The Train Line that will Connect Disney World to the Orlando Airport Hits a Major Construction Milestone

Now that the Disney Magical Express is gone, travelers need a new way to get to and from the airport and Disney World.

We’ll miss you, Magical Express

There are several options, like Mears Connect, the Sunshine Flyer, an Uber, or renting a car. But, in the future, people will be able to take a train from the airport to Disney World! But first, that train has to get to Orlando. The Brightline train is currently working on an expansion from southern Florida to Orlando, and construction just hit a major milestone.

Brightline has completed its first major construction zone on its 170-mile extension from West Palm Beach, Florida to Orlando International Airport, according to a press release from the company.

©Brightline

The zone completed is Zone 2, which is a 3.5-mile-long section on Brightline’s corridor leading into the airport and represents one of the most complex and challenging areas for construction in the entire project. It has an engineered double track that travels under active airport taxiways and over tug roads running through the heart of Orlando International Airport.

©Brightline

This zone also includes 6 bridges, 2 underpasses, and several airport improvements, including a new traffic interchange configuration located north of the airport and the airport’s first roundabout.

©Brightline

“Our construction through OIA presented one of the most complex construction efforts of this entire project and our successful completion is a testament to partnership, teamwork and out-of-the-box thinking,” said Michael Cegelis, the executive vice president of development and construction for Brightline.

©Brightline

One cool thing about the project is that the steel used throughout Zone 2 and Brightline’s Orlando corridor extension is 100% recycled, American-made steel sourced from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

©Brightline

Starting in 2023, Brightline trains will travel through the airport corridor at 35 miles-per-hour before heading east toward Cocoa, Florida, where the trains will reach top speeds of 125 miles-per-hour.

©Brightline

The Orlando extension is 70% complete and is scheduled to be done by the end of 2022. But, this is specifically for the line from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach to Orlando — the train’s line from the airport to Disney World, which will have a station at Disney Springs, is still a ways out from being completed.

©Brightline

According to an article from the Orlando Sentinel from back in early 2021, passenger service from the airport to the Disney Springs station was (at that point) slated to start in 5 years. That means, guests may not be able to ride on those trains until 2026.

©Brightline

We’ll keep you updated on this Brightline extension in Orlando, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

Click here to learn more about the Brightline train coming to Orlando

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