This is the first post in a series following SunRail’s monthly ridership numbers. Trevor Conley, a senior Environmental Sciences student at Rollins College, is analyzing data from SunRail as it becomes available.
SunRail ridership was back on the rise in December, after a slip in ridership numbers from October to November. The increase of 19,000 riders in December was aided by the opening of a new 10:30 pm route, which began running on December 22nd.
With 79,000 riders for the month, average daily ridership numbers increased from 3,200 in November to well over 3,600 in December. With the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas, daily ridership numbers were well over 4,000 per day once the late night train service was offered.
The Winter Park station benefitted the most from late night train service during December, seeing an increase in nearly 70% ridership from November to December.
With the I-4 road expansion project starting in February (with a 2021 completion date) SunRail can expect an increase in ridership. SunRail will offer an alternative for commuters and citizens attending events in downtown Orlando looking to avoid an interstate nightmare and expensive parking.
Note: Ridership was analyzed using information from November and December, comparing weekday data from each month (i.e., first Monday ridership in November compared to first Monday ridership in December).