Brightline Plans To Commence Orlando Operations In Q2

Brightline has just informed investors that it is close to beginning operating trains to Orlando.

Commencement of operations to Orlando is now planned for the second quarter of 2023, the company told bondholders yesterday.

The Orlando station is expected to be completed in March, with 100% system completion in Q2 2023, the company added.

More than 90% of work on the Orlando extension is now complete, according to Brightline.

Brightline now has all of the trainsets needed for Orlando service, with the final one shipped from a Siemens factory in California this week and currently enroute to Florida.

Ridership on the existing Brightline service between Miami and West Palm Beach continues to boom – up 143% in January alone, compared to the same period in 2022.

Two new stations, Boca Raton and Aventura (both opened in December), contributed 42,391 rides to the Brightline system in January.

In addition, the Miami-Dade commuter rail system continues to advance, with design and engineering firm HNTB on schedule to complete design and cost estimates for the service in March 2023.

Plans for commuter rail service in Broward and Palm Beach are also advancing.

 

Brightline Trains at the new Orlando International Airport Station:

(photo: brightline)

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Melo is sigma and Chad
7 months ago

Good, now start on the Tampa extension.

Michael
7 months ago

Or build something with real fast trains like Hyperloop or fast trains like in Japan / France and leave the snail train (Brightline) to the elderlies / tourists!

Anon
7 months ago

Lets try to keep the comments in the general realm of reality

Anonymous
7 months ago

Did you see the new train Canada is working on called FluxJet. It would be a competitor to Hyperloop. It uses maglev in urban areas then goes into a tube traveling at over 621 mph. The first test system will be between Edmonton and its airport could be running in 2027 followed by Edmonton to Calgary. It’s still far off.

Brett
7 months ago

Michael, Are you going to pay for it? What’s your plan Bro?

Anonymous
7 months ago

I hope it’s going to happen. DeSantis announced plans to widen I-4 in a bunch of locations between Orlando and Tampa (and have it completed in 4 years). Wouldn’t this take the land that Brightline was going to use? I don’t know for sure but as soon as I heard this I got worried.

Michael
7 months ago

I hope that they consider building a more southerly line that would bypass Orlando and allow non-stop Miami-Tampa service much more quickly than going north and then west.

Jim
7 months ago

Unfortunately, the FEC tracks only go north along the coast, and Brightline built the ~40-mile extension to Orlando west from the coast. There’s no way it’s going to be able build an extension almost ten times that length going NW from South Florida to Tampa. There’s already a CSX route going NW to Tampa from West Palm that Amtrak uses. It would probably be cheaper to transform that into a “almost high speed rail” corridor.

Anonymous
7 months ago

We’re going to have trains to Orlando before Ti-Rail reaches downtown!

What a time! LOL!

Anonymous
7 months ago

Used to trirail to Miami in 2001. What happened to the trirail?

Anonymous
7 months ago

Did tri-rail get suspended? It was the original and only commuter rail in South Florida.

Daniel Frolich
7 months ago

Tri-rail is still running, the connection to Miami Central is what has not happened yet (for really stupid reasons)

Trains in Soflo
7 months ago

Tri-Rail is still running as it was in 2001. It takes about 2 hours from Hialeah to West Palm Beach. The Brightline it is more expensive but it goes from Miami Downtown to West Palm Beach in 60 minutes. If it doesn’t collide with any vehicle.

Anonymous
7 months ago

There is a still at least 6 months prior to completion of Brightline. Testing will take a few more months. Brightline will probably go in service during the fourth quarter. Tri Rail will also likely start service fourth quarter. Maybe they will start together.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Last I heard it looks like Tri-rail’s downtown link may slip to 3rd-4th quarter. There is a lot more to do (training and testing then hiring and training more dispatchers), they are training the crew trainers now. That stretch of track will be very busy with Brightline, Tri-rail downtown link, freight trains and the Brightline supported NE corridor/Coastal link commuter. They need to upgrade their dispatch.

Anonymous
7 months ago

I’d look for federal money to eliminate some grade crossings in that section and build overpasses like they are doing just north of the Adventura station.

Anonymous
7 months ago

The state has shrunk!

Anonymous
7 months ago

Put a stop at the Fort Lauderdale airport.

Tibo
7 months ago

Tri rail has a station nearby. Why waste dollars in a new one.

Frequent Traveller
7 months ago

The Tri-Rail station is too far away and requires a shuttle that takes forever. Also, Tri-Rail is a commuter rail, and no one wants to take a long milk run followed by shuttle

Anonymous
7 months ago

Tri-Rail West Palm Beach station is less than 1/2 mile from the Brightline station. Saturday round trip service from Miami is $5 and will take about 25 minutes longer. Brightline service is at least $50.

Anonymous
7 months ago

TriRail to WPB may even be the same time as Brightline now with boca and aventura and who knows what other towns? Maybe I’ll start taking tri rail. It was nicer then the LIRR or subway in NYC.

Anon
7 months ago

Connecting rail to the airport isn’t a waste of money. Building a train station close, but not connected to the airport, is.

Anonymous
7 months ago

I think Brightline offers a free shuttle from the station to the airport. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a Tri-rail station at the airport someday.

Anonymous
7 months ago

It’s true. Brightline offers a rideshare service to destinations within a few miles of any station and it’s super cheap. If you pay for the premium ticket, they will even shuttle you in a Tesla for free.

ParkingHater
7 months ago

Commuter service is what y’all should be most excited for, least until the i drive sun rail extension gets built and you can take it anywhere but the airport.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Excellent news. I think Brigthline could alternate trains, one direct from Miami to Orlando (and then, yes, being a great alternative to the plane) and the next, stopping at all the planned stations.

Choo Choo
7 months ago

I think the plan is for the “express” train to do Miami, FTL, WPB, and Orlando. Then there’ll be a slower one that stops at Boca, Aventura, and any other stations that might get built on the Treasure and Space Coasts

Michael
7 months ago

I agree with the OP. There should be a non-stop between Miami and Orlando. That will really compete with air.

Anonymous
7 months ago

MIAMI FTL WPB AND ORLANDO are the major hubs for express rail in Florida. Tampa next…

Anonymous
7 months ago

We hope Tampa is coming, I know a lot of people who’d use it including myself. Best case is probably another 6-7 years.

permitting
7 months ago

This is great, can’t wait!

Anonymous
7 months ago

So excited for this. We need a Tampa and Jacksonville station, ASAP!

Finesmokey78
7 months ago

Praise the lord 🏁🏁💯💯💙💙💙

Anonymous
7 months ago

Whatever happened to Tri-Never?

A Nonymous
7 months ago

Brightline should take over TriRail.

Melo, the true giga chad
7 months ago

cough* induced demand cough*

Bl Fan
7 months ago

I was told by a train attendant that the trains would run Miami to WPB like they currently do, and the Orlando train would originate from WPB. This means that if you’re riding Miami to Orlando you’ll have to get off at the West Palm Beach stop and switch trains to continue on to Orlando. They said this was planned so they could ensure no unticketed passengers were making the longer ride. But with this said, it effectively removes the likelihood of an “express” train versus local to WPB then “express” to Orlando.

huh
7 months ago

Why wouldnt they just check tickets at WPB for those headed to Orlando

Bl Fan
7 months ago

Not sure, but they said West Palm Beach will be the originating point for the Orlando segment, starting with a fresh train. Essentially the trains would go back and forth from Orlando to West Palm Beach, while the “local” trains ran back and forth from West Palm Beach to Miami. I get how it would be easy to just check tickets at WPB, but that’s not the process that was communicated to the train attendants.

Leandro
7 months ago

Why not just put the stubs on top of the seats with final destination, like every other train? Right?

Anonymous
7 months ago

That’s not a good decision, they need to re-think this. Do Amtrak trains in the Northeast from NYC to Washington stop in Philly and make everyone get off to take another train to check tickets? NO! Seems BL could do this easier because they have reserved seats unlike Amtrak. Real easy to provide the attendant with an iPad containing a seat map along with customer preferences in each seat (like meals that can be ordered on the app in advance). Names? That’s customer service when an attendant approaches your seat and says, “Good Morning JOSE, can I start you off with some orange juice?”

bOb
7 months ago

100% sure the train attendant either didn’t fully understand or has heard ‘rumours’, Brightline are not going to force passengers to change.

Come on Brightline
7 months ago

Just have an express train that runs to Orlando with one stop in West Palm, no change of trains. That’s inconvenient – what if you checked a bag?

Anonymous
7 months ago

This is where high speed express trains should go, major metropolitan areas (not suburbs like Aventura or Boca)

Choo Choo
7 months ago

I mean Aventura and Boca are in major metro areas just the same as the Orlando airport is

Anonymous
7 months ago

Lol Boca and Aventura are suburbs. Why would we want one dense city after the next? Eventually they would all blend together. Traffic is already bad on I95.

Juan
7 months ago

Isn’t Orlando basically one big suburb? And pretending that places like Boca or Aventura won’t ever see urban densification is poor planning especially with the latest census figures.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Have you been to Orlando? It’s almost as big as Miami. It’s a little bigger then west palm. Miami, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm, Orlando and Tampa are the major stops.

Juan
7 months ago

Have *you* been to Orlando? Drop yourself in the middle of downtown Orlando and you’re two blocks from Lake Eola, surrounded by single family homes. Its 2020 city proper population is not even close to Miami’s, let alone its metro area which is roughly a third that of Miami.

Anonymous
7 months ago

There’s single family homes in and around Brickell and downtown. At least the Orlando ones are better kept and nicer.

Anonymous
7 months ago

SFH conditions aside (not the topic anyways), he’s right—neither Orlando city proper nor the metro area come close to Miami size wise. Can’t argue numbers.

tampa tony
7 months ago

Orlando is not even as big as Tampa, much less Miami.

Anonymous
7 months ago

The mall attracts millions so any traffic reduction helps

Anonymous
7 months ago

People drive to malls. They don’t train and carry stuff with them.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Brightline has a good system at Aventura if you want to shop, they provide a free shuttle every 30 minutes station to the mall parking garage where the buses stop. The only problem is on the return, you don’t know if you just missed a shuttle and have to wait 29 minutes or one is arriving in 5 minutes.

Anon
7 months ago

Why take a train to Aventura? It’s close enough to drive.

Anonymous
7 months ago

It’s the 3rd most visited spot outside of the parks in Orlando. So, yeah, it needs a train stop.

ALE
7 months ago

I always take Brightline to Fort to visit my parents and then uber to West Broward, I rather not deal with 95 parking lot or never-ending traffic. But now that Boca open, it is even more convenient. Yes we need the express train to Miami Fort WPB and Orlando, but continue the other stations, Biscayne is also a parking lot… and a lot new towers coming, all with cars and no more roads… so it will be faster to ride an Electric Scooter…

Anonymous
7 months ago

He needs to visit his mom in Boca. Let’s slow down and stop the high speed rail meant to connect the Florida cities. Maybe you could tri rail?