ORLANDO — The SunRail commuter service, funded and operated by Florida’s Department of Transportation since its opening in 2014, is locally funded as of Jan. 1.
Spectrum News reports the local members of the governing Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties, and the city of Orlando — authorized the funding a recent committee meeting and transferred the funding for operations in 2025 on Dec. 31. The commission will pay the state DOT $65.3 million for operations of the 61-mile, 17-station line this year, according to a contract presented at a meeting in November.
“We knew that there would have to be a transition from the state funding and operating SunRail to the local communities,” commission vice chair Amy Lockhart said. “And so, we’re in the first phase of that transition, which is estimated to take somewhere around three years. So for right now, what is happening is basically your local governments are writing the check, and Florida Department of Transportation is continuing to operate the trains as they have.”
The second stage of the transition — full handover of the operation to the local partners — is due by Jan. 1, 2027; from that point, the state DOT role will primarily be helping to secure state and federal grants.
About 1.2 million people SunRail in 2024, a 12% increase from the previous year.
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