Making history: Brightline opens between Orlando and Miami
It
is
now
the
official
start
of
Brightline’s
passenger
rail
service
between
Orlando
and
Miami.
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
TRAINS
AND
STATIONS
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.
THE
CONSTRUCTION
OF
BRIGHTLINE
FLORIDA
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.
ECONOMIC
AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
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.
INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY
AND
MOBILITY
OPTIONS
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.
THE
FUTURE
OF
HIGH
SPEED
RAIL
IS
BRIGHT
Brightline’s
Orlando
expansion
is
the
newest
transportation
milestone
for
the
company
that
has
bold
plans
to
transform
high-speed
rail
in
the
U.S.
on
the
West
Coast,
through Brightline
West. Brightline
West
will
be
the
nation’s
first
true
high-speed
rail
network
with
fully
electric
trains
operating
at
top
speeds
of
200
mph. Slated
to
break
ground
by
the
end
of
2023,
the
line
will
connect
millions
of
people
traveling
between
Los
Angeles
and
Las
Vegas,
annually.
