Sun Rail from Volusia County (Orlando, Sanford: home, employment, transfer to)

[salphonsel]

Does anyone use the SunRail to commute to work in the Orlando area (Lake Mary, Sanford, etc) from the Daytona area? I heard Votran has a shuttle going from Daytona to Orange City. I've been looking on-line in the Orlando area for jobs, the salaries jump way up from Volusia County. I just want to see if a bus/rail commute would be feasible. Thanks.

[annerk]

You'd be spending three or more hours a day commuting car to bus to train to bus and return.

I did it as a NYC commuter for years, and wouldn't do it again. You have no life.

Additionally the commuting costs would eat up a good amount of any salary increase you might gain.

[Fl1150]

It does not go up that far unfortunately but they are suppose to be working on extending it that far so maybe taking the bus might be better for now. Phase 2 is going to be built around sometime next year and it is going to be extended way further then it is now.

[WithDisp]

The train only goes as far as Debary right now, but the cost of a R/T ticket is only $7.50.
Considering the distance this is way cheaper than say, living in Ocoee and taking the 408 to work.

Timewise is a drag, but fares on Sunrail are incredibly low considering some distances.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by WithDisp

The train only goes as far as Debary right now, but the cost of a R/T ticket is only $7.50.
Considering the distance this is way cheaper than say, living in Ocoee and taking the 408 to work.

Timewise is a drag, but fares on Sunrail are incredibly low considering some distances.

Not once you factor in the gas and wear and tear on the car doing 60 miles r/t each day (that's another $8 or so with a reasonably fuel efficient vehicle). Also, depending on where the job will be, it could require a transfer to Lynx, which is free. However on the return, you can't transfer from Lynx to Sunrail, you need separate tickets, so add in another potential $2 per day. Total commuting cost is $15.50 to $17.50 per day. Suddenly this is not the great idea it originally seemed to be, particularly when you factor in the time involved.

When I commuted to NYC, here was my typical day:

5:00 am, roll out of bed.
6:05 leave for the train station.
6:20 board the train.
7:25 arrive NY Penn
7:30 take the ACE train to the L train to the 6 train. (or walk the mile)
7:55 arrive at office
5:00 leave office
5:05 catch 6 train to GC and transfer for S to PA then to 1-9 to NY Penn (or walk the mile)
5:25 catch the 5:30 NJ Transit express
6:30 arrive at the train station, get in car, wait in line to exit parking lot.
6:50 arrive home

Family would have already eaten, I'd have leftovers, watch TV for an hour, get clothes ready for the next morning, and go to sleep.

Making more money isn't worth it when you don't have the time to enjoy life.

ETA--If I missed the 5:30 train, it was 25 minutes to the next train, and I wouldn't get home until almost 7:30 as it wasn't an express.

[salphonsel]

Thanks all, good food for thought. I feel that if and when the rail service expands into Daytona, there will be a flood of Volusia County workers pioneering to Orange and Seminole counties in search of more jobs and higher wages. It's not a question of giving up time for more money, it's a question of giving up time for enough money. An hour and a half commute each way is a somewhat even trade for working two jobs which is what most people do in Volusia to put food on the table.

[WithDisp]

Originally Posted by annerk

Not once you factor in the gas and wear and tear on the car doing 60 miles r/t each day (that's another $8 or so with a reasonably fuel efficient vehicle). Also, depending on where the job will be, it could require a transfer to Lynx, which is free. However on the return, you can't transfer from Lynx to Sunrail, you need separate tickets, so add in another potential $2 per day. Total commuting cost is $15.50 to $17.50 per day. Suddenly this is not the great idea it originally seemed to be, particularly when you factor in the time involved.

ETA--If I missed the 5:30 train, it was 25 minutes to the next train, and I wouldn't get home until almost 7:30 as it wasn't an express.

If the OP was living in a city with the SunRail they wouldn't be commuting 60 miles a day by car.

If the job requires a transfer, it's likely not worth taking the SunRail- not just for the cost but the inconvenience.

I'm aware of the awful time involved- but you must admit to do the same distances on LIRR, MNR or NJT the tickets would be waaaay more than $7.50 ... each way.


For what it's all worth though, the OP is not likely to find any high paying jobs in Downtown Orlando- and if they did, they'd be better off living there.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by WithDisp

If the OP was living in a city with the SunRail they wouldn't be commuting 60 miles a day by car.

If the job requires a transfer, it's likely not worth taking the SunRail- not just for the cost but the inconvenience.

I'm aware of the awful time involved- but you must admit to do the same distances on LIRR, MNR or NJT the tickets would be waaaay more than $7.50 ... each way.


For what it's all worth though, the OP is not likely to find any high paying jobs in Downtown Orlando- and if they did, they'd be better off living there.

On a monthly pass riding approximately the same distance it would be right around $7.50 each way. Add in the significantly higher salaries over same position employment in Orlando and Transit Check (not available in Florida) where you can pay for part of your commute/parking pre-tax (it saved me $50 a month) and you are comparing apples to oranges.

As I said, if I were the OP I'd be focusing my employment search in Lake Mary or even Maitland. Same salaries as downtown Orlando and far lower commute costs and much less time to get there.

[WithDisp]

$112 for a 3 county monthly SunRail pass- same on MTA MNR and LIRR is $325, though granted you do get weekend access.
Is NJT that much cheaper? MTA is radically expensive for the distance you can go.

In any event it's much cheaper to take SunRail than to drive long distances.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by WithDisp

$112 for a 3 county monthly SunRail pass- same on MTA MNR and LIRR is $325, though granted you do get weekend access.
Is NJT that much cheaper? MTA is radically expensive for the distance you can go.

In any event it's much cheaper to take SunRail than to drive long distances.

From my NE Corridor station to NY Penn is now $361 for a monthly pass. (It was around $230 when I was commuting if I recall) $12 a day if you use it every day (few do). I used mine on average 22 working days a month and usually twice a month to get into NYC on the weekend for a sporting event, concert, meet friends for dinner, wedding, etc. So average 24 r/t per month works out to just about $7.50 each way.

NJ transit fares are based on distance, so it could be as much as $440 or as little as $75 for a monthly pass, depending on where you are traveling to and from. My station was roughly 42 miles from NY Penn. I believe that the cost per miles on NJT is actually higher than on LIRR or MetroNorth.