Tomorrow, I'll be spending time with a number of other pretend Realtors- pretending to be having fun on the pretend SunRail trip at the pretend SunRail event that some fine pretend folks have pretended to work pretty hard to set up for us.

What all is going to be included in our day?  Well, we'll hop on those pretend Lynx buses mentioned in the article here, ride the train a bit and learn about the stops along the way and development that folks are pretending will be a good thing.  Then, we'll eat what I hope won't be a pretend lunch and head back up the line.

I've been looking forward to the event, but I'm not going to pretend to know it'll be a huge success.  Guess we'll just have to get up Saturday morning and pretend we care about our pretend local paper long enough to read about it.

Orlando Realtors to go on 'pretend' SunRail

She said the idea is to generate enthusiasm for SunRail, as well as point out the possible ways people in the real estate business can profit from development that could sprout along the four-county route.

"It's going to have a positive impact for our business," Elliott said.

Already, more than $1 billion worth of projects are planned along SunRail, ranging from apartment buildings to commercial and retail space.

The ride, which costs $50 per person, is not open to the public.

Among those attending with be the chief executive of the Lynx regional bus service, John Lewis, and several SunRail officials, including project manager Tawny Olore.

Lewis is expected to tell the group about how Lynx will offer bus service for SunRail passengers to get from the station to their final destination. Other options could include taxis, cars that can be leased by the hour and bike rentals.

Olore, who possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of SunRail, will answer all manner of questions about the system that at first will link DeBary in Volusia County with downtown Orlando and south Orange County. The initial 31-mile phase will have a dozen stops, including Sanford, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, Winter Park and four in Orlando.

Eleven of the 12 stops are under construction, most of them with platforms already poured. Work has not yet started in Longwood because electrical lines have to be moved first, according to Steve Olson, a spokesman with the state Department of Transportation.

The route will be lengthened by another 31 miles in 2016, going north to DeLand and south to Poinciana in Osceola County.

Most of Friday's riders will gather at the Lynx downtown Orlando station and ride a bus to DeLand, where they will catch the regularly scheduled Amtrak train. It will have three extra cars on the end for the SunRail group.

The tour will end in Kissimmee, where the riders will go to the city convention center across the street from the Amtrak station. There, they will have lunch and look over plans for development along the SunRail corridor.