The Polk Transportation Planning Organization has approved a $500,000 contract to study potential locations for passenger rail stations along Interstate 4, advancing planning for future rail service between Tampa and Orlando.
The April 9 agreement with HDR Engineering Inc. launches an 18-month feasibility study to identify candidate station sites in Polk County and evaluate how they would connect to regional transportation networks.
The study will screen multiple locations, including sites examined during earlier high-speed rail efforts, and narrow them through a phased evaluation process.
Polk County’s rapid population growth is placing increasing pressure on major corridors, particularly I-4 and U.S. 27, where traffic volumes are projected to exceed capacity in the coming decades.
Consultants will analyze land use, transportation access and market demand, and develop preliminary concepts for station layouts, access points and supporting infrastructure.
The work will also evaluate how a station could integrate with local transit and surrounding development.
The study is focused on site feasibility rather than construction and is intended to establish a framework for future rail investment along the I-4 corridor.
HDR, which has a Tampa office, will coordinate with Polk TPO staff and regional stakeholders through monthly meetings and phased deliverables tied to site screening, concept development and implementation planning.
The analysis assumes any future station would be owned by a rail operator.
No construction timeline has been set. The effort positions Polk County as a potential midpoint in any future passenger rail connection between Tampa and Orlando.
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