Virgin Trains USA aims to bring a rail link to Walt Disney World

Apr 04, 2019 in "The Walt Disney Company"

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Posted: Thursday April 4, 2019 5:02pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Orlando Sentinel is today reporting that Virgin Trains plans to build a station at Walt Disney World as it begins work on a rail link from South Florida to Central Florida.

Virgin Trains president Patrick Goddard said that the service "would integrate with their transportation system, hotels and theme parks."

The service would also include a station at Orlando International Airport, which could see a rail service from Miami to Orlando and to the theme parks. The expected timeframe is 30 - 36 months.

Aiming to reinvent train travel in the United States, Virgin Trains USA is the express inter-city passenger rail service that currently connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with plans to expand to Orlando and Tampa. The company, under direction of Sir Richard Branson, has raised nearly $1.8 billion in the last few weeks, enough to build the link to Orlando.

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Andrew253 days ago

Businesses need to grow in order to satisfy investors/creditors, they certainly would like to expand into Tampa if they believe it makes sense financially.

TrainsOfDisney3 days ago

I don’t know if I’d call 2 million riders a year a “niche” product. And that’s of course growing. Why do you think it’s not? Businesses expand all the time. Adding Tampa and then Jacksonville has always been part of the business plan.

JMcMahonEsq3 days ago

The flat earther line wasn't meant as a shot at people who want the train line or not. It was more just as a exaggerated statement that there are niche markets that can served for almost anything, but that just because there are "some" people that would use/want something, doesn't mean its a big enough market to invest in servicing. If it came across that i was relating pro tampa/MCO train route people to flat eathers that wasn't the intention. While I haven't seen the studies that were done, I just don't know how much the demand/use for the Miami/Orlando leg can be used/translates to demand for a east/west spur between Tampa and Orlando. Its not a knock against Brightline the company, it seems like they are doing well both in marketing and implementation for the Miami/Orlando route. But that almost goes to my point, is the the expansion worth the risk, and is the ROI high enough to justify the risk, when the current route is finically doing well, assuming it is.

Twirlnhurl4 days ago

Does Disney get grant money for Disney Transport? I don't think they do. (Not saying they never would, I just don't think that it is a part of their current business model.) Lynx gets grant money to operate, including operating bus likes that serve WDW from outside, but that serves a tiny fraction of the population that is served by Disney Transport.

TrainsOfDisney4 days ago

Right…. Infrastructure. Like… public transit!

Twirlnhurl4 days ago

I don't think Disney has received many grants for their theme park stuff. I'm sure that they've had some research grants at Living with the Land and stuff like that, but that is very limited. Maybe they got some grant money for low cost housing and for clean energy busses? The primary government benefit that Disney gets at WDW is access to municipal bonds for infrastructure through RCID/CFTOD. The only way delivery services could reduce the number of cars on the road is if they are able to trip chain (deliver to multiple houses on a single trip) enough to offset the induced demand for the product. So if 5% of the grocery deliveries only exist because of the presence of the delivery service, and 6% of grocery deliveries are delivered by drivers who deliver to two houses instead of one house, you would reduce the number of cars on the road by 1%. More factors go into it, though. And I think the literature mostly shows very modest reductions in traffic system wide, but it is contingent on a bunch of variables.

Rich Brownn4 days ago

Believe it or not, not all Florida tourists have kids. Nor is everyone traveling to Tampa a tourist.

Disstevefan14 days ago

I argue there are more cars on the road. In the old days, before these services, we planned when we ran errands. and the delivery folks were not on the roads. I KNOW I use these services to get stuff delivered WAY MORE times than I would have gotten in my car to do the same task.

GhostHost10004 days ago

don't worry...no doubt they'd charge for it. I'm surprised we don't have to drop a quarter in a bucket at the front of the bus when we get on yet

Disstevefan14 days ago

That will cost only 1 zillion dollars.

Lilofan4 days ago

Less cars on the road since some including my own family don't even bother getting in their car to run most errands and or going to other stores. Let someone else do it for us and come to poppa .

King Racoon 774 days ago

I'm sure the footers are in place already. Also Zootropolis confirmed for galaxy's edge.

GhostHost10004 days ago

Let's start a rumor Disney is expanding the monorail to MCO

HauntedPirate4 days ago

Right, because every person on a train or bus is at least half a car off the road (thinking of carpools, etc.). I think we're on the same page here. :)