Passenger Trains > Brightline may stop at Disney World

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A train blasting its way through Central Florida is expected to stop at Walt Disney World. A map train company Brightline was using to entice investors shows a Disney station between Orlando and Tampa.

The Florida Department of Transportation approved Brightline to start negotiations on a lease.

In its public statement to investors, at the bottom of a long list of documents, a map shows Brightline's current stations in red and its future stations in pink.It includes a route to Tampa with a stop at Disney in between.The train service needs that lease to lay down its track.Disney hasn't been on board with other train service projects through its property in the past.

In the 1980's, Disney would not support plans for a Maglev train to go from the Orlando International Airport to its property.Those plans included a route from Epcot to the I-Drive district.Disney also already offers free transportation to and from OIA and all of its resorts, but the Magical Express does not go to Tampa's airport.

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/brightline-train-may-make-stop-at-disney/880003219

 

I think Walt would have approved of this, although by 2018 he probably would have "imagineered" something more futuristic than wheel-on-rail...  

Bob

It's the Holy Grail of destination stops!  Might not be cheap though, getting the tracks near, with all the development @ WDW!

I think Walt would have been OK with it too, but the Walt Disney Corp would be a lot different today if he was still around, IMO.
Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

alto_towerbob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think Walt would have approved of this, although
> by 2018 he probably would have "imagineered"
> something more futuristic than
> wheel-on-rail...  
>
> Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/18 16:23 by wabash2800.

The station for Diseny, if they get all the permits and leases, won't actually be on Diseny land but near the intersection of Osceola Pkwy and I-4. If they cannot get easement to get to that point from SR417 then the closest location to Disney for a station would probably be at the SR417/I-4 intersection, or thereabouts.

Jishnu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The station for Diseny, if they get all the
> permits and leases, won't actually be on Diseny
> land but near the intersection of Osceola Pkwy and
> I-4. If they cannot get easement to get to that
> point from SR417 then the closest location to
> Disney for a station would probably be at the
> SR417/I-4 intersection, or thereabouts.

Back in the heady days of the "Obama high speed corridors", Disney made it clear that it wasn't interested in an Orlando to Tampa train stop on or near their property. 

There was speculation that Disney's focus on controlling the customer experience doesn't allow much room for outsiders. Especially if the facility could also serve Universal Studio Park or other competitors

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jishnu Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The station for Diseny, if they get all the
> > permits and leases, won't actually be on Diseny
> > land but near the intersection of Osceola Pkwy
> and
> > I-4. If they cannot get easement to get to that
> > point from SR417 then the closest location to
> > Disney for a station would probably be at the
> > SR417/I-4 intersection, or thereabouts.
>
> Back in the heady days of the "Obama high speed
> corridors", Disney made it clear that it wasn't
> interested in an Orlando to Tampa train stop on or
> near their property. 
>
> There was speculation that Disney's focus on
> controlling the customer experience doesn't allow
> much room for outsiders. Especially if the
> facility could also serve Universal Studio Park or
> other competitors

It is unlikely to be any further north/east than the Osceoila Parkway/I-4 intersection if Brightline's current route planning for the new trackage is to be believed. I don't think Diseny can prevent the building of a station near its property and someone providing a shuttle service to their public parking lot. Then again Branson has his uses I am sure. :) I suspect access to Diseny and Universal will involve a ride on a shuttle of some sort, possibly even funded by Brightline, if it comes to that.