SunRail service is coming to Saturdays.

  • Saturday service will be temporarily
  • Testing made possible through donations
  • Officials want to see if service is viable

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other officials made the announcement Thursday morning. SunRail will run on select Saturdays, from Oct. 8 to Feb. 11 — a four-month test period. Hours will be 2 to 11 p.m., but they could change depending on the event.

Dyer said city and transportation officials are hoping to test Saturday service to find out if it's viable. There is hope to make the Saturday service permanent, officials said.

The mayor has been soliciting contributions from businesses and private donors, collecting enough money to support the Saturday tests. So far, more than 30 businesses and organizations have pitched in to help raise about $250,000 for the service. 

Dyer said SunRail targeted to start the tests Saturday, Oct. 8, because downtown Orlando is hosting both the Come Out with Pride parade and the Garth Brooks Concert at the Amway Center.

"There will be 100,000 people in our downtown, so if you have SunRail service from noon until midnight, you know there's going to be a lot of people using that service," Dyer said.

It costs $20,000 to operate SunRail on a Saturday. SunRail will still collect fares on Saturdays, officials said.