Brightline’s highly anticipated expansion to Orlando, which boasts train rides between the city and Miami in under three hours, has reached another milestone! The high-speed rail service is one step closer to reality after construction of the 170-mile corridor between Central and South Florida has been completed.
To celebrate the milestone, mayors from cities housing Brightline stations, along with the Orlando construction team, gathered for a roundtable conversation on transportation and its economic impact in Florida at the Orange County station. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who has recently announced his presidential run, was in attendance along with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Palm Beach County Mayor Gregg Weiss and Aventura Mayor Howard Weinberg.
It’s been four years to get to this point, with the Orlando expansion breaking ground in 2019 after operations began in South Florida between its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations. According to Brightline, construction teams worked more than seven million hours, battling through the pandemic and supply chain shortages to finish the 170 miles of new track.
“Completing this project is the culmination of more than a decade of dedication, determination and hard work,” said Brightline CEO Mike Reininger. “Our team has shown its relentless ability to navigate and overcome challenges to bring us where we are today. We have built something remarkable, and I am excited to see millions of people ride brighter.”
The Orlando expansion project is divided into four zones, which includes a state-of-the-art vehicle maintenance facility, tenant buildout of the station at Orlando International Airport, 56 bridges, three underpasses and upgrades to 156 railroad crossings.
With service from Miami and Orlando set to start later this summer, trains would travel up to 125 mph, making the journey more than two miles per minute. You can learn more about the daily and weekend train schedule and take a look inside the Orlando station here.
Brightline is continuing its critical high speed train testing throughout he corridor between West Palm Beach and Orlando and will test up to 110 mph through Brevard County in July. In addition to testing, Brightline recently completed its final rail and track cutover on the 170-mile project, which integrates a new second track into the existing corridor. Once testing is complete, brightline will conduct crew certification and revenue service demonstration.
Visit the Brightline website to keep up with future updates and tickets, which are on sale now for September through early 2024.