Brightline Launches Rail Service Connecting Miami to Orlando

Brightline’s passenger rail service between Orlando and Miami has officially commenced with the first train completing the 235 mile journey on September 22, 2023. The first train, Bright Pink, arrived in Orlando at 11:05 a.m. and was greeted by more than 500 elected officials, business leaders, community partners and company leaders from across the state. The celebration put an exclamation point on the boldest private infrastructure project in the nation and marks the revitalization of Henry Flagler’s original vision for the Florida East Coast Railway. A decade in the making, Brightline’s launch is poised to reinvent train travel in America and offers a blueprint to connect city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive.

The start of service was celebrated at the Brightline Orlando Station with guests who joined Brightline’s Founder Wes Edens, CEO Mike Reininger and President Patrick Goddard. Upon the train's arrival, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer greeted guests on the platform and presented the Key to the City to Edens who was joined by Reininger, Goddard and other Brightline representatives. Officials from the Federal Railroad Administration, the Florida Department of Transportation, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Central Florida Expressway Authority and more, were present to greet the first train.

Brightline launched operations in South Florida in 2018, connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Stations in Boca Raton and Aventura opened last year. Construction on its 170 mile extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando began in 2019. The $6 billion project has generated substantial economic benefits in Florida creating 10,000 jobs and approximately $6.4 billion in direct economic impact to the region. Construction teams worked more than seven million hours over the course of four years to complete the project.

Brightline covers 235 miles between Miami and Orlando and the new route will take between 3 and 3.5 hours depending on South Florida station stops.

Brightline has quickly become known for its guest experience, innovative station design, spacious lounges and comfortable train sets. Designed by The Rockwell Group, and set with Brightline’s signature yellow, the stations are meticulously built through the lens of today’s modern traveler. All stations and trains are packed with amenities including Starlink Wifi, chargers and outlets at every seat, and a selection of food, beverage and cocktails available for purchase for SMART and complimentary for PREMIUM. Guests can enjoy a wide selection of light bites, beverages and cocktails throughout the day at one of Brightline’s signature in-station Mary Mary Bars or pick up last-minute gifts, sundries and refreshments at one of the MRKT shopping retail locations.

The new Brightline Orlando Station in partnership with Orlando Health, is located at MCO’s 37,350 square foot Train Station adjacent to its new Terminal C. This is the only intercity passenger rail station of its kind to be located in a U.S. airport and stands three-stories tall, including a 72,000 square feet platform area, making it the company’s largest train station. The Train Station connects directly to the airport’s Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces marked for Brightline guests. The Train Station provides direct access to the other airport terminals A and B via the airport Terminal Link (automated people mover) in under five minutes.

MiamiCentral is strategically located on an 11-acre complex in downtown Miami and represents Brightline’s southern flagship terminus. MiamiCentral is a unique live-work-play destination featuring luxury rental residences, commercial offices and dynamic retail and entertainment space. Guest’s looking to connect have a number of options including Brightline+, the Miami Metromover and Metrorail which are both connected to the station.

Brightline trainsets were made in partnership with Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, Calif. The stainless-steel coaches are made with components from more than 160 suppliers across 27 states. They are designed for luxury and comfort, featuring special ergonomic seating, contemporary communication systems and enhanced Wi-Fi. Thanks to wide aisles, wheelchair storage and fully accessible restrooms, the Venture trainset exceeds ADA requirements from end to end.

Brightline’s Orlando extension showcases engineering skill, cutting edge technology and design to create a transportation system that redefines intercity travel.

The Orlando expansion project included 56 bridges, including 18 new bridges, three underpasses, drainage installations, track and signalization installation and 60 track miles of new rail. Over the four years of construction, upgrades and improvements were made to three underpasses and 156 railroad crossings. Engineering of double track under active airport taxiways and tug roads and a new 35-mile rail alignment along the Beachline Expressway/SR 528, were also made.

The expansion to Orlando also included the development of Basecamp, a $100 million state-of-the-art train maintenance facility situated on 62-acres south of Orlando International Airport (MCO). The facility operates 24/7, servicing trains with skilled engineers, conductors, technicians and inspectors.

Brightline’s phase I and II construction along with the launch of service have and will have an indelible impact on the state's economy. Independent studies show the combination of construction and operations will generate more than 10,000 jobs, 2,000 permanent jobs and over $6.4 billion in direct economic impact to the state. The system is expected to have a major impact on Florida’s travel and workforce industries while bringing a sustainable transportation alternative. Environmental benefits are equally impressive and include reduced highway and city congestion and CO2 emissions by an estimated 72,000 metric tons per year. Studies show the system will remove more than three million cars from roadways each year.

In 2022, Brightline launched a concierge service to connect guests to and from stations with Brightline+. The mobility service, powered by the Brightline app, makes planning a trip with Brightline from start to finish seamless through its add-on options available within the booking platform. Ground transportation and mobility options at the Orlando Station will cater to the unique needs of the Orlando visitor with new Brightline+ products including MEARS shuttles, Uber rideshare and car rental options through Avis. Upon booking a Brightline ticket, guests will receive confirmation email and instructions on how to add extras, such as parking, checked baggage, and Brightline+ mobility options available closer to their trip date.

Brightline recently unveiled a new digital experience for guests featuring a redesigned website and native mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The enhanced guest journey is driven by a cutting-edge backend system, modern and intuitive design, and multiple additional upgraded features. Introduced ahead of expanded service connecting Miami and Orlando, the new digital journey transforms the booking process into a fast, dependable and frictionless system.

Images via Brightline

Brightline Orlando Tickets Now On Sale

Brightline, the South Florida-based high-speed rail service, has launched ticket sales for the highly anticipated Brightline Orlando connection. While final preparations are being made for grand opening, tickets between South Florida (Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach) and Orlando are on sale now starting September 1st through early 2024. Guests can purchase tickets at gobrightline.com or by downloading the app. An official opening date and inaugural rides will be announced after Brightline has completed required testing.

Brightline will offer limited one-way SMART fares starting at $79 for adults and $39 for kids. Groups of 4+ automatically save an additional 25 percent on SMART fares. SMART service offers a comfortable business-class option onboard in hand-stitched leather seats, complimentary Starlink WiFi, multiple power and USB outlets and an array of food and beverages available for purchase.

One-way PREMIUM fares start at $149, a first class experience with added amenities including a dedicated PREMIUM lounge, priority boarding, checked luggage, and complimentary snacks and beverages throughout the journey.

“Brightline guests and the travel market have spoken loudly, and we want to respond by opening ticket sales from late summer through the beginning of next year,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “While we are finalizing an official launch date, guests can now book travel for Labor Day, Halloween and holidays through the new year.”

Transportation and mobility options at Brightline Orlando Station will feature new Brightline+ products including shuttles, Uber rideshare and car rental options, which will cater to the unique needs of the Orlando visitor. When booked, guests receive confirmation email and instructions on how to add on extras such as parking, checked baggage, and Brightline+ mobility options available closer to their trip date.

In South Florida, Brightline offers a wide variety of options to get guests to and from the stations using Brightline+ with Uber, fixed route shuttles to the airports, neighborhood electric vehicles and event shuttles. PREMIUM booked guests also enjoy Brightline’s first and last-mile service to get to and from the station with complimentary Uber rides anywhere within a five mile radius in South Florida.

Service will include 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. Regular service from Orlando to Miami will stop at all Brightline stations including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura. Additional dedicated trains will continue to serve commuters and the South Florida region between Miami and West Palm Beach with early morning departures at 5:00 a.m. from West Palm Beach and late night departures until 12:45 a.m. out of Miami.

Unveiled for the first time last month, the new Brightline Orlando  Station is meticulously designed and built through the lens of today’s modern traveler. The 37,350 square foot station is located in Orlando International Airport’s new 80,000 sq. ft. Train Station facility adjacent to Terminal C. The Train Station connects directly to the airport’s Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces branded for Brightline guests. The Train Station provides direct access to the other airport terminals A and B via the airport Terminal Link (automated people mover) in under five minutes. 

Brightline Reveals New Renderings Giving First Look Inside Its Future Orlando Station

Brightline, the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America, is pulling back the curtain on Central Florida’s latest attraction, Brightline’s Orlando Station. Brightline has released a video and renderings of the future station, located at Orlando International Airport, that will connect millions and regionalize the state. The station spans three-stories, featuring groundbreaking design and a unique synthesis of luxury amenities that meet the demand of today’s modern traveler. Opening this year, Brightline’s Orlando Station will revolutionize train travel in America and continue Brightline’s vision of offering a guest-first travel experience.

The guest journey begins at the main entrance, located off the airport’s expansive two-story glass atrium. Once inside the station, passengers can purchase tickets from guest services or one of several self-service kiosks, and check luggage before proceeding through touchless turnstiles into the security screening area. Brightline is currently the only rail system in America that screens all passengers and bags prior to boarding.

“This world class train station continues our mission of transforming train travel in America,” said Patrick Goddard, president at Brightline. “We have carefully thought through each detail of this station to ensure that it exceeds the expectations of the modern traveler.”

The station takes the luxury amenities Brightline is known for to new heights featuring an upscale retail experience with convenient in-station shopping and its Mary Mary Bar, serving hand-crafted cocktails and lite bites. The signature sit-down bar is positioned at the far end of the station with a stunning panoramic view overlooking the train platform where guests can leisurely watch as trains arrive and depart the platform.

Located above the Mary Mary bar is an iconic, flip-flap message board that can rotate alphanumeric text and/or graphics to form a message. A nostalgic nod to historic train stations, the flip-flap will provide updated train schedules, boarding times, news of the day and other announcements complete with the flip-flap sound reminiscent of the first passenger train stations in America.

Passengers will access trains by escalator or elevators to the first level platform and board from one of two new track platforms. These platforms are 1,000 feet long and will accommodate a train with four coaches and two locomotives that will transport guests on the Orlando to Miami route in just over three hours.

Brightline offers two classes of service, SMART and PREMIUM. Brightline’s PREMIUM service, will provide complimentary drinks and snacks in a dedicated lounge and train coach. Throughout the station, all guests will have access to free high-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations at every seat, 87 big screen televisions and a children’s play area located in the SMART lounge.

The 37,350 square foot station is located in the heart of Orlando International Airport’s new 80,000 sq. ft. Terminal C and connects directly to the airport’s parking deck C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces reserved for Brightline guests. An automated people mover connects the terminal to the rest of the airport facilities including Terminal A and B in under five minutes.

Brightline’s Orlando station is designed by Bigtime Design Studios, an architecture firm based out of Miami, Florida, that also designed the newly opened Brightline stations in Boca Raton and Aventura, alongside the architect of record Sonny Fornoles of Borrelli + Partner. The buildout of the station is led by Orlando-based contractor Gomez Construction Co., a minority owned business whose headquarters are based in Orlando, Florida, and employs more than 100 workers on this project.

Brightline Completes First Major Construction Zone For Orlando Extension

Brightline has completed its first major construction zone (Zone 2) on its 170-mile extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport (OIA). One of four zones along this extension, Zone 2 is a 3.5-mile-long section on Brightline’s corridor leading into OIA and represents one of the most complex and challenging areas for construction in the entire project.

Brightline’s Zone 2 is an engineered double track that travels under active airport taxiways and over tug roads running through the heart of OIA. Brightline’s construction of this zone includes six bridges, two underpasses and several airport improvements, including a new traffic interchange configuration at Cargo Road, located north of the airport, and the airport’s first roundabout designed to assist with traffic flow. Additionally, the steel used throughout Zone 2 and throughout Brightline’s Orlando corridor extension is 100 percent recycled, American-made steel sourced from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Beginning in 2023, Brightline trains will travel through the airport corridor at 35 miles-per-hour before heading east along SR 528 towards Cocoa where they will reach top speeds of 125 miles-per-hour. Trains traveling along Zone 2 will have access to the airport’s new Intermodal Terminal Facility and the Beachline Expressway/SR 528.

“Our construction through OIA presented one of the most complex construction efforts of this entire project and our successful completion is a testament to partnership, teamwork and out-of-the-box thinking,” said Michael Cegelis, executive vice president, development and construction for Brightline. “The collective efforts of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, The Middlesex Corporation and our team resulted in the first ever high-speed rail corridor in one of the busiest airports in the nation.”

“The completion of Zone 2 is a major milestone for the Brightline construction and engineering team as we continue to work towards the completion of the corridor to Orlando from West Palm Beach,” said Donald Jello, project manager at Brightline.

Brightline completed additional infrastructure on the project to accommodate future transportation options through the airport including embankment, bridge foundations at the tug roads, and a shared underpass at Cargo Rd. The project was constructed in partnership with The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA).

The Orlando extension is 70 percent complete and employs more than 1,300 daily construction workers and is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022. The Middlesex Corporation, based in Orlando, served as general contractor, and constructed the corridor over 33 months through the work of over 100 employees who logged more than 419,000 hours.

Subcontractors on the project included Delta Railroad Construction, Inc. of Ashtabula, Ohio, HWR (a joint venture of Herzog and Railworks) of Melbourne, Florida, Sterling Enterprises, L.L.C. of Lake Helen, Florida, Transportation Systems Inc. of Orlando, Florida, G&C Welding Specialists of Sanford, Florida, Keller of Orlando, Florida, and Tierra, Inc. of Winter Garden, Florida. The track was constructed with American made recycled steel from Steel Dynamics North America Inc., in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and concrete ties manufactured by Rocla in its purpose-built plant in Ft. Pierce, FL. With Zone 2 now complete, Wabtec of Jacksonville, Florida will install Positive Train Control (PTC) under contract with Brightline.

In January of 2022, Brightline began daily crew training and qualifying test runs between West Palm Beach and Cocoa as part of its extension to Orlando. Over an eight-year period, Brightline’s corridor between Miami and Orlando will result in $6.4 billion in economic impact while creating more than 10,000 jobs. Brightline currently serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with its expansion stations in Aventura and Boca Raton opening in fall of 2022.