As regional leaders advance plans to expand SunRail to Orlando International Airport, rail service to Apopka remains in long-range plans but without funding to move forward. 

The issue resurfaced during an April 9 Orange County Transportation Mobility Advisory Commission (TransMAC) meeting at the John H. Bridges Community Center in Apopka, where board members discussed how improved transit connections could reduce congestion and better link the city to the region’s major employment centers. 

But while rail service to Apopka has been discussed for years, officials say the primary obstacle is straightforward. 

“It’s just not funded – that’s what it comes down to,” Darrell Moody, a spokesperson for Orange County Public Works, said.  

A proposed commuter rail extension to Apopka – often referred to as the Orange Blossom Express corridor – was included in Orange County’s 2022 transportation sales tax referendum, which voters rejected. Without a dedicated funding source for both construction and operations, the project has not advanced. 

Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson said efforts to position the corridor for future passenger rail have been underway for years, including upgrades to an existing rail line. 

“As the former Orange County commissioner and mayor of Apopka, I had asked Florida Central Railroad to upgrade their rail line from Tavares to Apopka and then into Orlando,” Nelson said in an email. “We call this line the Orange Blossom Express.” 

Nelson said the Orange Blossom Express has seen improvements, including upgraded tracks and crossing signals capable of supporting passenger rail if funding were to become available. 

Still, he acknowledged that cost remains a significant barrier. 

“The current operating cost to the cities of Altamonte [Springs], Maitland and Winter Park is very steep, and without dedicated County, State and Federal help, it might not make sense to add the Orange Blossom Express to the SunRail system,” Nelson said. 

The corridor itself has not been revisited in recent years. The last formal study of a rail connection along U.S. Highway 441 was completed by the Florida Department of Transportation in 2015, Brett Blackadar, Orange County Public Works deputy director, said in an email.  

Since then, regional priorities have shifted. According to MetroPlan Orlando, Apopka remains part of long-range transportation plans, including potential bus rapid transit corridors and future SunRail improvements tied to the Orange Blossom Express concept.  

However, those plans remain conceptual, with no timeline or ranking for implementation. 

“As of now, the main priority for SunRail expansion is connecting to Orlando International Airport,” Sarah Larsen, MetroPlan Orlando transportation planner, said in an email, referring to the Sunshine Corridor project.  

Beyond that effort, “additional expansions have not been prioritized or ranked,” Larsen added.  

Orange County officials confirmed that the Sunshine Corridor – linking SunRail to the airport and the tourism district – is further along in the planning and funding process than the Apopka rail corridor.  

Even so, both projects face the same challenge: securing long-term funding. Officials say the region’s focus on connecting SunRail to Orlando International Airport reflects a priority on increasing ridership and linking major economic centers, even as communities like Apopka continue to experience rapid growth. 

During the April 9 TransMAC meeting, board member Jose Hoyos, a LYNX bus operator who works frequently near Orlando International Airport, said a direct rail connection could significantly improve mobility for Apopka residents. 

“I don’t want SunRail just to be a separate rail line, commuter rail line. I want it to be an extension of the airport,” Hoyos said during the meeting. 

Nelson said such a connection could expand regional access, allowing residents to travel from communities west of Apopka into Orlando and beyond. 

“It could be a game changer,” he said. “But without financial help, the cost to taxpayers would be a heavy lift.”