The closely monitored private rail company says it has no plans to reopen in Florida any time soon, even as the state relaxes its stay-at-home orders and intercity rail in other parts of the country prepares to restart.
"Virgin Trains USA said Wednesday that it won’t restart its fledgling railroad service in Florida for months, even as the state begins reopening and mass transit reemerges from the coronavirus shutdown in other parts of the country," reports Jonathan Levin.
In the meantime, the company says it is focusing on "construction to Orlando and the development of new stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami," according to Levin.
Service on the Miami-to-West Palm Beach route has been suspended since March, shortly before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order. For a comparison, Amtrak is planning to restart Acela service on the Northeast Corridor on June 1.
FULL STORY: Virgin Trains USA Says Florida Rail to Stay Shut for Months
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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