Central Florida gets federal grant for Brightline train service between Orlando and Tampa
Brightline plans to open a train route between South Florida and Orlando by late 2022. (Photo from Brightline)
ORLANDO, Fla. - There's a proposal to create a high-speed intercity passenger rail project connecting Tampa and Orlando, and on Wednesday it was announced that Central Florida received a federal grant of up to $15,875,000 to support it, according to a news release.
The grant – funded by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program – combined with contributing funds from Brightline, a service that intercity train travel, will result in a $31,750,000 total investment.
Right now, the main way of travel between the two cities is by Interstate 4.
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According to Brightline, the grant award will support the preliminary engineering activities and environmental approvals required to construct an intercity passenger rail system between Orlando International Airport and Tampa. "The activities will include completing 15 percent and 30 percent engineering design for a completely grade-separated, mostly double-tracked railway built within the right-of-way of the I-4 median and other existing transportation corridors," the rail service said in a news release.
Brightline currently provides train transportation between Miami, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale in South Florida, according to its website.
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The intercity rail service is in the process of constructing an extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando and is set to finish by the end of 2022 and open for travelers in 2023.
"An extension to Tampa is the next step in connecting 70 percent of the state's population by Brightline," the rail service said.