Bright Line trains bring high-speed rail to Florida

bIn the year By early 2023, travel between Miami and Orlando should be much easier. Insufferable traffic, expensive fuel, road rage and steep carbon footprints will be a thing of the past as Florida enters the era of high-speed rail travel.

This concerted change was brought about by respect. Bright lineAn eco-friendly, high-speed rail company scheduled to begin service between Miami and Orlando early next year. It’s the latest plot point to change territory in a series of game-changing transportation upgrades.

Since launching its first high-speed rail service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in 2018, BlueLine has been changing how people live, work and play in South Florida. It soon expanded to downtown Miami. Equipped with futuristic glass-enclosed stations (fab floors and drinking fountains), the privately funded multi-billion-dollar rail service currently shuttles passengers between these key cities at 79 mph on tricked-out trains (running on clean biodiesel fuel) that are friendly, high-class all along the way. Servicing (a rarity in travel these days).

Here, what you need to know about the state’s high-speed rail service—now and in the future—and why you might want to ditch the car on your next trip to Florida.

Current Brightline destinations

BlueLine currently operates between three major cities—Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach—with nearly hourly service from morning to night. The trip is less than 30 minutes between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and another 35 between Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, less than half the typical travel time by car (during rush hour).

While the trains take passengers from one city center to another, Brightline also offers door-to-door services with a fleet of Brightline-branded electric cars. When booking a train, riders have the option of hiring an electric vehicle to pick up or drop off anywhere within a five-mile radius of the station. (At the time of publication, this service is complementary – and working out some kinks.)

How much do Brightline tickets cost?

Before buying a ticket on the Brightline app or website, you first need to choose between two service classes: “Smart” and “Premium”. Both promise comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi and the ultimate Brightline train experience. However, premium means seating in coach 1 and additional snacks and beverages (including alcohol) are offered in smaller class seats. It also provides access to pre-trip lounges in train stations where bites and stings are common.

Tickets in Smart start at $27 for a trip between Miami and Fort Lauderdale with Premium at $10. From Miami to West Palm Beach, fares start at $15 for Smart and $37 for Premium. To put that into perspective, a ride typically costs $50–$75 from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and over $100 between Miami and West Palm Beach.

Note that Brightline runs many promotions at any given time, most of which can be found on its website. For example, this South Florida-based writer is currently enjoying a $199 unlimited monthly pass to travel between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

The Brightline experience

The three Brightline stations currently in service have a similar modern aesthetic, emphasized by wide lobbies, vaulted ceilings above the tracks, geometric furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Solar-powered and full of eco-friendly design items like high-tech Dyson hand dryers at restrooms and water stations.

Riders are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before departure, but boarding closes no earlier than 5 minutes. There are check-in counters for those who need to drop off large bags, but most skip this area and go straight upstairs to the security screening. It usually takes a minute to self-check your ticket from the app and check your small carry-on bags.

Once through, the launch area has plenty of comfortable seating and work stations, with no shortage of plugs or USB chargers. There’s a sit-down bar in every train station that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner (and some pretty cool cocktails) and a fully self-contained grab-and-go market (think: a minibar that automatically charges when you touch things, but on a much larger scale). There is also a pre-departure lounge for those traveling in Premium class.

Once boarding is announced and the train approaches the tracks, you’ll see Brightline’s signature yellow exterior. Inside, the colors are neutral and the cars are spacious. Interior aisles measure 32 inches wide, making it easy to maneuver rolling luggage, strollers, and even wheelchairs. Train seats look and feel like premium economy airline seats; There’s plenty of leg room and elbow room, and a seat that slides forward rather than resting on the passenger’s lap in the back. Each seat has two USB ports and two outlets, so you can charge all your electronics at once.

Brightline Wi-Fi is on board with lightning-fast speeds, strong enough for streaming and video calls. The network is uniform across all stations and trains, avoiding communication interruptions.

During the journey in the smart class, assistants carry food and drinks along the roads. In Premium, riders receive a snack and two drinks of their choice from the moving cart. As the cart passes, don’t be surprised if a waiter talks to you. Like all the people that I have met who work for Brightline, the board hosts are friendly and customer service oriented. This extends to security guards, baggage handlers, bar staff – you name it. Such a high level of hospitality is refreshing, especially at a time when service standards at hotels, restaurants and airlines seem to be at an all-time low.

The future of Brightline

Construction for the Aventura station (between Miami and Fort Lauderdale) as well as the Boca Raton station (between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) are both slated to begin in early December 2022. Additionally, tracks connecting West Palm Beach and Orlando are approaching. Completion. The station at Orlando International Airport should be ready to receive passengers in early 2023. After these three destinations are in service, BlueLine will soon move to Tampa, Florida, its West Coast counterpart. Just a three-hour train ride from Southern California to Las Vegas. Construction is expected to begin in 2023.

For now, Brightline actively changes the way people live and vacation in South Florida. High speed and modern trains are changing the face of local and regional travel, the best is yet to come.

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