SunRail will try late southbound train again this Friday

SunRail’s last-minute decision to run a late-night southbound train after Tuesday’s Orlando Magic game netted four passengers.

That’s right, four.

We consider that a success because that’s four more passengers than we thought would benefit from the train.

Of those four passengers, one got off at Meadow Woods and the other three got off at the end of the line in Poinciana.

Before you start mocking SunRail management, here’s the good news: SunRail is going to run a late-night southbound train again this Friday – after the Magic – Los Angeles Clippers game.

We spoke to the SunRail team who explained the Tuesday operation was more of a logistics test than anything else.

On this coming Friday (Nov. 2), we’ll get to see if the SunRail southbound after-game run has crowd appeal.

The train will stage at SunRail’s southbound platform at South Street. (This train will not be serving stations north of Church Street.)

Thanks to schedule changes necessary to support the SunRail’s Southern Extension that launched this summer there is a northbound train that regularly stops at Church Street at 10:30 p.m. On game nights up to 200 people board that northbound train at Church Street and Lynx Central station.

Before the Southern Extension, if you rode the train to the game from Sanford or Winter Park you had to find another way home because the last northbound train left downtown before the game ended.

Even after the Southern Extension, people who boarded at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Sand Lake Road, Meadow Woods, Tupperware, Kissimmee, and Poinciana couldn’t SunRail home after the game. The last scheduled southbound train departs Church Street at 9:04 p.m.

Granted the decision to try offering southbound service after the game is an experiment, but it’s worth trying because Southern Extension riders have added 1,800 to 2,000 to SunRail’s daily ridership that is now roughly 5,200.

Our fingers are crossed that southbound fans will use the train after Friday’s game. We also hope the Magic wins for a change…

HOLD THE PHONE this just got better SunRail will be running a southbound train after Orlando Magic games on Nov. 2, 5, 7, 9, 14 and 20!!!!!!!

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THIS JUST IN: Late train tonight!

THIS JUST IN.

SunRail is running a later-than-usual southbound train TONIGHT (Tuesday, Oct. 30).

Usually the last southbound SunRail train departs Orlando’s Church Street station at 9:01 p.m.

Tonight, the last southbound SunRail train departs Church Street at 10:30 p.m.

Sadly, we didn’t get a press release on this schedule change until shortly before 7 p.m.; too late for the post-game travel plans of many -- fans attending Tuesday night’s Orlando Magic game at Amway Center.

Here’s what SunRail wrote in its late-breaking press release.

“The SunRail team and Bombardier—SunRail’s operations and maintenance contractor—is conducting an experimental run of later train tonight heading southbound from Church Street Station. The decision was made late in the day to try this, to observe how this works out logistically. The late train tonight coincides with the Orlando Magic game against the Sacramento Kings at the Amway Center. If passengers—attending the game or staying downtown late—wish to take the southbound train home tonight, they should make their way to the southbound platform at Church Street Station, where the train leaves for points south at 10:30 p.m.

“Ridership following the launch of SunRail’s southern expansion the end of July has jumped as southern customers have gotten aboard. SunRail is exploring whether there is demand for later service on the southern route on select event nights during the week. On the northbound route, the last train normally leaves Church Street at 10:30 p.m. The SunRail team wants to evaluate how a second train, leaving from the southern platform at the same time, performs. Again, tonight’s southern run was a late in the day decision to check logistics and workability. Regular fares apply. SunRail is working with Bombardier to explore other opportunities for special service.”

We hope to do some more reporting to dig deeper into the back story for this last-minute scheduling decision.

Score 1 for SunRail and the Orlando Magic!

SunRail is going to make this a great year for some Orlando Magic fans.

Thanks to SunRail’s adjusted schedule that came with the Southern Expansion this summer, some fans will now be able to use SunRail to go to games and come home from the Amway Center.

In the past, the SunRail didn’t run late enough for fans to be able to take the train home after the game.

But now fans who live north of downtown Orlando will be able to take SunRail both ways to Magic games played on weekday nights. (Still no weekend service smh.)

The last SunRail northbound train leaves downtown Orlando at 10:30 p.m. stopping at stations at Florida Hospital, Winter Park, Maitland, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford, and DeBary.

What about those who live south of the Church Street station in south Orange and Osceola County? You’re still out of luck when it comes to taking the train home because the last southbound SunRail train leaves Church Street at 9 p.m.

The Orlando Magic will be playing an exhibition game against the Memphis Grizzlies next Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Go Magic!

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