Lynx needs to teach SunRail a lesson

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The Lynx bus folks could teach the SunRail commuter train executives a few lessons.

Lesson No. 1 is – you gotta be there!

On this past Monday – the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday – SunRail let down the people who count on the train for daily transportation.

MLK Day bus service at SunRail



As SunRail has done for the past 5 MLK holidays – there was no train service on Monday. It is one of seven holidays when SunRail does not run.

But guess what?

Lynx was on the road – on a holiday schedule – but the buses were running.

We watched Monday morning while two Lynx buses pull into the Meadow Woods SunRail station. Even though the parking lot was empty, there was a handful of people waiting for the buses.

Lynx has many shortcomings that demand attention, but at least the Lynx bus is there and operating 365 days of the year.

We’ve heard from people who use a combination of the Lynx bus and SunRail to get to and from work. When there is no SunRail, their commute time increases by 2 hours or more.

SunRail stops on the front doorstep of this region’s two largest hospitals – Orlando Health and Advent Health.

Hospitals are open 24/7. How are the caregivers supposed to get to work when the train is not running? (In addition to Orlando Health and Advent Health, there are at least two other hospitals served by SunRail stations.)

What about the airport workers and those who are the lifeblood of our hospitality industry?

SunRail has an excuse for why there is no holiday service, but it’s crap.

Whoever came up with SunRail's jacked up operating schedule that doesn’t include holidays and weekends was either a bureaucrat or a politician who never uses public transit -- and doesn’t care about those who do.

Cut the baloney, SunRail!

Put Lynx in charge of the trains and let’s get SunRail on the right track.

SunRail needs Lynx, not the other way around.

Lynx brings many people to the train station and provides a last-mile solution for many riders.

That said, Lynx needs to double the size of its bus fleet; pay its drivers a livable wage and increase its infrastructure with more operations centers to stage buses and improved bus stops for passengers.

People shouldn’t have to wait an hour for a bus or put up with no train service on weekends and holidays.

We deserve better!

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