Walt Disney World is in conversations with Virgin Trains to add a new station inside the magical property. Virgin Trains currently connects Miami to Palm Beach and is building the final leg to connect South Florida to Orlando. Virgin Trains plans to connect Orlando to Tampa in the coming years.
Virgin Trains, formerly known as Brightline, has been wanting to have a station in Disney since 2018. Back then, documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed a map that had a Disney station.
Senior Vice President of Virgin Trains Ben Porritt told the local media that the proposed Disney-property station would offer over 140 million people an additional transit option to Central Florida’s most-visited destination, Walt Disney World.
While there’s been no formal confirmation from either party on whether the new station will be built on Disney property, its addition would entice both tourists and South Floridians to visit Central Florida and, in turn, benefit the local economy.
The developer of The Grove Resort & Water Park, one of Orlando’s newest vacation home communities, welcomes the move. The Grove, which sells two- and three-bedroom luxury vacation condos to buyers looking to be five minutes away from Walt Disney World, would see the value of the condos appreciate even faster.
“It would be a brilliant move for Virgin Trains and Disney World to partner up to bring a station to the park,” said Noah Breakstone, CEO of BTI Partners, the developer of The Grove Resort & Water Park. “The station would be a priceless amenity for the millions of tourists who come from South Florida every year. Increasingly, the bond between South Florida and Orlando is growing stronger. We see that every month when South Florida buyers come to The Grove Resort to buy our condo-hotel residences to benefit from the short-term rental program we offer, which offset the cost of ownership. There is a natural synergy between South Florida and Orlando.”
The Grove Resort & Water Park’s turnkey management program is operated by one of the world’s leading hoteliers, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels®. Benchmark takes care of every aspect of owning a residence at this four-star resort. The ample condos – which come with full kitchens, living and dining areas, full-size washer/dryers, and screened patios – provide a good alternative to large families who visit the theme parks and don’t want to stay in a traditional hotel.
With strong tourism, demographics and economic fundamentals, Orlando has emerged as one of the nation’s most attractive destinations for real estate investment. The theme parks have helped attract 75 million tourists last year to the greater Orlando area, up from 72 million in 2017.