SunRail's new night train, not late enough?

We’ve heard a few people complaining that SunRail’s new night train – starting next week – doesn’t run late enough.

To those whiners we can only say: Chill out!

Let’s get real: This is Central Florida, not New York City. We don’t need 24-hour train service.

We’re grateful SunRail has added the late-train to the schedule. This late train can do wonders for restaurants, entertainment and cultural venues along the SunRail corridor. At this point we're mainly focused on getting everybody to take full advantage of this new night train. Strong ridership on the night train sets the stage for weekend SunRail service.

SunRail’s deal with CSX requires SunRail to get their trains off the tracks before midnight to make way for freight trains. As it is, SunRail's new night train ends its run in DeBary at 11:30 p.m. 

Let's keep in mind there are many businesses along the SunRail corridor and elsewhere in Central Florida that count on those overnight freight trains to haul supplies and products.

Starting next week Orlando Magic fans can use SunRail to get to and from games on weekdays. We understand that many performances at the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts won’t end in time for patrons to use the train to get home. Sure, that’s disappointing, but it’s impossible to please everybody all the time. Maybe the performing arts center can consider starting performances a little earlier so their patrons can use SunRail. Everybody needs to bend a little. SunRail has shown good faith by expanding their service.

As for late-night revelers who want to ride SunRail home at 3 a.m. after a night of slamming drinks, all we can say is tough luck. We don’t want SunRail to become a rolling drunk tank. If you want to drink yourself into oblivion, then it’s your responsibility to find a safe way to get home.

SunRail can make this a world-class community

Central Florida has all the makings of a world-class community.

Last week we cut the ribbon to open the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando.

That opening was celebrated last Saturday by an open house for the public and a free concert by Grammy-award winner Sheryl Crow. While that concert was underway on the center’s front lawn, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra performed inside. Meanwhile -- just three blocks away from the performing arts center -- the Orlando Solar Bears hockey team played the Greenville Road Warriors in the Amway Center, home court for the NBA’s Orlando Magic basketball team.

There’s so much going on, not just in downtown Orlando, but throughout Central Florida.

But Central Florida still isn’t a world-class community, because we still function like a small town.

Six months ago we launched the SunRail train system at a cost of $1 billion, but it doesn’t run on weekends, or late at night.

SunRail has a station that is within a 5-minute walk of the performing arts center and the Amway Center, but the train wasn’t running on Saturday night when it could have offered a wonderful transportation alternative to the thousands of people who attended downtown events.

In addition to the downtown venues, weekend and night SunRail service opens the door for people to experience a host of other entertainment and cultural venues from South Orange County to Volusia County.

The board that oversees SunRail is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. It would be nice if those officials demonstrated some world-class leadership and put SunRail on a 7-day schedule.

Is Barney Fife running SunRail?

Ever been to an Orlando Magic basketball game at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando?

It’s great fun, especially if Orlando wins. (Here’s hoping for a championship season.)

What’s not so much fun is getting to and from the Amway Center for the game.

Fortunately, relief is at hand. The SunRail train station at Church Street is about a five-minute walk from the Amway Center. The accompanying photo was taken from the northbound platform of the Church Street SunRail station.

Unfortunately, the SunRail train schedule is out of sync with game time at Amway Center. Sure you can catch SunRail to arrive at the game, but considering that the last SunRail trains leave Church Street before the game is over, how would you get home? Or do you just leave Amway Center before the game is over?

SunRail said the Magic could pay thousands to charter a train to bring fans to and from the games. But why should the Magic have to do that?

SunRail is a public resource for everyone -- including Magic fans.

This is not an Orlando Magic issue, and we’re not season ticket holders.

There is much more going on at night than Orlando Magic games. Up and down the SunRail’s 31-mile corridor there are dozens of diverse activities and venues open at night to enrich the lives of residents. SunRail can make it much easier to experience everything this community has to offer.

However, SunRail stops running earlier than Andy Griffith’s Mayberry rolled up the sidewalk at night (Millennials, please check the TV reruns).

Failure to provide service on the weekends and during late-night hours makes SunRail look as useful as a deep freezer at the Arctic Circle.

Enormous investments have been made to turn Central Florida into a world-class community with the airport, convention center, public university, sports/events arena and performing arts center. We deserve much more than a part-time train system.

Click here for important video.

Going to the performing arts center? Don't count on SunRail

Have you checked out the new Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in downtown Orlando?

You can get a sneak peek at the performing art center’s spectacular design in the accompanying photo that was shot during the early-morning hours from the northbound platform of the SunRail station at Church Street.

We regret that you can only see a small corner of the performing arts center in this photograph, but our point is to show you how close the SunRail station is to the performing arts center. An out-of-shape 5-7 guy can walk from the train station to the performing arts center in about 5 minutes.

But walking from the train station to the performing arts center is futile because SunRail doesn’t run during late-night hours or on the weekends. Under the existing SunRail schedule, on weekdays the last northbound train leaves the Church Street SunRail station at 9:25 p.m., and the last southbound train leaves Church Street at 8:51 p.m.

Now think about this. On Saturday, Nov. 8 Grammy Award winner Sheryl Crow will perform during a free concert to celebrate the grand opening of our new performing arts center. The street in front of the performing arts center is congested during the best of times. Imagine what it’s going to be like for a free performance in Central Florida’s newest public venue.

The traffic congestion could be greatly alleviated if there was a transportation alternative, such as SunRail, available to bring Central Florida residents to downtown Orlando. But, oops, SunRail doesn’t run on weekends. That reality isn’t just sad, it’s stupid.

Central Florida is a world-class community, and it needs to start acting like one. We deserve much better than a part-time train system. Our new performing arts center deserves more than a part-time train system.

Failure to provide 7-day-a-week and expanded evening service plays right into the hands of the SunRail haters who are overjoyed to cluck about recent declines in train ridership. The naysayers get great pleasure by calling SunRail a white elephant. We know that’s not true. Full-time rail service will make mass transportation a part of this community’s DNA and add tremendous value to the new performing arts center and many other cultural, recreation and entertainment venues in this region.

SunRail officials say they’re studying the idea of expanding hours and they’ll make a report at the end of this year. We’re not optimistic.

Don’t just read this post, help make Central Florida a world-class community by clicking this link and signing the petition to get SunRail service hours expanded.