Virgin Trains USA has the funding to start construction on a rail link between Orland and West Palm Beach, and the system has launched its official rebranding under its new ownership.
"Brightline, the high-speed rail service from West Palm Beach to Miami, has now secured funding to lay tracks heading north to Orlando," reports Thomas Forester.
The funding will come from a $1.75 billion bond sale. "Virgin Trains says the company’s new bond issue was also used to refund $600 million in bonds the rail service sold back in 2017," according to Forester.
Treasure Coast officials are pitching the Brightline as an alternative to driving in an increasingly congested region, but some opponents think the tracks could worsen congestion by conflicting with streets and car traffic.
While the article refers to the train system as Brightline, Richard Branson was on hand in Miami this week to officially launch the rebranding of the company after Virgin bought Brightline late last year and renamed the company Virgin Trains USA.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research