New plans to provide Tampa service
A Brightline train in downtown Miami, Courtesy, Brightline
Brightline, Florida’s higher-speed passenger train line, is set to resume service in early November after a 20-month hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic. And boy the plans they have, with news that they will expand the rail route from Miami to Tampa by 2028.
Brightline launched in 2018, servicing a 67-mile route between Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Its next stage, which is about two-thirds complete, will extend the line from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport. That 169-mile project costing $2.7 billion is expected to be finished in early 2023. It’s redoing part of the Florida East Coast Railway line in Brevard County, creating a double-tracked freight and passenger rail corridor.
Courtesy, Brightline
Brightline’s “flagship” stations in downtown Miami and the Orlando airport’s Terminal C will anchor the route, with in-line stations in Port Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. The trains will travel at between 79-110 mph and take a little more than three hours to go between Orlando and Miami. One-way tickets will cost about $100.
While that’s underway, the company has now set its sights on extending the line from Orlando to Tampa, with a future 84-mile extension that will follow Interstate 4. The project at this point will include a stop in Disney Springs. It’s currently undergoing an environmental review. When finished in 2028, the 320-mile route from Miami to Tampa will reflect a nearly $8 billion investment.
More than train service, the privately-held company says Brightline is part of a real estate vision to reenergize static neighborhoods with transportation hubs including modern stations, a 40,000 square foot food hall, and 27+ acres of office, retail, residential and commercial space. Brightline plans to break ground later this year on a rail line connecting Las Vegas with Southern California.
LMA Newsletter of 10-18-21
