State lawmakers talking I-4 rail future on Tuesday in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State lawmakers are set to discuss a bill Tuesday dealing with transportation across the state, specifically the Interstate-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.

In November, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said there will be a Brightline high-speed train that will connect the two cities by the end of the decade.

The state legislature is doing its part to make that happen.

A Senate committee on transportation will discuss Senate Bill 1226 on Tuesday.

It would require the department of transportation to preserve a rail corridor along I-4 between the two cities.

The bill says it’s in the interest of the state and travelers to extend the rail service to the west coast.

In 2022, Brightline received a $15.9 million federal grant toward the preliminary engineering for the 67-mile Tampa-Orlando connection.

And, according to the Tampa Bay Times, in December 2023, the Florida Department of Transportation got $500,000 from the federal government to study the rail corridor from Orlando to Tampa.

A Tampa extension is expected to include stops at the Orange County Convention Center and likely another along International Drive.