SunRail execs celebrate WDW Railroad closure - Uncle Walt's Insider

SunRail execs celebrate WDW Railroad closure

SunRail - still not popular! Photo by Artystyk386 [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons.

SunRail is actually safe now?

ORLANDO, FL — Officials for SunRail, a seldom-used commuter rail line in the Orlando area, are celebrating this week following the temporary closure of the Walt Disney World Railroad.

The Walt Disney World Railroad at the Magic Kingdom is an iconic attraction, but has been temporarily closed for several months. The closure is due to construction of a new Tron attraction in Tomorrowland, which will require some minor re-routing of the railroad tracks. The Railroad’s last day of operation was Sunday, December 2.

SunRail Celebrates

An eagle-eyed reader texted the Uncle Walt’s Tip Line with an intriguing story. “Was at Gaylord Palms Conv. ctr, saw sign ‘Sunrail Celebration – Ballroom 12’. Wondered what SR has to celebrate”.

Being the ace investigative reporters that we are, we decided to track down the details.

For those of you who aren’t familiar [Ed.: I think that’s everyone. I even had to look it up and I lived in Orlando for 10 years before moving to Svalbard last June], SunRail is a commuter rail service which runs with limited service (M-F, 8am-6pm, no late night or weekend hours) to 16 inconveniently located stations throughout the Orlando area. Since opening in 2014, the system has been plagued by low ridership and safety issues.

We caught up with SunRail spokesperson Sonny Rails (no relation), and asked what the celebration was about.

“Finally safe”?

“Simply put, we’re excited that the Walt Disney World Railroad is closed. With that closure, and with the recent closure of the Wildlife Express Train at (Disney’s) Animal Kingdom, we finally moved into the Top 25 safest trains in the Orlando Area. It’s a huge, monumental occasion for us. We average approximately 2-4 passengers per day, and we’ve had over 30 accidents in 4 years. To be recognized as one of the (25) safest railways in Orlando is great news!

“So, our executives decided to spend more taxpayer money and throw a huge bash at the Gaylord Palms. It was awesome. Open bar, Publix cake, the works. We’re amazingly happy that we’re finally considered safe!

The Full List

Here is a complete list of all currently-operating Orlando railways, ranked in order of their safety:

  1. Terminal “C” Automated People Mover (APM) Train #1 – Orlando International Airport (OIA)
  2. JJ’S Express Train – Give Kids the World Village
  3. Terminal “C” APM Train #2 – OIA
  4. Hogwarts Express – Universal Orlando Resort and Spa
  5. Terminal “A” Gate 1-29 APM Train #1 – OIA
  6. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  7. Marketplace Train Ride – Disney Springs
  8. CSX
  9. Model train set in Germany – Epcot
  10. Amtrak AutoTrain
  11. Terminal “B” Gate 70-99 APM Train #2 – OIA
  12. Terminal “A” Gate 1-29 APM Train #2 – OIA
  13. Monorail Blue – Walt Disney World
  14. 7 Dwarfs Mine Train – Walt Disney World
  15. Terminal “B” Gate 30-59 APM Train #1 – OIA
  16. Duplo Valley Train – Legoland
  17. Terminal “B” Gate 30-59 APM Train #2 – OIA
  18. Monorail Clear – Walt Disney World
  19. Terminal “B” Gate 70-99 APM Train #1 – OIA
  20. HO Gauge Model Train Set #4 – Colonial Photo and Hobby
  21. Terminal “A” Gate 100-129 APM Train #1 – OIA
  22. Kid’s Train Ride – Orlando Premium Outlets
  23. Monorail Squirrel – Walt Disney World
  24. Polar Express – SeaWorld
  25. SunRail

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What do you think? Would you ride SunRail now that it’s the 25th safest train in Orlando? Let us know in the comments below!

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Cover photo: SunRail – now comparatively safer by process of elimination! Photo by Artystyk386 [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons.