Brightline announced prices and a rough opening date for its Miami-to-Orlando route.
While the company did not give an exact date when the route will open, it said sometime this summer and said that ticket sales will start in May for future dates.
The company said a train ride from Miami to Orlando will cost between $79 and $199, but Brightline was a bit fuzzier on the prices from its West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura stations, saying only that they would start at $79 one-way and prices could fluctuate between now and when service begins.
Trains will make 16 daily roundtrips.
The announcement was made on Thursday as the company unveiled its Orlando station.
Are trains safe for travel?:Experts say yes
New seating:Amtrak unveils new coaches that will eventually serve most East Coast routes and others
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 – t hree hours and 30 minutes – because there will be stops at Brightline stations in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.
The new 37,350-square-foot station at Orlando International Airport 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.
Story continues below.
How much will Brightline train tickets cost?
A standard one-way ticket between Miami and Orlando starts at $79 and goes up to $149 for a premium seat. A family of four can buy tickets for the whole family for $199 one way.
Brightline said passengers will be able to travel north to Orlando from West Palm Beach and its other stations with tickets starting at $79 as well, though those prices could fluctuate between now and when service begins. The company did not specify departure and arrival times.
Passengers can buy tickets at the stations, but they also can purchase online. Discounted fares are available with two days advance purchase.
Smart-class Brightline tickets between Miami and West Palm Beach currently cost about $15-$47 each way, and premium-class tickets range from $42-$79 each way. Tickets for trains between other stations over a shorter distance are less.
How long will Brightline take from Miami to Orlando?
Brightline will link riders from Miami to Orlando in about three hours, which is 30 minutes faster than it would take driving without traffic. Orlando to Miami would be about a half-hour longer because of all the stops at the other stations.
Brightline is officially the fastest train in Florida.
During recent testing, trains reached speeds of 130 mph along its new 35-mile rail corridor between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa.
Once carrying passengers, Brightline trains will travel at maximum speeds of 125 mph, which is more than 2 miles per minute.
Brightline’s newly installed tracks along that 35-mile stretch will become the fastest-speed segment of the company’s passenger-service expansion linking Orlando with South Florida. Projected maximum speed range:
- 125 mph: Orlando International Airport to Cocoa.
- 110 mph: Cocoa to West Palm Beach.
- 79 mph: West Palm Beach to Miami.
By reaching 130 mph, Brightline broke its previous record of 110 mph, which the company set in the fall during testing through Martin and St. Lucie counties.
Will Brightline stop at Disney?
No. Plans to expand to the Orlando area from South Florida will no longer include a stop at Disney Springs, officials announced in 2022.
In November 2020, Brightline and The Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement to build a train station at Disney Springs, the corporation’s retail and restaurant complex along Interstate 4 south of the company’s theme parks.
But instead of a station on Disney-owned land, Brightline will have its station at Orlando International Airport, then is expected to build stations at the Orange County Convention Center and an alternate site near Disney Springs.
Story continues below.
Where will Brightline have stops, stations?
Trains currently stop at stations in:
- Miami
- Aventura
- Boca Raton
- Fort Lauderdale
- West Palm Beach
Once the Orlando station opens, the longest stretch will be between West Palm Beach and Orlando. The tracks travel north to Cocoa, then head west, but there is not a station in Cocoa.
The company has talked about expanding to Tampa in the future.
What are Brightline’s recent safety improvements?
Brightline 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 also recently announced the completion of work adding improvements at 48 grade crossings in the tri-county area (Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade) from a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grant awarded in 2017.
This was a $5.4 million project, supported by Federal Railroad Administration funding of $2.3 million. Another $1.5 million came from 11 local communities and the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency, while Brightline contributed more than $1.4 million.
Work included center-line delineators, channelization devices, exit gates, active message signs, and lane edge markings.
When will Brightline begin service from South Florida to Orlando?
The company has not shared an exact date but has said a target opening range is April to June for the new 170-mile segment between West Palm Beach and Orlando. The announcement came in a report to investors published in February.
Brightline plans to run 32 trains a day between Miami and Orlando.
Brightline’s “Bright Orange 2” train arrived at the company’s vehicle maintenance facility in late February, completing the company’s fleet of 10 trains. It is the last of five new units to arrive in Florida in the past 18 months, officials said.
Bright Orange 2, which has two locomotives and four coaches, weighs 643 tons and is 556 feet long. An extra locomotive also arrived with the train, which will be used to replace locomotives that are undergoing maintenance.
James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com.