All aboard the Sunshine Express
Floridians of the future will have a new option for traveling around the Sunshine State. In December, Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation authorizing the creation of SunRail, a commuter rail line that will run along a 61-mile stretch of existing rail freight tracks in Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties. “Individuals and businesses from North Florida to South Florida will benefit from the economic and job opportunities that will arise along each of the rail corridors,” Gov. Crist said after signing the legislation. SunRail is expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs almost immediately and more than 250,000 jobs over the next 25 years. It also is expected to generate $8 billion for the state’s economy over the same quarter century. The new law also authorizes more funding for Tri-Rail, which currently operates 50 trains daily from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade County and which was in danger of significant service reductions due to low revenues.