Brightline announces opening date for new Boca Raton station

Jasmine Fernández, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

BOCA RATON — The city’s highly anticipated Brightline station is here. The first of its kind for Boca Raton, the high-speed train stop will open for business on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Tickets are available today on Brightline's app and its website gobrightline.com. The Aventura station, near the Aventura Mall, will also open the same day.

The completed project comes less than a year since construction started in January 2022. The project cost $56 million and it is expected to bring an annual $10.9 million increase in local spending to Boca Raton.

Boca's new Brightline station comes less than a year since construction started in January 2022. The project cost $56 million and it is expected to bring an annual $10.9 million increase in local spending to Boca Raton.
Boca's new Brightline station comes less than a year since construction started in January 2022. The project cost $56 million and it is expected to bring an annual $10.9 million increase in local spending to Boca Raton.

“Boca, which has become a hub for technology and innovation, and the new station, will allow us to connect visitors and locals to this thriving city with modern, eco-friendly transportation,” Brightline President Patrick Goddard said.

The station, at 101 NW 4th St., stands just north of Palmetto Park Road. It falls between the Boca Raton Public Library and Mizner Park, which soon will be home to the Boca Raton Center for Arts and Innovation.

The new Brightline hub covers 38,000 square feet on the 1.8-acre site minutes from the city’s downtown area. It’s smaller, compared to the West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale stops, both about 60,000 square feet in size.

But visitors still will travel as seamlessly as they would at other locations. Some features include special lounges for commuters and a 455-space parking garage, to be shared among travelers and visitors to the library.

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The station is Brightline’s fifth in the state. It will connect travelers in Boca Raton to Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in less than an hour. And it’s projected to bring approximately 1.8 million visitors annually by 2025.

A high-speed extension station at the Orlando International Airport will open next year.

Travel schedules for the new stations were designed to optimize commuter patterns and will prioritize peak morning and evening weekday service. During non-peak hours and on weekends, service will be provided approximately every other hour.

From West Palm Beach to Miami, Brightline trains run at speeds of up to 79 mph. When the Orlando station opens, trains will operate at speeds of up to 110 mph. Travelers will be able to get from West Palm Beach to Orlando in approximately two hours and from Miami to Orlando in three hours.

Workers are seen at the site of the Brightline station and parking garage at 101 NW 4th Street in Boca Raton, FL, on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Construction of the station began in January 2022 and the 38,000 square-foot location will open on Dec. 21, 2022.
Workers are seen at the site of the Brightline station and parking garage at 101 NW 4th Street in Boca Raton, FL, on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Construction of the station began in January 2022 and the 38,000 square-foot location will open on Dec. 21, 2022.

The Boca Raton City Council approved the project back in December 2019. But because of COVID-19, Brightline operations shuttered from March 2020 through December 2021. Mayor Scott Singer pitched the idea of the new station.

"It's a game changer for Boca Raton to have a Brightline station in our downtown,” Singer said. “Our residents and business know how much it means to be a key part of a major transportation network. We're excited to see the line build out to Orlando and possibly beyond."

The city spent close to $10 million on the project, part of which was funded by a $16.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In preparation for its new stops, Brightline and government officials have made an effort to raise safety measures. In August, Brightline received $25 million from the federal government to do so.

New installations include signal systems, fencing at locations of frequent trespassing, crossing and pedestrian gates, pavement markings and roadway profiles.

Brightline plans to add dynamic pavement markings at crossings to keep drivers from getting too close to railroad tracks. As drivers approach the critical zone, they are able to see the markings with X's and will not venture onto the zone.
Brightline plans to add dynamic pavement markings at crossings to keep drivers from getting too close to railroad tracks. As drivers approach the critical zone, they are able to see the markings with X's and will not venture onto the zone.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies will be held at each of the new stations on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: When will the Boca Raton Brightline station open?