J Magazine Winter 2019

JEFF DAVIS (MAP); ASSOCIATED PRESS
and for ridership to balloon to nearly 7 million
annual riders by 2030. With the Orlando leg
now well under construction, here is a look
at where things are currently headed with the
expansion of intercity passenger rail throughout
Florida and why Jacksonville residents should care.
South Florida
Anchored by Virgin MiamiCentral, a massive station that includes
office and residential towers, a modern food hall and two levels of
retail space, Transit Oriented Development has successfully risen
around all three original South Florida stations. Seeking to maximize
ridership potential, Virgin now plans to open three additional South
Florida stations by 2020.
In Boca Raton, a $10 million station with retail space, apartments
and a 455-space parking garage would be within walking distance of
the city’s lifestyle center, Mizner Park.
At Aventura, Miami-Dade County has approved spending $76
million to construct a station to directly connect the rail line with
Florida’s largest and the country’s third largest shopping mall by total
square footage.
At PortMiami, a $15.4 million, 20,500 square-foot station would
be built, allowing “train-to-port” packages that bundle in checked
bags and parking for all 22 cruise lines, including a new 100,000
square foot cruise ship terminal that Virgin Voyages will open in November
2021.
Together, the three new South Florida stations could generate
more than two million additional annual trips for the rail system.
Other potential station sites being studied include Fort Lauderdale
Hollywood International Airport and Downtown Hollywood.
Orlando
Construction on the 170-mile extension between West Palm
Beach and Orlando International Airport began in May 2019. Serving
24 million passengers annually, the airport is the state’s largest
and the country’s 10th largest.
In Orlando, Virgin will tie into an Intermodal Transportation
Facility that serves as the multimodal centerpiece of the airport’s
ambitious $2.15 billion South Terminal Complex. It is anticipated
that rail operations would begin in 2022 and that 10,000 jobs will
be created. Tickets from Miami to Orlando are expected to average
$100 each way for trains traveling up to 125 miles per hour.
Additional stops could be added in Cocoa and the Treasure
Coast. In Cocoa, the location is positioned close to Port Canaveral’s
cruise lines and aligned to allow for possible expansion to Jacksonville.
According to Rusty Roberts, Virgin Trains vice president of
government affairs, if the company adds a station in Martin County,
it will likely be in Stuart.
Tampa
In late 2018, Virgin announced plans to construct a $1.7 billion
extension to Tampa, primarily utilizing the right-of-way of Interstate
4. Upon completion, Virgin would be accessible to 70 percent of the
state’s 21 million residents.
A deadline to finalize a right-of-way agreement with the Florida
Department of Transportation and the Central Florida Expressway
In April, billionaire Richard Branson of Virgin Group got a rockstar welcome in
Miami during a rebranding event at the Virgin MiamaCentral station with Patrick
Goddard, president of Virgin Trains USA.
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Formerly Brightline, Virgin Trains USA is
an express intercity rail system in South
Florida that is expanding to the central
part of the state. It is the only
Tampa
privately owned and operated
intercity passenger railroad in the U.S.
In August, Virgin Trains USA reached
its one millionth rider.
EXPANDING SERVICE
Phase One Opened in 2018
Phase Two Open in 2022
Phase Three TBD
Jacksonville
Disney
Orlando
125 MPH
125 MPH
Cocoa
110 MPH
West Palm Beach
79 MPH
TIME TRAVELING
Fort Lauderdale
ROUTE MILES EST. TIME
79 MPH
Orlando to West Palm Beach 165 2 hours
Miami
Orlando to Fort Lauderdale 200 2 hrs, 30 mins
Orlando to Miami 235 3 hours
SOURCE: Virgin Trains USA
Authority was extended for the fourth time to Jan. 1, 2020. Initially
anticipated to be completed in 2021, deadline extensions could delay
the original project timeline.
Desiring to take advantage of a $70 billion tourism market that attracted
a record 75 million visitors last year, a Tampa extension could
also double down as an airport connector for Orlando’s SunRail commuter
rail line and include additional stops near area theme parks. A
link with SunRail would be beneficial with both rail systems, by creating
a direct airport rail connection for Central Florida residents.
Lakeland
In Central Florida, 18,924 passengers went through a station relocated
in 1997 to Downtown Lakeland for the simple purpose of spurring
business in the heart of the city and providing existing passenger
rail riders with a more convenient location. Today, that decision is
paying economic dividends.
A 300-unit apartment complex is proposed directly to the north of
the train station. To the east, a food hall featuring two Northeast Flor-