Orlandoto-Tampa rail line gets boost

May include stops near Disney World, Lakeland

TALLAHASSEE – Brightline has received the green light from the state to negotiate for land to add passenger rail service from Orlando to Tampa, a link that may include stops near Disney World and Lakeland, according to the company’s application.

Brightline began service earlier this year between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

The Florida Department of Transportation’s procurement office approved an application from Brightline, giving it 90 days to work out terms with the Central

Florida Expressway Authority to build the train service along Interstate 4.

As part of its application, Brightline projects the 88-mile route, which would require 44-footwide spaces mostly along Interstate 4, would produce about 16,500 temporary jobs during the three years of construction and about 1,600 permanent jobs.

Along with stations at Orlando International Airport and in Tampa, the company states in its application that it plans to build one in Lakeland, proposes to connect with SunRail’s MeadowWoods Station and is “considering” a station near Interstate 4 and State Road 417, which is in the Disney area.

Brightline President Patrick Goddard said the company looks forward to working with the expressway authority in “strengthening Florida’s infrastructure” and called the proposal the company’s “next step in our efforts to expand intercity passenger rail in Florida.”

“The private investment we have made has created thousands of jobs and generated substantial economic impact,” Goddard said in a prepared statement after getting the Department of Transportation approval.

“By connecting Florida’s major economic centers, Brightline provides a safe, efficient and productive way for residents and tourists to travel the state.”

Additional negotiations are expected by the privately funded rail service with utilities, local land owners and communities along the route --- which would go from Orlando International Airport, through Osceola and Polk counties, to downtown Tampa.

“For us right now, our biggest involvement is this (Wednesday’s approval),” Department of Transportation spokesman Ed Seifert said. “Without this, they don’t have a line.”

Brightline, which now operates between Miami and West Palm Beach, recently signed a deal with new minority investor Virgin Group, with Brightline planning to rename itself Virgin Trains USA. As part of the move, Virgin Trains USA is seeking Securities and Exchange Commission permission to conduct an initial public stock offering.

The idea of a rail line linking Tampa and Orlando was rejected by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011 when it was part of a federal expansion of high-speed rail. Scott expressed concerns at the time about cost overruns in the $2.4 billion proposal.

But Scott in June announced his administration would seek proposals for an Orlando-to-Tampa route, pointing to the possibility of a privately funded project. Brightline was the only company that submitted a proposal.

Wednesday’s approval came amid renewed pressure from Treasure Coast lawmakers to pursue more state oversight of the passenger rail service.

Past efforts to impose more regulatory oversight have stalled in the Legislature.

But going into the 2019 legislative session, Treasure Coast lawmakers will be armed with an Oct. 31 report from the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability that said the Department of Transportation wasn’t using fully using its regulatory authority.

Officials from Martin and Indian River counties brought lawsuits against the service and earlier this year opposed the U.S. Department of Transportation giving Brightline until the end of the year to sell $1.15 billion in tax-exempt “private activity” bonds for the expansion to Orlando.

Martin County, however, accepted a settlement Saturday with Brightline.