TAMPA, Fla. — Transportation leaders in Florida say there's a "critical" need for a high-speed passenger train connecting Tampa to Orlando as congestion on Interstate 4 and its nearby "malfunction junction" interchange continues to build.
Members of the Sun Coast Transportation Planning Alliance (SCTPA) and Central Florida MPO Alliance (CFMPOA) met Friday morning in Polk County to decide whether to adopt a resolution to shift their focus to expanding transportation options along the I-4 corridor. This would include plans for a high-speed passenger railway through Brightline or Amtrak.
The transportation leaders voted unanimously to adopt the resolution. What's next has not been decided.
Safety amid historic growth is at the forefront of the resolution. The population across the Tampa Bay and Central Florida regions is the fastest-growing in Florida, the fastest-growing state in the U.S.
As the population — along with the job market and tourism industry — booms, the resulting number of cars and drivers on the roadways drives traffic congestion and exacerbates the risk for dangerous travel conditions.
Because of those challenges, the resolution says developing "safe and efficient multi-modal transportation options" is essential to "support traffic and economic growth in the I-4 corridor."
"The issues of traffic congestion, travel time reliability, safety, and jobs access are at a critical breaking point in the I-4 Corridor," the resolution said in part. "As our Metro Orlando and Tampa Bay regions grow so rapidly, that growth needs to be aligned with the State of Florida’s established priorities."
Brightline's high-speed passenger train has operated in South Florida since 2018 and expanded its railway last year to include a stop in Orlando. Brightline's website shows the private company plans to expand to Tampa.
In November, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and a delegation visited Miami to ride Brightline from South Florida to Orlando. While no set plans were announced, it solidified the hope a Brightline station would be coming sooner rather than later.
"The expansion of regional passenger rail between the Atlantic Coast, Metro Orlando and Tampa Bay will complement our continuing multi-MPO and multi-district regional collaboration efforts to ensure productive traffic flow and safe, reliable travel along the I-4 corridor," the resolution said.
Amtrak was also mentioned in the resolution, with leaders saying plans would include working to expand the train's service.
"Passenger rail options should include higher speed Brightline rail service linking Tampa Bay to the Orlando Metro area, the Space Coast and Southeast Florida, along with more frequent and new Amtrak service between Tampa Bay and metro Orlando, and other parts of the United States to satisfy the ever-growing travel demand between and through our regions," the resolution said.
Even with adopting this resolution, there's no clear timeline regarding when a high-speed passenger train could pull into a Tampa station.
