown Confidential":  Did you know that you can also use SunRail to quickly and conveniently from Downtown Orlando to Orlando International Airport? Simply take the train to the Sand Lake Road Station and follow the signage to free transfer onto the LINK 111 bus. All LINK 111 busses are timed to meet up with arriving SunRail trains. Make your life less stressful by not having to worry about the hassle of traffic and parking. Save time and be more productive by using SunRail. Visit Downtown Orlando's two platforms to efficiently explore our vibrant, metropolitan area. SunRail runs on a regulated schedule Monday through Friday.

Anyone recently tried this? Are the buses now there on time?

[Jernigan]

If on schedule, it is set to line up with the trains.

http://www.golynx.com/maps-schedules/routes-detail.stml?portalProcess_dd_0_1_1=showPublicPosting&calendar_entry_id=2575

[HankStrong]

I'm interested to see if Gibby made this work.

[gibby]

I tried this two more times since my last post.  The 111 was there neither of those two times.  I'm basically 0 for 5 or 6 and have given up entirely.  It is a huge disappointment, especially after they literally advertise and brag about it.  With the 111 at Sand Lake, I always end up getting on the 11 or the 42 and take those to the airport instead.  It's not too bad but it's just easier to get on the 11 downtown to start with and avoid all the risk.

[Jernigan]

Media stories this week suggesting that they will replace the night train (Leaves Debary at 9:05PM, heads back north from Sand Lake a little after 10PM) with a mid-day train. 

Given the data, seems like a no-brainer.  

[John Hargrove]

More mid-day service would be nice. My girlfriend and her son tried to use it for a Science Center event the other day and it was one of those situations where everything lined up such that it would be 2-3 hours of waiting for trains due to the timing of the event and the long gaps in mid-day service.

That said, if that's what it takes to keep the service solvent until it gets more adoption, so be it. 

[klstorey]

More mid-day service would be nice. My girlfriend and her son tried to use it for a Science Center event the other day and it was one of those situations where everything lined up such that it would be 2-3 hours of waiting for trains due to the timing of the event and the long gaps in mid-day service.

That said, if that's what it takes to keep the service solvent until it gets more adoption, so be it. 

I totally agree. I work from home a lot and have mid-afternoon meetings with clients in downtown on a semi-regular basis. I'm rarely able to use SunRail because of its mid-day schedule. 

Of course, I'd prefer both but in an either/or type of situation I think its smarter to go with mid-day vs evening. 

I'd be willing to give up both though if it meant weekend service. Any word on that? 

[John Hargrove]

Weekend service would be AMAZING, but I fear it would suffer the same problems mid-day does but to a greater degree. There would likely only be a few trains per day, and wherever you're going you'll end up spending a lot of time waiting.

It would require a mindset shift from commuter rail to more of a general transit option. I would pretty much exclusively use it on the weekends for recreation ... as I imagine most weekend travelers would.

[Jernigan]

The "late train" was destined to fail.  It's too bad it had to be all-or-nothing.  Frankly, there's no one going downtown on a non-Magic/Lions game weeknight.  No traffic, cheap parking, it just isn't worth taking the train if you are going there.  The inflexibility of having 1 train back is also a scary proposition if attending a live event and the Citrus Bowl is still far removed from the train line even with the free shuttles.

The mid-day addition(s), on the other hand, are a no-brainer.  For one, they are running trains out of Debary at 5AM.  If a normal work day is 8.5 hours, then the math says that the first 3-4 trains in the morning offer no return trip after work unless you wait until ~4:20PM unless you work a 10 hour day.  6-2:30 is a BIG hospital shift  as well.

I'm sure the Magic, Lions and DDB had a hand in making the night train possible, but it's just not worth it.  This thing is still commuter rail and needs to walk as such before it runs as something else.   But, to avoid being negative, when this first started, the state said that it was basically just the cost of fuel to operate the run so it is definitely a good idea on event nights, but it shouldn't have to be 5 nights a week if downtown doesn't demand that.

Weekend service would need at least hourly service instead of the 90-120 minute off-peak we have now.  We'll get it sooner than later.  Hopefully this night train debacle doesn't make it harder to get.  It's a totally different market that would ride the train on the weekend versus riding it at night.

[cwetteland]

Weekend and night service will be required for the OIA link to work. People can't schedule flights around a commuter schedule.

[aent]

 

Weekend service would need at least hourly service instead of the 90-120 minute off-peak we have now.  We'll get it sooner than later.  Hopefully this night train debacle doesn't make it harder to get.  It's a totally different market that would ride the train on the weekend versus riding it at night.

Isn't mid day currently 2.5 hours (150 minute) apart? To me that seems like a scary prospect as well and a reason to avoid using the service. I'm hoping that they use this extra train  and respace the trains to cut that down to 105 minute mid-day service. I really feel it shouldn't be less then hourly.

[prahaboheme]

Breaking: SunRail connector to Orlando airport gets federal OK

[HankStrong]

Great news

[Jernigan]

Deland extension is on hold without federal funding.

"night train" (leaves Debary at 9:05, returns from Sand Lake at 10:18) is getting cut after one year pilot in December.

No news on a combined pass with LYNX 

[jrs2]

not sure how the timing and funding of phases works ala changing them from the original plan, but I-d venture to say the Deland station never gets built unless the link to OIA gets up and running first, thus infusing a ton of new ridership into the system.  Meaning, Phase II to Poinciana gets built and the OIA link as Phase III.  

[smileguy]

Mayor Dyer's Saturday SunRail letter

Friday, September 23, 2016

Dear Friend,

 

The number one question we hear about SunRail is, “When is our train going to run on the weekends?” This illustrates both the enthusiasm people have for our young mass transit system, as well as their desire to see SunRail’s operating hours expand beyond those that primarily serve daily commuters. 

 

As you may know, SunRail was designed to be a commuter rail system that would immediately give residents an alternative to I-‐4 and their vehicles during daily commuting hours – while also serving as the backbone of a future multi-modal transit system that connects with and enhances other forms of transit. That future includes the weekend service so many of our Central Florida residents desire.

 

At this moment, SunRail is not in a position to expand service to weekends. We knew this was going to be the case for the first several years of SunRail’s existence. That said, accepting the status quo and letting challenges stand in our way is not what we do in Orlando. When we see opportunities to make our community stronger and increase the quality of life for our residents, we work together to craft creative, partnership-‐driven solutions to turn good ideas into reality. That’s precisely what some of our major businesses and community organizations are doing… through a pilot project that will fund SATURDAY SERVICE ON SUNRAIL FROM OCTOBER THROUGH JANUARY.

 

Through a unique nonprofit partnership, the Downtown Orlando Partnership, The Downtown Orlando Foundation, The Downtown Development Board, some of Orlando’s major businesses and key community stakeholders are working together to fund and lead this exciting effort.

 

This project is important for a number of reasons. First, by offering leisure service, we create opportunities for residents to “try out” SunRail. This will, in turn, lead to more people adopting the train as their commuting method of choice and building long‐term ridership on the system. Second, this community-‐driven project puts us in a position to showcase the demand for expanded service and, thus, helps permanent weekend service become a reality more rapidly. Third, this project represents an important shared commitment by our businesses and civic community to the success of mass transit options throughout our region.

 

Additionally, the October ‐ January window features major events occurring virtually every Saturday in Downtown Orlando, as well as near station stops up and down the SunRail line. SunRail service on Saturdays will drive attendance to these events and give attendees a new transportation option. The SunRail On Saturdays project is an important endeavor for our community and I strongly encourage you to get involved and become a funding partner. We cannot do this without you. Accompanying this letter is a document that outlines the various levels for nonprofit contributions.

 

If you would like to learn more about the project or have questions, please contact Bridget Keefe at the Downtown Orlando Partnership at (407) 595-0897.

 

Sincerely,

 

Buddy Dyer

[John Hargrove]

That's great. I would definitely use that to hit up Winter Park on Saturday mornings. 

[metal93]

Good news. I wonder if Saturday is going to be similar to the Monday-Friday schedules, and if it'll run later in the night. I think a train every hour is reasonable, though it'll probably be a train every two hours.

Besides the absence of weekend service, my other big complaints with SunRail is that it doesn't run late enough on Friday nights and the 2-hour intervals between morning and evening rush hours are too long. Though I do understand there is going to have to be a larger shift in commuting behaviors in order to get expanded service.

[John Hargrove]

Chicken or the egg. It will never take off if it continues to be inconvenient.