As SunRail tries to figure out how to bump up ridership, Central Florida cities are finding ways to make the passenger experience better before they take over operations.
- Cities adding infrastructure to help riders get to stations
- SunRail ridership flat, projected operating costs staggering
Maitland, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary and Sanford are joining forces and starting a mobility group, which will meet periodically. The aim will be to figure out which projects might best complement their respective SunRail stations and boost ridership numbers.
“These are things that, bit by bit, are going to build ridership,” said Steve Olson, a Florida Department of Transportation and SunRail spokesman. “We’re encouraged to see the cities up on the north side here banding together.”
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In recent weeks, Maitland leaders installed a $284,000 dollar upgrade, a boardwalk, connecting the Greenwood Gardens neighborhood with the station platform. While the project was originally slated to cost just over $100,000, Maitland Public Works officials said the cost ballooned after taking bids for market price and paying for construction certificates specific for the SunRail corridor.
“Definitely a good investment,” said Andrew Loper, who rides SunRail to his job in Lake Mary three or four times each week. “Cuts maybe 15, 20 minutes off your time to get somewhere, which is awesome.”
Loper said prior to the boardwalk’s construction, it was difficult to cut behind the south side platform.
“This was nothing, just some shrubs. And they built this awesome walkway,” he said. “Before you had to go maybe two or three blocks that way to the 7-Eleven, or come around to get into the neighborhood.”
Maitland leaders said while the boardwalk is open to foot traffic, they are still making minor tweaks to it this week. Other cities are making similar moves.
On July 1, each of the five cities will be subsidizing discounts for Uber rides passengers who begin or end their journey at the Lake Mary Station. Altamonte Springs City Manager Frank Martz, who is spearheading the interlocal agreement between cities, said today they’re envisioning roadway and pedestrian projects in the near future in Altamonte Springs.
In Sanford, a free shuttle, sponsored by the City of Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency, connects the station with the Welcome Center. A 10-foot trail was completed on the north side of State Road 46, connecting Rinehard Road to SunRail, and there’s potential for future State Road 46 improvements.
Longwood leaders said they’re working on sidewalk construction improvements around the station, while in tandem working with partners in Seminole County to make much-needed improvements, such as lane width reductions and adding bike lanes, to Ronald Reagan Parkway.
Lake Mary’s sidewalk project, completed last year, connects the station to downtown.
With ridership flat and operating expenses projected to be staggering, Martz said cities “don’t want to wait any longer” to make improvements which could boost ridership. Yet, the money cities are using to make upgrades comes out of their own coffers.
“SunRail does have a budget that we have to live within,” said Olson. “But, sometimes the municipalities have a little more flexibility.”
Olson said while leisure ridership is down, the passenger rail line is seeing a small bump in commuter rides. SunRail averaged more than 3,400 riders per day in the month of April, throughout each of their stations. The rail line is working to complete Phase II North and South expansions, before rolling out a line to Orlando International Airport. Olson said they’re also considering trial trains on weekends or evenings.
“We’re looking at how we can do that, how we can fund that, on a trial basis, just to see how it works,” he said. “Once we start going with Phase II South, we would probably have to buy new equipment. What comes first? Is it the ridership that expands the service, or is it the expanded service that brings up the ridership?”
The state will turn over ownership of SunRail to local governments by 2021.