{"id":44606,"date":"2025-11-13T01:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/44606\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T01:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:53:09","slug":"maps-show-possible-universal-studios-transit-system-linking-epic-universe-and-other-properties-wftv-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/44606\/","title":{"rendered":"Maps show possible Universal Studios transit system linking Epic Universe and other properties \u2013 WFTV"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla \u2014 Universal Orlando Resort may be looking to expand more than just its theme park footprint.<\/p>\n

Newly released bid documents reveal the company is exploring a transit system connecting its properties that would reshape how guests move across the resort area.<\/p>\n

The Bid Process Underway<\/p>\n

Documents titled \u201cRequest for Qualifications\u201d outline Universal\u2019s vision for a multiphase transportation route stretching four to five miles. These materials, intended for companies seeking to bid on the project, include maps showing proposed stops along the way.<\/p>\n

Officials with the Shingle Creek Transit and Utility Community Development District, which oversees the special district surrounding Universal, met this week to review responses from interested bidders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did receive a couple of responses. I would recommend we postpone any decision until the next meeting,\u201d one board member said during the brief meeting.<\/p>\n

The session lasted only about five minutes before being adjourned.<\/p>\n

The Proposed Phases<\/p>\n

According to the documents:<\/p>\n

Phase 1: Stops would include Epic Universe and its nearby hotels.Phase 2: Service would expand to Universal Studios, CityWalk, and along International Drive.Phase 3: The route would extend toward the Hard Rock Hotel and surrounding retail areas.<\/p>\n

Potential Partners and Concepts<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been speculation that Universal might collaborate with Elon Musk\u2019s Boring Company, whose Las Vegas Loop tunnels Teslas underground between stops.<\/p>\n

But sign-in sheets from Wednesday\u2019s meeting also listed representatives from Beep and Glydways, both developers of autonomous vehicle systems, suggesting above-ground options are also being considered.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/p>\n

So far, the board says they have a couple of proposals, though the specifics remain under wraps.<\/p>\n

Questions remain about how the project will be funded including whether Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenue could play a role and whether the system might one day connect to the Orange County Convention Center, SunRail or Brightline.<\/p>\n

County officials told us no formal request has been submitted yet, though they are aware of the concept.<\/p>\n

Universal has not yet commented on the current round of RFQ filings.<\/p>\n

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\u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla \u2014 Universal Orlando Resort may be looking to expand more than just its theme park footprint.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6647,2652,29278,29274,28109,28111,17792,29286,29280,21175,29285,29283,634,29279,26231,26230,115,29275,139,141,140,10485,29276,3093,29281,29282,29284,3435,29277,1045,9574,6413],"class_list":["post-44606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-boston","tag-central_florida","tag-city_walk","tag-elon_musk","tag-epic","tag-epic_universe","tag-greg_warman","tag-hampton_roads","tag-hard_rock_hotel","tag-las_vegas","tag-las_vegas_convention_center","tag-las_vegas_loop","tag-local","tag-long_eye_drive","tag-martha","tag-martha_saowski","tag-news","tag-not_investigates","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-seattle","tag-shannon","tag-shannon_butler","tag-shingle_creek_transit_and_utility_community_development_district","tag-studios","tag-teslas","tag-universal","tag-universal_studios","tag-video","tag-virginia","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}