SunRail is expected to return Friday after brush with Hurricane Dorian

SunRail should be back to normal come Friday, after shutting done operations Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Dorian.

“Certainly it was not like Irma where we had flooding on the tracks, electrical issues, things like that,” said Steve Olson, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation. “It looked pretty clear.”

Their work is now to replace everything after removing items to prepare for the storm. They couldn’t leave the train gates exposed in high winds for example, or they would snap. Now, crews are restoring gates and equipment over 127 crossings, according to transit officials.

The equipment faired the storm much better than it did during Hurricane Irma, said transit officials. Right now, crews are just getting the 61.5-mile Central Florida Rail Corridor prepared and “back on track.”

Test trains will be running Thursday, and the goal is to be up and running by Friday, Olson said.

Services will start Friday with the regular 5:06 a.m. southbound train from Sanford and the 5:30 a.m. southbound train from DeBary. The first northbound train will leave Poinciana at 5:45 a.m., according to a statement from transit officials.

Those with active SunRail passes will receive credit for the number of days that trains did not run, except for Labor Day.

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This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2019.