Brightline station to begin service between Miami and Orlando. Here's when train service starts and what to know

A long-awaited and long-anticipated Brightline ride to Orlando will cost between $79 and $199 on the 16 daily roundtrips the rail service plans.

Brightline officials have not said when those trips will begin, other than sometime this summer, but on Thursday the company said "ticket sales will launch in May for future dates."

The announcement was made as the company unveiled its Orlando station, known as the Brightline Orlando Station at Orlando International Airport.

Brightline’s non-stop trains between Miami and Orlando will have a travel time of two hours and 59 minutes. Regular service from Orlando to Miami will be longer — three hours and 30 minutes — because there will be stops at Brightline stations in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.

Brightline said passengers will be able to travel north to Orlando from its other stations with tickets starting at $79 as well, though those prices could fluctuate between now and when service begins. The company's press release did not specify those departure and arrival times.

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Here is the daily and weekend Brightline train schedule:

Weekdays 

·       Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miami starting at 5 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.

·       First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.

·       Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando starting at 6:50 a.m. until 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 starting at 5 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.

·       First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.

·       Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando starting at 5:45 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.

·       First northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlando at 9:15 a.m.

The company also said daily commuter schedule with "dedicated trains will continue to serve commuters and the South Florida region between Miami and West Palm Beach." The early morning departure will be at 5 a.m. from West Palm Beach with evening night departures until 12:45 a.m. out of Miami.

How fast will Brightline trains run?

The service, first proposed more than a decade ago, will roll at speeds of up to 125 mph, making Brightline the fastest train operating in Florida and one of the fastest in the country.

Brightline trains will travel to Orlando from existing stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. The maximum speed of trains between Miami and West Palm Beach is 79 mph.

Brightline will link riders from Miami to Orlando in about three hours. More than 30 trains a day are expected to run between the Miami station and the Orlando station, which recently opened its 37,350-square-foot station at Orlando International Airport.

It features a three-story contemporary design, retail shopping, a bar with light bites and panoramic views of oncoming trains. This project is part of Brightline's Phase 2 expansion into Central Florida, which will eventually include a stop in Tampa.

Brightline had to overcome fierce opposition from Treasure Coast communities. Lawsuits were filed to block the project. They were eventually settled with Brightline agreeing to eventually build a station in the Treasure Coast within five years of the commencement of service from West Palm Beach to Orlando. In March, Brightline officials told the editorial board of TCPalm that the company will honor its commitment.

Treasure Coast officials are concerned over accidents involving Brightline trains. At least 88 deaths have been attributed to Brightline's trains since the company's service between West Palm Beach and Miami began in 2017.

Brightline maintains that none of the accidents were the fault of its trains. Nonetheless, it has installed infrastructure and safety improvements at all 156 rail crossings between Cocoa and West Palm Beach. The $170 million infrastructure investment upgrades include new crossing gates, signal systems, pedestrian gates, pavement markings and roadway profiles.

Brightline's first major milestone came in January 2018 with inauguration of limited service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and extension to Miami in May the same year. The launch of service to Orlando comes at a time when ridership has soared, thanks in part to new stations in Aventura and Boca Raton. They both opened in late December.

How much will tickets cost to take Brightline from Miami and West Palm to Orlando station?

A standard one-way ticket between Miami and Orlando is expected to cost about $100. A West Palm Beach-Orlando ticket is expected to run anywhere from $75 to $85. Official prices have not been announced. Passengers can buy tickets at the stations, but they also can purchase them online. Discounted fares are available with two days advance purchase.

According to Bloomberg, Brightline expects 2025 to end with 7.9 million passengers and $733 million in total revenue. That’s a significant increase from the 1.29 million passengers and $39 million in total revenue expected at the end of this year.

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February 2023 ticket revenue was 125% higher than for February 2022, with ridership up 95% to 151,654 passengers and average ticket fares up 15%. The Boca Raton and Aventura stations served 37,963 passengers, accounting for about a quarter of all ridership.

Brightline and Uber announced a partnership in January to expand Brightline’s mobility options. Guests can add private or shared Uber rides when booking a train ticket, all within the Brightline app or website.

The partnership represents the first time Uber has linked directly to an intercity higher-speed rail service in the United States.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline Orlando station to Miami train service start date announced