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Going through most of these posts it seems the negatives outweigh the positives with SunRail. Not a cost effective operation at all unless something drastically changes. Unlike a lot of other cities in the U.S. you are not going to find many professionals using public transportation in central Florida. What you'll see are the unemployed, college kids, and retirees wasting their time on the train. And for someone that works downtown most will still have to "hoof it" quite a distance under the blistering Florida sun. Not fun. The only advantage I see with using SunRail is avoiding all the road/roid-raged maniacs on Florida's roads.
Why are your professionals more important than retirees, college students and unemployed humans?? Im not understanding your logic. Sunrail will probably be around longer than its detractors. Its starts small and grows. I dont understand the wasting time comment either. Someone profits from the system, not necessarily the system itself. So not understanding the cost effective argument either.The train builders, track layers, website admins, Sunrail vendor machines, Sunrail cards all cost money and the producers of those products have employees also. Sunrail doesnt make its own trains, they have to purchase them from manufacturers that pay their employees to build them, those employees feed and protect their families with that money that Orlando and Florida pays to their company. Still not seeing where the money is wasted.
Why are your professionals more important than retirees, college students and unemployed humans?? Im not understanding your logic. Sunrail will probably be around longer than its detractors. Its starts small and grows. I dont understand the wasting time comment either. Someone profits from the system, not necessarily the system itself. So not understanding the cost effective argument either.The train builders, track layers, website admins, Sunrail vendor machines, Sunrail cards all cost money and the producers of those products have employees also. Sunrail doesnt make its own trains, they have to purchase them from manufacturers that pay their employees to build them, those employees feed and protect their families with that money that Orlando and Florida pays to their company. Still not seeing where the money is wasted.
... because a commuter rail is designed to move commuters to their job sites at a CBD.
SunRail is not a 7 day a week operation nor a passenger joy ride train.
All of those people who are working for SunRail are fed by tax dollars.
I've said it ad naseum that perhaps the tax dollars would have been better spent elsewhere, or -not at all-. Everyone in the state of Florida has to feed and protect their families so to speak, and so by taking it from everyone to benefit a VERY VERY VERY small number of people riding the train and their employees is senseless.
SunRail will be around as long as -someone- is paying for it. Once a government agency is erected they are difficult to rid ourselves of. Starting small is an understatement here. 2000 R/T a day is borderline useless. Does that make sense to anyone?
I took the SunRail yesterday for the first time. It was interesting. I took it from Longwood to the Sand Lake Station. We just moved here from Chicago, and have Metra (in addition to the L), so I couldn't help but make some comparisons as I made my way down to Sand Lake.
First thing I noticed was how nice and clean everything was. The inside of the cars was beautiful. Fabulous comfy seats, tables to work on, it was really, really nice. Second thing I noticed was that it was a very short train - I think 3 cars? Back home our trains are very, very long. (These are not complaints or negatives, just differences I noticed). I sat down and there was no one else in the car at all for the first several stops. I thought at 5:19 pm, that it was odd that it was so empty. A few people got on along the way, but no way would I call it full or crowded.
The thing that surprised me the most though was how slow the train went. It appeared to me to go maybe 35 - 40 mph max. Now this is not a complaint at all - I rather preferred the slower speed (I am a nervous nellie sometimes!), but I kept waiting for it to "get up to speed" (thinking it would go at least 60 mph like at home), and it never went fast except through the last stretch right before the Sand Lake station. It did take 45 min from the Longwood station down to Sand Lake, and now I understand why. My DH doesn't want to take the Sunrail to work because he goes to work at a time when there isn't a lot of traffic on the I4 and he can get there a lot faster than with the SunRail (and now I know why putz putz putz... lol ). He did say that if the I4 ever got really bad through the construction, he would take the SunRail. But for now, the car is better for him.
The train also made a LOT of noise going over the tracks. Loud clanking sounds. I'm sure it's fine and safe, but I wondered what all that noise was and if it had anything to do with why the train didn't go any faster.
I also noticed that there was an "agent" at every station, walking around, sort of "patrolling". Not sure if they are security people? Just there to help people learn how to buy tickets and validate them? Keep them off the railings? We didn't have that at home and I wasn't quite sure what their function was. If they were there for security, it makes me wonder, is the train dangerous?
I loved that it went through Winter Park, downtown Orlando and near the Amway Center (we thought how great to be able to ride it to go see a show or something), but I just saw that it doesn't run on weekends, so that kind of defeats the purpose.
My DH picked me up at Sand Lake and we drove over to Disney, and it still took another 20 minutes to get there, so ultimately, it didn't really save me very much time. But it was a fun experience and it saved us from having to drive two cars home after we left Disney. I would do it again for sure if we wanted to hit Disney again during the week.
... because a commuter rail is designed to move commuters to their job sites at a CBD.
SunRail is not a 7 day a week operation nor a passenger joy ride train.
All of those people who are working for SunRail are fed by tax dollars.
I've said it ad naseum that perhaps the tax dollars would have been better spent elsewhere, or -not at all-. Everyone in the state of Florida has to feed and protect their families so to speak, and so by taking it from everyone to benefit a VERY VERY VERY small number of people riding the train and their employees is senseless.
SunRail will be around as long as -someone- is paying for it. Once a government agency is erected they are difficult to rid ourselves of. Starting small is an understatement here. 2000 R/T a day is borderline useless. Does that make sense to anyone?
and as long as that's your mindset, you're a mindless cheerleader for a failure of a public works project.
Among your other treads which are thinly veiled as 'orlando transit enthusiast' it appears you don't have a working intelligence on the matter to really do anything other than advocate.
Maybe Orlando should be an international seaport in the middle of Lake Apopka?
Open up a railroad from Christmas to Baldwin park?
Found a zeppelin hangar at Orlando Executive?
Run school buses on weekends for students who have extra curricular activities?
There comes a point in which the cost outweighs the value of certain projects.
If you don't see that, maybe you're not the one paying for it.
The trains may be getting mufflers to kill the noise.
That's not the noise I was referring to. The noise in this article refers to the engine noise from the train yard where they run the engines all night. The noise I wasn't crazy about was a loud clunking noise from the wheels on the track. Sounded like the track wasn't straight and the wheels kept hitting metal track.
and as long as that's your mindset, you're a mindless cheerleader for a failure of a public works project.
Among your other treads which are thinly veiled as 'orlando transit enthusiast' it appears you don't have a working intelligence on the matter to really do anything other than advocate.
Maybe Orlando should be an international seaport in the middle of Lake Apopka?
Open up a railroad from Christmas to Baldwin park?
Found a zeppelin hangar at Orlando Executive?
Run school buses on weekends for students who have extra curricular activities?
There comes a point in which the cost outweighs the value of certain projects.
If you don't see that, maybe you're not the one paying for it.
It is a basic concept of public transportation infrastructure which is critical for the long-term success of any major city. I do not believe that anyone has claimed that this system is perfect, after all, it is a new system that is just coming out of its very first inaugural year of operation, this is about setting the foundation of a public transportation system in Orlando and I do not see anything wrong with that. If you do not agree with this or simply do not believe in public transportation then don't ride it, but to refer to people as "mindless" simply because they rightfully support this major development in Central Florida history is simply not right..
It is a basic concept of public transportation infrastructure which is critical for the long-term success of any major city. I do not believe that anyone has claimed that this system is perfect, after all, it is a new system that is just coming out of its very first inaugural year of operation, this is about setting the foundation of a public transportation system in Orlando and I do not see anything wrong with that. If you do not agree with this or simply do not believe in public transportation then don't ride it, but to refer to people as "mindless" simply because they rightfully support this major development in Central Florida history is simply not right..
The foundation of the system is the absolute problem.
There is no evidence that public transportation such as commuter rail is critical for the long-term success of major cities. Los Angeles is still working towards some kind of implementation.
The mindlessness comes to commentators who respond to posts with 'no' and who cannot see any reason for such implementation to be seriously looked at. If anyone said 'we have 2000 this year, it's a good start', is like looking at Orlando City Soccer games and saying we had 60,000 in attendance, we should shut this thing down.
The numbers are so low they are unsustainable.
It's a problem that -could- be fixed, but without intervention you'll be stuck with a system as stagnant as Tri-Rail or the other modern metros throughout the US that had no business being created when they were.
I can only ask those read through these threads and try to at least come up with ANY argument that points in the direction of success for this particular public entity.
and as long as that's your mindset, you're a mindless cheerleader for a failure of a public works project.
Among your other treads which are thinly veiled as 'orlando transit enthusiast' it appears you don't have a working intelligence on the matter to really do anything other than advocate.
Maybe Orlando should be an international seaport in the middle of Lake Apopka?
Open up a railroad from Christmas to Baldwin park?
Found a zeppelin hangar at Orlando Executive?
Run school buses on weekends for students who have extra curricular activities?
There comes a point in which the cost outweighs the value of certain projects.
If you don't see that, maybe you're not the one paying for it.
And as near as I can tell doesn't even live here, so the fascination standpoint of that alone is epic. Save some of your sanity and just let it go as apparently there is no reasoning...
and as long as that's your mindset, you're a mindless cheerleader for a failure of a public works project.
Among your other treads which are thinly veiled as 'orlando transit enthusiast' it appears you don't have a working intelligence on the matter to really do anything other than advocate.
Maybe Orlando should be an international seaport in the middle of Lake Apopka?
Open up a railroad from Christmas to Baldwin park?
Found a zeppelin hangar at Orlando Executive?
Run school buses on weekends for students who have extra curricular activities?
There comes a point in which the cost outweighs the value of certain projects.
If you don't see that, maybe you're not the one paying for it.
you asked a question, i simply answered "no" then you call me a "mindless cheerleader"......it seems Im getting under your skin WithDisp.
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putz putz putz... lol ). He did say that if the I4 ever got really bad through the construction, he would take the SunRail. But for now, the car is better for him. 
