In late 2020, Disney announced that Brightline trains would build a station near Disney Springs. The station would be part of a train line that connected Orlando to Miami, and eventually through to Tampa.
There was a problem: Universal and the Orlando Convention Center attractions didn’t want to be left out.
Now, it seems like all the parties involved have reached a compromise: Brightline and SunRail will team up to connect the Orlando Airport to both the Universal area as well as Disney World.
Specifically, Brightline will lease rights to SunRail for a connection to the Orange County Convention Center and International Drive. At the same time, Brightline will build its own tracks from the Airport to Disney World Resort, and then on to Tampa.
Current Train Operators
This project is more than just a dream. These two organizations are already running train services for the public, and are building out new train lines.
SunRail currently operates 49 miles of track in the Central Florida area.
Brightline currently operates trains in South Florida and is actively expanding the service to the Orlando International Airport (MCO), with service scheduled to begin next year.
It Will Be A While
That said, these are huge, expensive, and complex projects. Sometimes they fail to materialize. It is likely to be several years before you can hop on a train from the airport to Disney or Universal. But these are big steps in that direction.
Would you take a train from the Orlando Airport to Disney or Universal?