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Photo via sunrail/Instagram
SunRail's long-awaited DeLand extension opens soon
The DeLand SunRail station will open for business Monday, Aug. 12, the Central Florida light-rail company announced this week.
The $40 million-plus expansion, which the SunRail commission narrowly voted to approve in October 2020, adds 12.2 miles of track from DeBary to DeLand. The station will be the new northernmost stop for the train line in Central Florida.
Local residents will be able to travel from one of Orlando's three stations — AdventHealth, Lynx Central and Church Street — or from Sanford north to DeLand for about $4. There, they can visit attractions including Hontoon Island State Park or DeLand's bustling downtown.
DeLand is about a 48-minute car drive north of Orlando, with a population less than one-fifth of Orlando's. SunRail describes the area as full of opportunity on its website:
“The area immediately surrounding the SunRail station provides a unique redevelopment opportunity for local residents and elected officials to serve commuter rail passengers in one of the fastest growing residential areas of the state.".
Once opened, the new station will act as a “northern terminus,” with all trains traveling south from that spot. Train service operates Monday through Friday. It departs every half-hour in the mornings and evenings and intermittently midday.
The DeLand station connects with national railroad Amtrak, which runs north to Palatka and Jacksonville before spreading throughout the country. SunRail also offers connections through VoRide by Voltran, a pick-up and drop-off service running throughout DeLand, Orange City, Deltona and DeBary; Lyft, Uber and Mears.
DeLand’s station opening comes after Maitland city leaders decided in June to opt out of their own SunRail contract.
The Florida Department of Transportation will turn maintenance costs over to local governments starting in January. Maitland council members decided they couldn’t foot the almost $300,000 annual bill for a station that ranks second-lowest of all SunRail stops.
Maitland city officials are now negotiating a new contract with the county, which they have until the end of 2024 to approve — or else their station may shut down permanently.
Orlando stations, on the other hand, seem to be thriving. The downtown LYNX station saw the highest ridership of any location for the fiscal year 2024, according to SunRail monthly ridership data.
SunRail is now considering opening stations at Orlando’s airport and Disney Springs in a $4 billion construction project across the city’s tourism corridor.
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