Brightline Gets Big Boost In Traffic From Aventura & Boca, New Trains Added

Brightline told investors today that it is seeing strong traffic at its two new stations in Aventura & Boca Raton.

The Boca station opened December 21, with Aventura opening December 24.

In the final days of December, the two new stations accounted for 24% of Brightline ridership, with 17,682 rides.

The company said it moved two Orlando trainsets to the south segment in December to support peak demand on the route.

Joel Franco reported that he sat in the aisle of a train due to some seats from Aventura being double booked.

Overall, Brightline served 183,920 riders in December, up 87% from December 2021.

Construction on the Orlando extension is now approximately 90% complete, and is on track for substantial completion in early 2023, the company said.

Renderings for the new station in Orlando were unveiled this week.

Brightline’s plans for Tampa and another Orlando station also also got a big boost recently.

Last week, Universal Orlando announced it would pledge 13 acres of land toward a station that will be served by Brightline. Universal also announced a new Community Development District and support for $125 million in bonds.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando politicians plan to seek federal funding for the project, which could cost up to $1 billion and allow the company to proceed to Tampa.

 

(photo: Brightline)

 

 

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Anon
8 months ago

The future of Florida is rail

Bruno
8 months ago

Not aviation?

Jon
8 months ago

aviation is present Florida

Aviation Buff
8 months ago

Aviation? Have you been to any airports in Florida, they’re all jokes especially the one in Miami. Hope we can “Brightline” the Airports in Florida too.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Incorrect. The airports in Tampa and Orlando are anything but “jokes.” Hypermodern and efficient. Miami is a very old airport site that has been substantially rebuilt, expanded and expanded again and is scheduled for a $5.5 billion upgrade. But like most major airports in the US and in the Western world, it is congested and still bears the footprint that was planted in far earlier era. It will improve substantially but is better than the bulk of the big hub airports in the US, especially the other very old sites in the Midwest and the Northeast. That being said, Florida is ideally suited for major rail projects going forward. Other states are not nearly as well situated for such, mainly due to geographical considerations, such as massive suburban sprawl and only one major metro in their respective states, with limited intrastate destination potential.

Henry Flagler
8 months ago

The past of Florida was also rail

Anon
8 months ago

Are new tracks going to be built for the commuter rail? Assume that’ll be a cash cow and big hit for brightline

anonymous
8 months ago

Commuter rail shouldn’t be a cash cow. It serves a public benefit as it reduces congestion on highways preventing need for further expansion.

Juan
8 months ago

It can be both. The Japanese model is completely private and one of the best in the world in terms of ridership and efficiency.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Completely private, but the government is still paying for all the pre-1987 railworker pensions and entitlements. Also, the bulk of the revenue that breaks the profit even comes from real estate. I suppose in the case, it could work.

wrong
8 months ago

Railroad retirement is paid in full by the Rail worker and their employers.

Anon
8 months ago

Agreed, but companies are not in the business of providing public goods, and I think we can agree that MDC won’t do it.

Bruno
8 months ago

It isn’t a “cash cow”.
It’s to capital intensive, with to many cheaper alternatives to be a cas lh cow.
If they make money at all its because of the real estate. They are playing the long game.

Choo Choo
8 months ago

I don’t think there will be but there should be a third rail to make it easier for FEC and the normal Brightline trains to bypass the commuter stations

Nice
8 months ago

Now we just need Tri Rail to Downtown and the commuter rail from Aventura to Ft. Lauderdale.

Melo is sigma and Chad
8 months ago

Commuter to Palm Beach, with stations in Hollywood, Delray, FTL airport and 29th for Wynwood.

While We Are At It
8 months ago

Add Delray Beach – it’s so annoying that it doesn’t have a stop.

Anonymous
8 months ago

I heard Tri-Rail should be coming downtown to Miami Central within 6 months. Crews are being trained…etc. The problem with commuter rail north of Aventura (to Ft. Lauderdale) is the bridge over New River has to close all the time restricting boat traffic. There are discussions about making a commuter rail station about a mile south of the river near the hospital.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Respectfully, where did you hear that timeline from? I can’t find any source that says any time other than basically “probably this year”

Anonymous
8 months ago

There was a few things about it – Here is one story which seems to indicate less than 6 months: https://railway-news.com/testing-of-tri-rail-services-to-begin-at-miamicentral-station/

Kitty w
8 months ago

Connecting all these cities will have a tangible impact on all residents in these cities. Presently the only real obstacle to the success of the Orlando station is the fact that the station terminus for Orlando doesn’t end downtown, instead ending at the airport which is a 20 minute drive (which is typically a major benefit of rail v air travel; downtown to downtown). Presumably they’d fix this by offering a shuttle service similar to the the little teslas scooting around downtown. A better stop closer to downtown should be a priority and then connecting it with sun rail.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Agreed having a station in downtown Orlando could really be a catalyst for growth and an expansion of their transportation system

Anonymous
8 months ago

Eventually you’ll be able to transfer to Sunrail to get downtown and to Winter Park…etc.

Anon
8 months ago

A sunrail expansion is needed from downtown to the airport. That would remove the need for a shuttle which would be largely inefficient in comparison.

anonymous
8 months ago

Orlando has the sunrail that nobody uses but surprisingly gets you around alot of the orlando area (including downtown)

Anonymous
8 months ago

Despite being 20 years younger than Tri-Rail, the TOD at SunRail stations are years ahead of Tri-Rail, although it doesn’t help most the station were preexiting ones in historic walkable areas and not parallel to a freeway.

Anonymous
8 months ago

The airport has plenty of local transportation options. Airline passengers need to take buses now to Disney and Universal…etc. Brightline+ will have options within 5 miles of the airport and maybe shuttle busses to the parks. The new Sunshine corridor (as it’s referred to) will include a new Sunrail rail from the airport, a transfer station with the other Sunrail line, a shared station Sunrail/Brightline at the Orlando Convention Center/Universal and another one near Disney. Eventually it’ll continue to Tampa. The Sunshine Corridor is a few years away yet.

While We Are At It
8 months ago

There should be a stop at downtown Orlando and Winter Park. I’ve taken the Amtrak there all the time. Those places love tourism and welcoming hospitable smart communities.

Anonymous
8 months ago

It would be cool if they had a joint station between Brightline, Sunrail and Amtrak so you could transfer between them.

Name*
8 months ago

Best rail service in America!

Melo is sigma and Chad
8 months ago

Glad Universal already set aside land

Anonymous
8 months ago

Great. Now when is Tri-Rail connecting to Downtown?!

Anonymous too
8 months ago

Later this year. With more people coming through Miami Central maybe some additional restaurants and businesses will open there and have enough patronage to survive.

anonymous
8 months ago

No wonder they BLOCKED tri rail from operating commuter rail.

Fern
8 months ago

When is the State going to support Bright line on this? It’s the most forward-looking and transformative infrastructure project in the state and getting no support from Tallahassee. Why are local politicians the main backing when it’s literally a statewide service?

Anonymous
8 months ago

You want state tax money to help a private enterprise make money? Fern, are you in the Brightline c-suite?

Choo Choo
8 months ago

The government already helps the private airlines, no reason they can’t partner with Brightline. In fact, the state already has on the line to Orlando and the eventual connection to Tampa

Fern
8 months ago

I do and I am not. In this country we have a history of government supporting railroad development and we are better for it.

Bruno
8 months ago

People in. Brightlines C-Suite would prefer that Gov’t stay out of their business and get out of the way.

Anonymous
8 months ago

I think the state is supporting them – but not financially. Brightline is a private company. FDOT thinks Brightline is great. Less money they need to spend on roads. Because of a public/private partnership with Sunrail they might be able to land some federal dollars for the next segment to Universal and Disney.

Saint Augustine of Hippo
8 months ago

“subsidizing tickets for intercity rail can be kinda nifty if you want to encourage more trips on this mode.”

The Truth
8 months ago

They won’t.

Brightline exists because Rick Scott refused $2bn in federal funds for high-speed rail. Within a year of that rejection, Brightline (as All Aboard Florida) was formed. Then a whole bunch of communities that elected representatives who supported rejecting the federal money started complaining that Brightline was skipping over their towns.

It’s the great American way!

Anonymous
8 months ago

Good for Rick Scott. Now a private company is funding this train instead of federal tax dollars. Also, instead of having to use state tax dollars to maintain and run the train, Brightline is the one on the hook.

noneya
8 months ago

Good for Rick Scott? We also completely missed out on true high speed rail and barely have a working system.

Anonymous
8 months ago

You also completely missed out on funding the operational costs of said train. And you also missed out on the financial boondoggle California is experiencing with this high speed train. I know you love gov’t pork projects–perhaps because you work for a contractor that exists off of such projects—but the taxpayers thank Rick Scott.

Pleezzee
8 months ago

Yeah.. instead, federal tax dollars are being spent on a double decker freeway and an overland spider looking arch bridge in Miami.

Anon
8 months ago

Yeah, but they don’t use the train 🤣

Melo is sigma and Chad
8 months ago

“Brightline’s plans for Tampa and another Orlando station also also got a big boost recently.” This needs to me expedited. And black universal has already set aside land.

Pleezzee
8 months ago

Experts.. Miami is full of em.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Not sure if the “boost” is from people trying it out the first couple of weeks, but time will tell.

Anonymous
8 months ago

I live above the station and it’s been packed!

Juan Miguel
8 months ago

Yet, they build a bus express lane along the US1 down south instead of the Metrorail. These politicians in Miami. smh.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Disney better get “onboard”

Melo, the true giga chad
8 months ago

good. Now we need an underground metro for the greater downtown miami area. There are projections that it will be as as the Chicago metro in the next 15-20 years

Anonymous
8 months ago

So then what for Metrorail, Sir Groundhog? The existing above ground transit needs to be extended.

anonymous
8 months ago

Miami was formerly a swamp and no way does putting a below ground metro make any sense. Just expand metromover up into wynwood/midtown and out to South Beach and that would be solid. Then you expand the metrorail to get everyone to the government center and you go from there

Anonymous
8 months ago

Most the east coast was a swamp, including the island of Manhattan. Not that I am against extending Metrorail elevated, but am for Metromover beyond what it is designed for serving, which is Downtown Miami. Metrorail was designed to be expandable, and only one expansion has been carried out in its 40-year existence .

Gene
8 months ago

No. Manhattan is composed of bedrock.

BlazeRip
8 months ago

Yes great idea! We need metromover to southbeach that would be awesome.

Anonymous too
8 months ago

You can’t build an underground metro/subway in Miami because of the water table. It’ll end up being a water tunnel. Everything needs to be at street level (lightrail) or elevated like the Metrorail.

Drac
8 months ago

And for those who talk about putting a “metro/subway” underground in Miami, they must MUST also imagine the costly amount of money doing it because of Miami’s high water table.

Melo, the true giga Chad
8 months ago

that’s not true. Tunnels are 100% possible in high water tables areas. And to prevent flooding in the entrances, the underground metro stations can be inside an apartment building and have escalators indoors going down 100ft

Anonymous
8 months ago

Possible does not mean practical.

AAA
8 months ago

Ummm! Did you forget about the MacArthur Port Tunnel? Not only is it underground but also goes under the bay. I just drove through it yesterday. Not a puddle in sight.

Anonymous
8 months ago

Did you forget the costs of just the boring process, sans trains and tracks?

Anonymous
8 months ago

Lots of pumps and water proofing. The 4,000 foot tunnel costs 1.1 BILLION back when it opened in 2014. Can you imagine what the same project would cost today?

What the?...
8 months ago

And we’re talking about building miles and miles of tunnels.

Anonymous
8 months ago

…with miles of track and trains to add. At that point it would’ve been far cheaper to just extend the existing elevated Metrorail system.

dan
8 months ago

In Aventura we need more railroad crosses!!!