Brightline tickets for the rail line's South Florida to Orlando route officially went on sale Wednesday morning with an initial purchase date of Friday, Sept. 1.
Officials are confident the intercity rail routes to Orlando will be ready by the Labor Day weekend. One-way and round-trip tickets between South Florida stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando International Airport can be bought at gobrightline.com or by downloading the app.
Guestsare being encouraged to sign upfor Brightline emails ongobrightline.comto be the first to know when summer inaugural rides will go on sale, leading to speculation that a first ride between Orlando and South Florida may be possible sooner than Labor Day.
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“Brightline guests and the travel market have spoken loudly, and we want to respond by opening ticket sales from late summer through the beginning of next year,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “While we are finalizing an official launch date, guests can now book travel for Labor Day, Halloween and holidays through the new year.”
Brightline is nearing the finishing phases of the service, first proposed more than a decade ago, that will link South Florida to Orlando with trains going up to 125 mph, making Brightline the fastest train operating in the Southeast. Brightline estimates 35 million people travel between Central Florida and Miami each year.
The train line is trying to accomplish what others have attempted to do, both in Florida and elsewhere in the United States. Palm Beach Post reporter Kimberly Miller delved deep into Brightline's origins and where it wants to go. To read that story, go here.
Here is additional work taking place leading up to a Brightline service start date:
Rail construction of the St. Lucie River Bridge
Rehabilitation work on St. Lucie River railroad bridge continues this month as Brightline completes that section of the span, one of the last major steps in completing the route to Orlando.
A three-week, round-the-clock shutdown of the 98-year-old bridge began May 1.
The bridgeis scheduled to beclosed until6 a.m. on Monday,May 22. During this time, passage for any vessel needing an opening will be blocked.Overnight bridge closures will continue from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., May 22 to May 29.Crews are working 24/7 on the bridgeto complete the work on time.
High-speed testing up to 110 mph continues
Brightline is continuing to test trains at high speeds, increasing up to 110 mphthrough the 129-mile corridor between West Palm Beach and Cocoa.
Upcomingtestsin May are scheduledbetween 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 31, through Sunday, June 4,along a22-mile section of track involving multiple railroad crossings throughMartin and St. Lucie Counties.
Flaggerswill bepresent at14 of therailroad crossings betweenMidway Road/County Road 712 and State Road A1A where high speed testing will occur.Brightlineis working with law-enforcement agencies throughout the corridor.
High-speedtestingup to 110 mphwill continue in phases along the corridor over the coming weeks.The public is reminded to be vigilant near railroad tracks and follow the law near railroad crossings.
Brightline's 'qualifying train runs' will start
Brightline willcontinue toroll out qualifying trains between South Florida sites and Orlando, a key step before a launch.
A qualifying train does not carry passengers., and the runs will provide Brightline locomotive engineers and conductors an opportunity to learn and navigate thenew 168-mile stretch fromWest Palm Beachto Orlando.
Qualifying train runs help conductors and engineers familiarize themselves with the road crossings, signals, curves and speed restrictions, according to Brightline.
Once this additional work is completed, Brightline will go through a certification process by the Federal Railroad Administration, a regulatory agency, before service can begin.
How much are train tickets?
Brightline's one-way fares from Miami to Orlando will start at $79 for Smart and $149 for Premium.Kids’ Smart one-way fares will start at $39.Smart fare bundles for families of four are available for less than $199 one way. A check of Brightline's app on Wednesday morning found that a one-way Smart ticket from West Palm Beach to Orlando on Sept. 1 will cost $79 while a Premium ticket will cost $149. The first train departs West Palm at 8:07 a.m. and is expected to arrive in Orlando at 10:15 a.m. Prices from Orlando to West Palm Beach are the same.
Passengers can buy tickets at the stations,but they also can purchase them online. Discounted fares are available with two days advance purchase.
What is the South Florida to Orlando train schedule?
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Service will include 16 daily roundtrips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando.
Weekdays
- Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miamistarting at 5 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.
- The first southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miamiat 8:30 a.m.
- Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlandostarting at 6:50 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
- The first northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlandoat 10:15 a.m.
Weekends
- Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miamistarting at 5 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.
- The first southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miamiat 8:30 a.m.
- Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlandostarting at 5:45 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
The company also said it will continue a daily commuter schedule between Miami and West Palm Beach. The early morning departure will be at 5 a.m.from West Palm Beach with evening night departuresuntil 12:45 a.m.from Miami.
How long will it take to get from South Florida stations to Orlando?
Brightline will link riders from Miami to Orlando in about three hours. Here is the estimated time from the South Florida stations:
- Miami to Orlando: Three hours.
- Aventura to Orlando: Two hours, 45 minutes.
- Fort Lauderdale to Orlando: Two hours, 30 minutes.
- Boca Raton to Orlando: Two hours, 15 minutes.
- West Palm Beach to Orlando: Two hours.
Brightline will use a high-tech Wi-Fi system
Brightline will be the only passenger rail service to offerStarlink's high-speed, low-latency broadband service. Starlink, which is engineered and operated by SpaceX, is made possible via the world’s largest constellation of highly advanced satellites operating in a low orbit around the Earth.
The internet service will be complementary for all Brightline guests.
A 'Golden Spike' ceremony will be held at the end of June
To commemorate the beginning of the historic railway, Brightline officialsare looking torecreate a "golden spike" event.
The golden spike was the final 17.6-karat gold final spike driven into the ground to unite the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States on May 10, 1869.
Railways from the Central Pacific Railroad were linked to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.
James Coleman is a journalist at thePalm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism.Subscribe today.
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