OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — When it comes to commuter rail ridership, one Osceola County commissioner thinks expanded service is the key.

  • Commissioner Viviana Janer wants to boost SunRail ridership 
  • Southern expansion into Osceola opens in late July
  • County partners need to look into creative funding solutions, Janer says

“I do believe there would be better ridership if we had better service hours," said Osceola Commissioner Viviana Janer.

Janer, who also chairs the Central Florida Commuter Rail Board, believes that weekend service and, one day, a line to Orlando International Airport would boost SunRail ridership.

And the southern expansion of stops into Osceola County opening in late July will help as well.

But when county partners take over from the state paying for the operation in 2021, Janer said that they need to look to creative funding solutions, like a sales tax referendum or vehicle miles traveled.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘well it doesn’t pay for itself. It doesn’t make money.’ Public transit in general does not make money throughout the country. Public transit is an investment," Janer said. “I grew up in New York City where we have a robust transit system. I’m not saying we’re New York City, but we could do better with public transportation. I think that is the future."

Janer shared that the rail line to the airport is currently under a research phase, called a PD&E (project development and environmental) study.

However, the Commuter Rail Commission would need a new agreement to look into a third phase to the airport.

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One thing Janer is not pleased about — Poinciana, she said, will be the only station of 16 without a corresponding fixed bus route.

The commissioner added that decision was based upon a LYNX ridership study that took place years ago, before her county saw some extraordinary growth.

“The community in Poinciana is being shortchanged with this. It is a community with over 79 percent minorities," she said, adding that she'll continue to push for reconsideration. “We could test it for a year, see if the ridership is there.”

During Wednesday night's Spectrum News Town Hall on transportation in Central Florida, Janer spoke at length about the benefits of SunRail, as well as some challenges facing the commuter rail system.

Spectrum News 13 will air a reprise of the hour-long production, start to finish, on Saturday at 7 p.m.