Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel throughout Central Florida without having to brave the treacherous I-4? If the Florida government gets its way, you might soon be traveling on a high-speed train that will connect the Orlando, Lakeland and Tampa areas. The US’s first high-speed train first debuted back in 2000. The Acela Express now runs through New Jersey at speeds of up to 150 mph. Now Florida is hoping we will have a similar train to get commuters where they need to go. The Obama administration set aside $8 billion dollars to improve the mass-transit systems of various cities across the nation. Cities from Los Angeles to Boston have all made their plea to the administration, but Florida has one ally these cities could never top: Disney World.

Florida has been lobbying for years now, trying to impose both a statewide rail system and now this high-speed rail system in Central Florida. But when the news that Walt Disney World supported the high-speed rail was announced, Floridians in favor of the train took it as a win. Disney has already offered up 50 acres of land to the project. They are now hoping a train station within or near the Walt Disney World Resort (probably close to Celebration) will be built to allow more guests easier access to the Disney parks. Florida is asking the government for $2.5 billion dollars to get the project started. Another advantage we have over other cities is that Florida is ready to begin construction within 14 months. All we need is the okay (and the money) to get going. With the grant, officials say we could complete the project by 2014.

This would be a great addition to Central Florida and make it much easier to travel between the parks. The train would connect Orlando International Airport, Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World near Celebration, Lakeland, and the Morgan Street Jail in Downtown. With fares rumored to be at $20 each way and all of these great stops, the rail would be great for Central Florida.