b'PASSENGER TRANSPORTMCO 19We had a vision and it became reality. Partnerships amongWe really fixated on making sure that when we built the airport leadership, local government, state government and thetrain station, we built it for all the different rail modes that could private sector played a critical role in moving the sizable projectcome in and out of it, Thibault says. Food, beverage and retail forward, he adds.concessions are not currently included, but might be added in the The financial implications are commensurately large. Accordingfuture. We didnt roll it out initially because we wanted to see the to Brightline, the $6 billion multimodal transportation project ispassenger mix that we get from the Brightline customer.responsible for creating 10,000 jobs and approximately $6.4 billionThe station for MCOs Terminal Link automated people mover is in direct economic impact to the region. Construction of the airporta 200,000-square-foot facility that connects passengers between train station cost $200 million. Because of the long-term statewideterminals A and B and the Hyatt Regency Orlando International benefits, the Florida DOT and Greater Orlando Aviation AuthorityAirport. The station in terminals A and B is located on Level 3, shared the cost 75%/25%, respectively.between the security checkpoint for Gates 70 to 129 and the Terminal B check-in counters. The four-minute ride includes views Logical Location, Long Timelineof the airfield, gates 70 to 99 and the air traffic control tower. Orlandos central location within Florida and MCOs expansiveSunRail operates a 49-mile commuter system with 16 stations 12,000-acre footprint made them attractive candidates for athroughout Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties, with multimodal hub to serve the region and state. It was logical to havea bus link to MCO. Thibault notes that future plans include a direct that mobile connection here at the airport, says Thibault.rail link to MCO, but nothing has been formalized. Preliminary As the airport continued to grow, we knew we couldntevaluations show that it would significantly improve the overall accommodate it [a train station] in the existing terminals thatridership of the commuter rail line if that connectivity were to we had, he adds. As envisioned, growth shifted to the Southoccur, he explains. Complex, and the train station was slated for development there.Operated by Brightline, the new higher-speed rail route between For decades, the airports Master Plan included infrastructureCentral and South Florida has daily roundtrips between Miami improvements to help prepare for the future train station. Projectsand Orlando, with stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca such as filling in ponds and rerouting the airports master drainageRaton and West Palm Beach, but MCO is its only direct airport system were completed gradually over the years as specificstop. Founded in 2017, Brightline offers travelers a guest-first capacity triggers were met.experience designed to reinvent train travel and take cars off the In the early 2000s, an elevated structure for the people moverroad. Connecting Miami and Orlando fulfills our ultimate business that now connects the terminal and train station was constructedmodel, Brightline President Patrick Goddard has stated. on the midfield taxiway. Later, when MCO was ready to moveNot surprisingly, regional business and tourism industries are ahead with the people mover project, the infrastructure wasenthusiastic about the expansion and service.already in place. All we had to do is overlay on top of that structure, Thibault relates. It was really beneficial for us to havePassengers are consistently saying theyre excited that it that already done. provides that connectivity, Thibault notes. Preliminary earthwork was also completed in the same earlyBrightline launched operations in South Florida in 2018, timeframe. All those things that were done helped facilitate connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. the efficient development of the train station at that location,Stations in Boca Raton and Aventura opened in 2022. The new Thibault says. route between Miami and Orlando covers 235 miles and takes riders three to three-and-a-half hours, depending on South Florida Construction of the train station started in 2015. Because thestation stops. location was largely a greenfield site work on the new facility did not disrupt operations at the airport or on surrounding roadways.The Orlando expansion involved 56 bridges (38 existing, 18 That was a benefit for them to get the construction done in anew), three underpasses, drainage installations, signal installations timely manner, he adds.and 60 miles of new track. Over the four years of construction, upgrades and improvements were made to three underpasses and The MCO Train Station, which opened in November 2017, has156 railroad crossings. Engineers also had to create double tracks approximately 1.3 million square feet of space on three levels. Itunder active airport taxiways and tug roads and a new 35-mile rail currently accommodates Terminal Link (the airports people moveralignment along the Beachline Expressway/state road 528. train), SunRail commuter rail and the recently added Brightline intercity rail. There is also room for a possible rail system servingThe Brightline station at MCO is three stories tall with a the International Drive/Convention Center area.72,000-square-foot platform, making it the largest in the companys entire system. Inside, the 37,350-square-foot space The new station was designed and built to improve customerincludes four self-service check-in counters and a security flow among multiple modes of transportation and the airportsscreening area. Information booth staff and ambassadors help Terminal C, which opened in September 2022. Terminals A anddirect and assist travelers. We want to make sure the train station B are accessed via the people mover. The station also supportsis an extension of the overall Orlando Experiencean elevated ground transportation including taxis, shuttle buses and public buspassenger experience, Thibault emphasizes. An expansive operations, and is connected to MCOs parking garage C. AirportImprovement.comJuly | August 2024'