Sunrail on Weekends: The Working Class Deserves Leisure Travel
Sunrail on Weekends: The Working Class Deserves Leisure Travel
The Issue
Our demand: SunRail trains running on the weekends.
The SunRail, the commuter rail system in the greater Orlando area, has the potential to be a great public transit system for Floridians and tourists alike. However, currently, the SunRail doesn't operate on the weekends. This prevents working class locals and visiting travelers from using the train when they need it most to enjoy the events and attractions our city has to offer. Effectively, the public cannot use the train to access nightlife, concerts, sporting events, festivals, markets, or theme parks when they have time away from work until the SunRail runs on the weekends. Additionally, not running on the weekend causes significant financial losses for Sunrail and also deprives working class Floridians of any leisure weekend travel without subjection to the automobile.
In 2023 per FDOT official website, the Florida legislature passed the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative which took 4 BILLION dollars from the general revenue surplus for allocating needs of state owned roadways. A weekend Sunrail schedule for both Saturday and Sunday would cost 22-27 million dollars. With the addition of new railroad cars being estimated around 60 million, meaning the total price would be less than 2.5% of the funds that have been allocated for our highways.
Not only would investing in the SunRail and public transit be less expensive than investing in roadways, it would also be safer for our community. According to BC Miller Law, "Based on car accident data compiled by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic safety researchers at Assurance found that Interstate 4 in Florida is the most dangerous highway in the state- and the entire United States." SunRail on the weekends would help decrease traffic on this deadly road and save lives.
Expanding the SunRail to include weekend service is the first of many improvements we, at Sunrail Sluts, argue are necessary to make the SunRail into a public transit system that is a reliable alternative to cars. After a weekend schedule we will continue to fight for increased stops, rail expansion, a twenty four hour schedule, more frequent train scheduling and LYNX buses that connect us at every stop. Our fight for better access to public transit is linked closely with the fights for affordable housing, renewable energy, workers rights, feminism and queer rights. Our struggles are all connected.
How many more lanes do we need until it is safe? How many more tolls before it pays off? How many more people must die before our elected officials pass laws to aid in the safety of its residents? Working class Floridians deserve leisure travel without having to rely on a car. We deserve a method of transportation that is affordable and accessible to our impoverished communities. We deserve the money we are forced to spend on transportation to be used to make our lives better. We deserve autonomy when we travel.
If you agree and want SunRail to operate on the weekends, sign our petition! This petition will be presented to the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting on June 25th as evidence of community support for this change.
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The Issue
Our demand: SunRail trains running on the weekends.
The SunRail, the commuter rail system in the greater Orlando area, has the potential to be a great public transit system for Floridians and tourists alike. However, currently, the SunRail doesn't operate on the weekends. This prevents working class locals and visiting travelers from using the train when they need it most to enjoy the events and attractions our city has to offer. Effectively, the public cannot use the train to access nightlife, concerts, sporting events, festivals, markets, or theme parks when they have time away from work until the SunRail runs on the weekends. Additionally, not running on the weekend causes significant financial losses for Sunrail and also deprives working class Floridians of any leisure weekend travel without subjection to the automobile.
In 2023 per FDOT official website, the Florida legislature passed the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative which took 4 BILLION dollars from the general revenue surplus for allocating needs of state owned roadways. A weekend Sunrail schedule for both Saturday and Sunday would cost 22-27 million dollars. With the addition of new railroad cars being estimated around 60 million, meaning the total price would be less than 2.5% of the funds that have been allocated for our highways.
Not only would investing in the SunRail and public transit be less expensive than investing in roadways, it would also be safer for our community. According to BC Miller Law, "Based on car accident data compiled by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic safety researchers at Assurance found that Interstate 4 in Florida is the most dangerous highway in the state- and the entire United States." SunRail on the weekends would help decrease traffic on this deadly road and save lives.
Expanding the SunRail to include weekend service is the first of many improvements we, at Sunrail Sluts, argue are necessary to make the SunRail into a public transit system that is a reliable alternative to cars. After a weekend schedule we will continue to fight for increased stops, rail expansion, a twenty four hour schedule, more frequent train scheduling and LYNX buses that connect us at every stop. Our fight for better access to public transit is linked closely with the fights for affordable housing, renewable energy, workers rights, feminism and queer rights. Our struggles are all connected.
How many more lanes do we need until it is safe? How many more tolls before it pays off? How many more people must die before our elected officials pass laws to aid in the safety of its residents? Working class Floridians deserve leisure travel without having to rely on a car. We deserve a method of transportation that is affordable and accessible to our impoverished communities. We deserve the money we are forced to spend on transportation to be used to make our lives better. We deserve autonomy when we travel.
If you agree and want SunRail to operate on the weekends, sign our petition! This petition will be presented to the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission meeting on June 25th as evidence of community support for this change.
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Petition created on June 20, 2026