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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The SunRail #NightTrain is a winner

In case you’ve been wondering, SunRail’s new #NightTrain is a big hit.

Tuesday night, after the Orlando Magic game the newly added SunRail late-night train was carrying a heavy load when it left Church Street for the last northbound run of the evening. And the riders were ecstatic.

Tuesday was just the second night for the new #NightTrain that was introduced on Monday as a test of expanded SunRail service.

As expected, Monday night’s passenger load on the #NightTrain was nothing to write home about. Only about 100 people used that train, but that was no surprise given that it’s Christmas week and there was nothing special going on in downtown Orlando.

But it was an entirely different tune on Tuesday. By early evening on Tuesday we heard reports that there were lots of people riding SunRail downtown for the Magic game. Until now most Magic fans couldn’t seriously considering taking SunRail to the Amway Center because the last train for the evening passed through Church Street before the end of the basketball game.

Under SunRail’s new test schedule the northbound #NightTrain pulls into Church Street at 10:30. That gives Magic fans lots of time to exit the Amway Center and stroll over to the Church Street SunRail station. (Fans were particularly happy because the Magic won for a change!)

Many fans arrived at the SunRail station at 9:45 p.m. and a few even had time to get a drink at nearby nightspots and reach the train station with lots of time to spare. In addition to basketball fans, we also chatted with several folks who just left a John Lennon tribute concert on Church Street and some tourists who left their car at Sand Lake Road and rode SunRail to explore downtown Orlando.

Now everybody is asking us when weekend SunRail service will start. With the kind of strong ridership we witnessed on Tuesday night, hopefully SunRail weekend service will be here soon.

Bet they were disappointed

One of our favorite SunRail riders told us a surprising story.

A few of her friends rode SunRail to the Amway Center to attend an Orlando Magic pre-season game. After the game they returned to the station and it was only then that they realized that SunRail stops running before the end of the game.

They were both surprised and disappointed. Of course they really should have checked the schedule and they would have known that the last northbound SunRail train departs Church Street -- the stop closest to Amway -- at 9:25 pm.

But we do sympathize with them because most reasonable people can't be blamed for assuming that our $1 billion train would run late and on weekends to help residents enjoy the Magic and all the great entertainment, shopping and cultural venues in Central Florida. Ya think!

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.

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