ORLANDO, Fla. — One of the counties that is a member of the commission overseeing commuter railroad SunRail is asking out of the commission, and would surrender plans for a station in return.Volusia County made this offer Thursday at a meeting of the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. Volusia County Chair Ed Kelly said the county would surrender its seat on the board and abandon plans for a station in DeLand, Fla., while agreeing to continuing to maintain the one SunRail station in the county, at DeBary.
The county made the offer to escape its share of SunRail’s annual operating costs, as well as its $19.3 million share of costs to build the DeLand station. Current plans would extend the SunRail route north by 12 miles to DeLand from DeBary, the current northern terminus.
Volusia County made the offer at a time when the commission has said some $34 million in federal funding is available for the proposed extension. “Volusia County is not as wealthy as the other counties,” Kelley told the commission, and has other, more pressing transportation needs.
The Florida Department of Transportation and other counties who make up the commission will now study the request.
