SunRail Ridership on the Rise

January and February at All-Time High

Sanford, Fla. SunRail is celebrating five years of service on May 1, and great things are happening. SunRail ridership continues to climb, following the July 2018 opening of the 17-mile southern expansion and a new schedule. Ridership during revenue service in January and February 2019 reached all-time highs, with the average daily ridership over 6,000 per day. Friday ridership alone in 2019 is averaging more than 6,300.

"The ridership numbers are very exciting, and we are anticipating even higher numbers in March and April as these months are typically among the strongest for SunRail" said SunRail Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nicola Liquori. "The increases are trending system-wide as customers take advantage of the new schedule and the convenience of SunRail."

SunRail has embarked on new initiatives to increase ridership, service and connectivity. This includes a partnership with a local trolley service, serving downtown Sanford from SunRail's Sanford station, as well as the Train to Plane LYNX connection between the Sand Lake Road station and Orlando International Airport (OIA). A special southbound, late night train has been added to the mix during weekdays when the NBA's Orlando Magic plays home games. The new schedule has also resulted in an increase in ridership at stations serving the two major hospital campuses in Orlando. SunRail is working on other partnerships and opportunities, especially with the late summer opening of the new downtown Orlando campuses of the University of Central Florida and Valencia College.

"We want to be proactive in our marketing efforts, and we continue to seek out public and private transportation partners to promote our service along the corridor," Liquori said. "It's our commitment to connect communities and grow ridership with safe, reliable and quality service."

The SunRail team continues to work with the local funding partners that have been vital to SunRail's success. The partners include leadership from Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties, and the City of Orlando. The local funding partners are scheduled to take over operations in 2021.

For more information about SunRail, including fares, schedule and station locations, please visit www.sunrail.com. Please be careful around trains, railroad crossings, and while at station platforms. Be smart. Be safe.