Brightline Orlando-to-South Florida passenger rail tickets to go on sale in May
Tickets will go on sale in May for Brightline's new up-to-125 mph rail service linking Orlando with South Florida, with trains carrying up to 240 passengers each.
One-way fare ticket prices will start at $79 and $149 for premium, which includes a lounge, complimentary meals and priority boarding. One-way bundles for families of four will be available for less than $199, Brightline President Patrick Goddard said.
Why ride a train? Goddard said a round-trip drive between congested Central Florida and gridlock-prone Miami is too much for some motorists to handle in a single day.
"It's exhausting to do that drive. Because you have to be mentally engaged the entire time. You're dealing with traffic. You're dealing with accidents. You're dealing with weather," Goddard told reporters Thursday, standing near a chrome row of 10 touchless turnstiles leading into Brightline's new Orlando passenger station.
"So to be able to actually sit on the train, relax, take a nap, watch a movie, do a crossword, have a cocktail, eat something — not have to do the rest-stop thing — we think it's going to be transformative," Goddard said.
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Thursday, Brightline officials unveiled passenger-schedule details and hosted a "reveal" event for the private rail company's newly finished 37,350-square-foot passenger station adjacent to Terminal C at Orlando International Airport.
The expansive two-story train station connects with the Orlando airport's Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 spaces designated for Brightline passengers. Features include 87 big-screen televisions, two lounges, charging stations at every seat, a children’s play area, a private conference room and twin 1,000-foot boarding platforms.
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Orlando rail service details
Trains will start carrying passengers this summer. Dates have not been finalized for the May ticket-sale launch or the service launch, Reininger said. A February investors report had said service could start as soon as June.
Brightline will operate 16 daily round-trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. Nonstop trains will make the 235-mile trek in 2 hours, 59 minutes. Regular service from Orlando to Miami will stop at all Brightline stations — West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura — with a run time of 3½ hours.
Weekdays
Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miami leave from 5 a.m. to 8:50 p.m.
First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.
Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando leave from 6:50 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
First northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlando at 10:15 a.m.
Weekends
Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miami leave from 5 a.m. to 8:50 p.m.
First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.
Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando leave from 5:45 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
First northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlando at 9:15 a.m.
Goddard said trips between Orlando and West Palm Beach should take about two hours.
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Orlando expansion cost: $5 billion
Brightline CEO Mike Reininger said the total cost for the Orlando-to-South Florida rail expansion construction project, including the new station and a $100 million vehicle maintenance facility southwest of the airport, has climbed to $5 billion.
"We have expended more than 7 million manhours of construction labor alone into the economy over the last several years," Reininger said.
"We are presently hiring 175 people for our operation here in Orlando at the airport. We have 100 people working every day in our brand-new vehicle maintenance facility, maintaining these trains and getting them ready to offer the service safely and reliably every single day," he said.
Construction of the Orlando station began in January 2022. Goddard said he did not have a cost estimate available during Thursday's event. He said Brightline is a tenant inside the airport's 80,000-square-foot Terminal C train station facility, and the company paid for all build-out costs.
Projected maximum train speeds during Brightline's Orlando passenger trips:
125 mph: Orlando International Airport to Cocoa.
110 mph: Cocoa to West Palm Beach.
79 mph: West Palm Beach to Miami.
Future rail growth touted
During Thursday's event, a series of speakers praised the private rail company from a podium in front of a yellow Brightline backdrop
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Kevin Thibault said a March 1977 planning document mentioned design criteria for "a possible future fixed-track mass-transit system" at the airport. Decades later, he said Brightline's facility makes Orlando's airport the only one in America with a inter-city high-speed passenger rail station.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said SunRail commuter rail should also launch service from the Orlando airport's train station in the future. He shared a soccer analogy.
"Imagine you live in downtown Orlando. You get up in the morning. You take SunRail from the Lynx Central Station to the airport. You connect to Brightline right here," Dyer said.
"And then you ride on down to South Florida to watch Orlando City beat Inter Miami," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brightline tickets from Orlando to Miami to go on sale next month
