Disney World Adding High-Speed Rail Station At Disney Springs

Walt Disney World has reportedly reached a deal with high-speed rail system company Brightline, to [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

Walt Disney World has reportedly reached a deal with high-speed rail system company Brightline, to build a new station at Disney Springs. Brightline is currently building a new high-speed rail service from South Florida locations to Orlando (Central Florida), including Disney World and Orlando International Airport. The current projections are for the rail line between South Florida and Orlando to be completed by 2022; the Disney Springs station will supposedly follow in the years thereafter, with other locations like Tampa being eyed as well. Disney will also reportedly expand its Disney World shopping and entertainment complex even further, to include the Disney Springs station as part of the complex.

This Disney Springs Station will ostensibly allow travelers access to Walt Disney World with much greater ease than car or air travel. I could turn Disney World into an even more frequent destination for Floridians coming from places like Tampa, Miami, or The Everglades (teens and young adults), especially if it creates a scenario where Disney World is much more viable as a "day trip" destination like other theme parks (Six Flags, Hershey Park, etc.).

The other benefit is that out-of-state travelers now have a much wider variety of options about how to plan their trip; cheaper flights to other airports and a Brightline ticket could be more affordable than direct flights to Orlando (if pricing is balanced right).

Disney addressed the plans for its high-speed rail station at Disney Springs in late 2019 when negotiations with Brightline were taking place:

"As the top vacation destination and largest single-site employer in the United States, Walt Disney World Resort is an obvious choice for a rail station between Orlando International Airport and Tampa. We have been in conversations with Virgin Trains USA, and, while we have not yet made any definitive commitment, we have mutually agreed to more formally explore developing a train station."

Disney World can use all the new lanes of access and revenue it could get, after unprecedented losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Luckily Disney is planning new attractions worthy of the renewed crowd interest, including expansions to its Marvel and Star Wars attractions.

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