DS Update: Where Will The Brightline Station Be?

As everyone knows, last November Florida's new higher speed rail service Brightline announced an intention and agreement with Disney to extend their planned route from the station at Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World. This would likely be in conjunction with a route extension beyond Disney to Tampa. But where will the station be located?

 

 We know the station will be located at or near Disney Springs because that was included in the announcement. Presumably it would be located near the existing Disney Springs bus loop so that travelers could exit the trains and connect to buses headed to their resort. There could, of course, be a completely different bus system for the trains versus Disney Springs bound passengers but duplicating what is already there seems unlikely.

While Brightline service is currently on hiatus due to Covid19, their existing route operates between MiamiCentral Station in downtown Miami with stops in downtown Fort Lauderdale and downtown West Palm Beach. Construction is well-underway for an extension north to Cocoa on existing tracks owned by the Florida East Coast Railroad and then completely new trackage from there to OIA. If you travel at all along the Beachline Expressway (SR 528), you've seen the construction. An extension to Walt Disney World would be a natural addition to their plans along with Tampa. With Disney ending their Magical Express bus service to/from the airport, this could be a real winner for those traveling to Disney from south Florida as well as those arriving by air at OIA.