Brightline expansion: Orlando to Tampa rail service would run along I-4 corridor under new bill
Brightline explores rail expansion to Tampa
On Monday, Brightline will welcome Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, members of the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa and Hillsborough County elected officials and business leaders onboard to experience the new connection from South Florida to Orlando and explore future options for the Tampa extension.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Land would have to be set aside along Interstate 4 to extend passenger rail service between Orlando and Tampa under a bill filed Wednesday for the 2024 legislative session.
The proposal (SB 1226), filed by Senate Transportation Chair Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, would require the Florida Department of Transportation to preserve a 44-foot-wide rail corridor in the interstate’s right-of-way.
The department would also be required to consider infrastructure issues, such as the spacing of bridge columns and barriers that would separate the potential rail land and the interstate.
In September, Brightline completed a 170-mile, $6 billion project that connected its rail service to Orlando from South Florida, where stations have operated since 2018. Brightline has signaled that it wants to extend the service to the Tampa area.
Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, both Tampa Republicans, have submitted $50 million budget requests for rail improvements in the Interstate 4 corridor. DiCeglie’s bill and the budget proposals will be considered during the legislative session that will start Tuesday.