Live: Rider catches Brightline train by accident; fatal crash occurs on another line

Brightline today launches its high-speed train service from South Florida to Orlando.

The line will connect South Florida stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport.

How much will Brightline tickets cost? Tickets from Miami to Orlando range from $79 to almost $300 for a one-way ticket. Prices start at $79 for Smart tickets and rise to $270 for some Premium tickets.

Brightline train fatally struck a pedestrian in Delray Beach early Friday, minutes before the high-speed rail service's inaugural train left Miami for Orlando International Airport. The wreck was on different tracks so it had no effect on northbound Brightline service from Miami to Orlando.

List of Brightline train deaths in PBC: When, where and how accidents happened

Brightline's inaugural day: Rider catches train after missing Tri-Rail

Peter Vansiclen took Brightline from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando for a work conference on Friday's inaugural day purely by accident.

He had originally planned to take Tri-Rail from Broward County, but the train leaving from Coconut Creek zoomed past him before he could get a ticket. Brightline was his next best option.

And it turns out it was a much quicker option.

"I just found out this was the first Brightline to Orlando. This is historic! I can't believe it," Vansiclen said. "I'm late to my conference because of Tri-Rail. Use Brightline. It's way better."

Other riders were on the trip to Orlando for vacation.

Caleb Cook and his family took the train from Miami (via Nevada) to Orlando for a trip to Disney.

Others were just taking the train on its inaugural day to Orlando for the fun and novelty of Day 1.

Arthur Friedman and his wife, Bonnie, are train enthusiasts. They went from Orlando to West Palm Beach, spent around 40 minutes at the Orlando International Airport station for lunch, and are heading back to Orlando.

— Maya Washburn

Brightline arrives in Orlando on the inaugural train ride

Brightline officials received a key to the City of Orlando as they arrived at the airport terminal.

University of Central Florida mascot and cheerleaders met the train at the station.

What does Brightline Orlando station look like?

Inaugural Brightline train's historic trip through the Treasure Coast to Orlando

As Brightline's first passenger trip travels through Martin and St. Lucie counties, Palm Beach Post reporter Antonio Fins spoke with Brightline CEO Mike Reininger about some of the opposition the company has encountered with residents in the Treasure Coast.

Over the years, lawsuits filed by Treasure Coast counties led to numerous delays in the railroad's proposed launch. Of concern was the lack of local stations along the route, noise through residential neighborhoods, the environmental impact and safety.

Here is a portion of his interview:

Inaugural Brightline train arrives in West Palm from Miami; next stop Orlando

The inaugural Brightline train from Miami to Orlando arrived in West Palm Beach at 8:50 a.m., passing numerous landmarks along the way, including the Palm Beach Post on S. Dixie Highway.

As the train departs the West Palm station, it will mark the first official northbound ride from West Palm Beach.

Brightline will not follow a direct path like Florida's Turnpike from South Florida stations to Orlando.

Brightline trains will share tracks with East Coast Railway freight trains from Miami to West Palm Beach and the company paid for track upgrades on that shared-use line from West Palm Beach north to Cocoa. Those improvements will allow Brightline to run up to 110 mph from West Palm Beach to Cocoa. Then, trains will leave the freight line at Cocoa and travel on the new tracks to Orlando International Airport.

Future service will extend from Orlando International Airport to Tampa on tracks in the median of Interstate 4, which was widened in the late 2000s to accommodate high-speed trains.

Inaugural Brightline train to Orlando arrives in Boca Raton

Brightline's inaugural train from Miami to Orlando has reached Palm Beach County, arriving in Boca Raton around 8:15 a.m. West Palm Beach is the next stop before it heads to Orlando for the two-hour trek.

Here's a quick peek inside the train from Palm Beach Post reporter Antonio Fins as it crosses the Palm Beach County border:

Inaugural Brightline train to Orlando arrives in Fort Lauderdale; fatality in Delray on southbound tracks

The inaugural train from Miami to Orlando arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 7:48 a.m.

The train's next two stops will be in Palm Beach County — Boca Raton and West Palm Beach before the long trek to Orlando.

The Delray fatality happened on southbound tracks between the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton stations. The inaugural northbound train will not be affected.

BREAKING: Fatal collision on Brightline tracks in Delray

A Brightline train fatally struck a pedestrian early Friday in Delray Beach, city police said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. at Southeast Second Avenue and Southeast Fourth Street, about half a mile south of downtown.

Authorities did not immediately identify the person or say what direction train was traveling.

City police urged motorists to avoid the area.

The Post will update the story here as more details emerge.

It is the sixth fatality on Palm Beach County's Brightline tracks in 2023. The others:

• January 21: Boca Raton

• February 8: Two in Delray Beach

• May 12: Lake Worth Beach

• June 5: Delray Beach

When, where and how: A detailed list of Brightline train deaths in Palm Beach County

— Tom Elia

All aboard! Inaugural Brightline train about to depart Miami

It's almost "go" time! Palm Beach Post reporter Antonio Fins will be among those on the first Brightline train that leaves Miami northbound to Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando about three hours later.

Follow his coverage on @pbpost X (formerly known as Twitter).

Brightline CEO Mike Reininger is there and talked briefly to reporters about the past, present and future for the Florida high-speed rail line.

And here's what it's like boarding the first train.

Brightline is out to change the minds of how we travel

Brightline estimates 35 million people travel between Central Florida and Miami each year and officials have said they would like to have at least 4.3 million of them on its trains, and anticipates most riders will be domestic travelers, including Florida residents and tourists from other states.

To convince people who may choose to instead drive, Brightline is reinventing what it means to ride the rails, infusing stations with a Brightline signature scent of vanilla and citrus, inventing a uniform wave for greeting customers, and serving themed cocktails such as the vodka-spiked mule skinner, a nod to a time when transport was four-legged.

Do kids travel free on Brightline?

Babies under 24 months travel free with Brightline. Kids don't travel free, but their tickets are significantly discounted and there's a group discount for families traveling together.

Kids ages two through 12 ride for 50% off Smart tickets and groups of four or more save 25%. Kids' Smart one-way tickets are $39.

Before Brightline, there was the Fun Train

Train service between populous South Florida and Central Florida's theme park mecca has been a dream in Florida for many years.

In fact, in 2000, close to 3 million Floridians voted for a high-speed bullet train constitutional amendment. And before that, the short-lived Florida Fun-Train rode the rails, too.

Both eventually failed, but their attempts showed that there was a taste for a train to Orlando.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline to Orlando, Miami train starts, accident in Florida