Good and bad news for followers of Brightline, a South Florida rail start-up. Service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale begins in July, with Miami soon thereafter, but opponents may hamper extension to Orlando.
"Brightline plans to start service between Fort Lauderdale and Miami in August or September, Brightline marketing officer Julie Edwards told the Urban Land Institute for Southeast Florida and the Caribbean" on March 10, report Jennifer Sorentrue and Tony Doris for the Palm Beach Post.
Travel between West Palm Beach and Miami will be about an hour, with trains not exceeding 79 miles per hour. Ticket prices haven't been determined yet. See map (pdf) showing service area.
Brightline is "anticipating a grand opening and official launch of the train service in September" after service to Miami has been launched, according to All Aboard Florida, the company behind the new service.
More good news: Brightline's second trainset arrived on Monday from Sacramento, California, where they are manufactured at a Siemens USA factory, notes a press release. Each trainset is composed of four passenger cars and two locomotives.
“It is exciting to reach another important Brightline milestone as BrightPink [named for color of cars] arrives in Florida,” said Brightline CEO David Howard. The first trainset, "BrightBlue", arrived in January.
"In all, five trains are expected to arrive in South Florida before the company launches the first leg of its passenger service this summer," add Sorentrue and Doris.
Eventually, Brightline plans to expand service north to Orlando.
Track work for the second phase of the project, which runs between West Palm Beach and Orlando, has not yet begun. Treasure Coast leaders are challenging that stretch of the project, and have filed a federal lawsuit to block bonds that the company had planned to use to pay for the construction.
And that brings up the bad news for the privately funded railway — new legislation "could threaten its expansion to Orlando and other points across the state," reports Sorentrue on Tuesday.
The bill (SB 386), dubbed the Florida High-Speed Passenger Rail Safety Act, cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday, winning support from the Senate’s Committee on Transportation.
“What this bill does is create a climate for many years of legal and administrative challenges,” Rusty Roberts, vice president of government affairs for All Aboard Florida, said.
According to the legislative analysis (pg. 7 of 23 [pdf]), the trains will travel at high speeds for the second phase of construction to connect to Orlando.
According to (All Aboard Florida), Brightline will travel at speeds between 79 and 125 miles per hour. Between Miami and West Palm, the trains will travel up to 79 mph; between West Palm to Cocoa, up to 110 mph; and from Cocoa to Orlando, up to 125 mph...
The bill lays out a series of requirements that rail operators must meet. A major issue is if it targets one company, which would be unconstitutional. Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, said it doesn't.
“This is not about a particular high-speed passenger train,” Mayfield said. “This is about setting a framework for Florida.”
Hat tip to AASHTO Daily Transportation Update.
FULL STORY: Brightline to start service in July between WPB and Ft. Lauderdale
Florida's Brightline to Break Ground on Delayed Orlando Leg
The second phase of the highly anticipated Brightline express train service is finally moving forward after unanticipated delays.
Fatalities Mount from Brightline, South Florida's New Higher-Speed Train Service
A 51-year-old bicyclist became the second fatality in the first week of revenue service. It was the fourth fatality since the summer for the diesel train, which operates from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.
All Aboard Florida's Brightline Set to Launch this Month
The privately funded, diesel-powered trains will run at speeds up to 79 mph between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with an extension to Miami opening early next year. Real estate development is key to profitability.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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