SunRail hits important milestone toward becoming an independently run system

For the first time, local governments are picking up the tab for Central Florida’s SunRail commuter service across four counties.

State transportation officials acknowledged the big milestone reached on Jan. 1 during the long, complicated process of moving the system from the Florida Department of Transportation, which has operated and maintained SunRail since 2014. Now, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (CFCRC), which includes the cities of Orlando, Orange County, Seminole, Osceola, and Volusia counties, is paying for the operations still run by the state.

Much work still lies ahead to create a stand-alone system, warned SunRail CEO John Tyler as he gave an update during Tuesday’s Senate Transportation Committee meeting.

Tyler highlighted the next steps, warning that the state could take up to three years to hand over the operational logistics so that CFCRC can run the system independently.

“The next milestone is to complete the operational transition,” said Tyler who is also the FDOT District 5 Secretary. “This is broken down into a series of steps, some of which are the responsibility of the department, like completing the DeLand station, and some are the responsibility of the CFCRC, like hiring legal counsel, hiring their own Chief Executive Officer and key staff.”

He added, “It is a complicated, laborious process that will take time. However, all parties, FDOT and the five partners that make up the CFCRC, are all committed and actively engaged in working through the process to complete the ultimate vision authorized by the Legislature more than a decade ago.”

Tyler didn’t bring up some common complaints about SunRail, which doesn’t have weekend or late-night service and doesn’t go to the Orlando International Airport.

But officials did present good news about SunRail’s ridership.

SunRail hit more than 1.2 million riders in 2024 — a 12% year-over-year jump.

“Human Behavior certainly changed in 2020, and ridership numbers have been steadily coming back to their previous levels,” Tyler said.