by Sara Perez Webber
Last updated at 11:40 AM ET on Tue April 25, 2019
Rail travel in the 1920s transformed Florida into an booming tourist destination. Brightline, a century after the launch of its first train, is carrying on that legacy with a modern eco-friendly service connecting two tourist hotspots, Orlando and South Florida.
Brightline debuted its much-anticipated Brightline Orlando Station on April 20, to an audience of over 300 guests, including local dignitaries and elected officials, as well as members of the press.
Brightline CEO Mike Reininger said at the event that the station would provide seamless connections to world renowned theme parks including Walt Disney World and Universal, as well as SeaWorld and of course this incredible airport.
Central Florida residents and visitors can expect to see their backyards grow a bit.
Once service begins this summer–the exact date hasn’t been announced–Brightline will operate 16 daily roundtrips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. The travel time between Orlando and the first South Florida stop, West Palm Beach will be 2 hours.
Brightline Train at the new Orlando Airport Station.
Brightline nonstop trains will run between Orlando and Miami for three hours. Regular service between Orlando and Miami trains will stop at five South Florida stations, including West Palm Beach Boca Raton Fort Lauderdale Aventura, with a three-hour and 30-minute run time.
Brightline will begin selling tickets in May. One-way fares for the SMART service start at $79 and for PREMIUM, they start at $149. Families of four can purchase SMART bundle fares for less than $199 per way. Brightline’s PREMIUM Service includes complimentary meals, drinks, and snacks, including beer, wine, and cocktails; a first-class lounge, free checked baggage, priority boarding, and a dedicated coach.
Brightline’s president, Patrick Goddard said that this is a game changer for the state. Say goodbye to stressful car rides and stretch out in our leather seats. “Say goodbye to traffic and congestion, and watch a movie while you glide through the state as we do the driving.”
Brightline has made history in Florida on more than one occasion. Orlando International Airport is the only airport with a high-speed intercity passenger rail station in the United States. Brightline, the Southeast’s fastest train, recently reached speeds of up to 130 mph.
Brightline Orlando Station has self-service ticketing kiosks.
Goddard noted that approximately 35 million people travel from South Florida to Central Florida each year. 98 percent drive or take the bus. About 50 million people use the airports in Orlando and Miami, and 16 million passengers travel through Central Florida and South Florida’s cruise ports, Port Canaveral Port Everglades PortMiami. Brightline will have a “transformative” impact on Florida tourism, he said. Florida receives 130 million tourists a year.
Goddard said, “We believe that this is an excellent thing for the tourism sector and a great asset for the state in terms of getting people to come to the state and to travel around the state.” “Although it wasn’t a very attractive option before, if you were staying in Central Florida and wanted to visit Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami. Now we think it is. We will make it convenient, safe, environmentally friendly, and easy.
Brightline’s Vice President of Guest Experience, George Edwards, said that the experience begins in the Brightline station, which is designed to be a “callback” to the glamour of the golden age of travel.
The station is sleek and sophisticated, with a lounge dedicated to each service class, PREMIUM or SMART, self-service kiosks, touchless turnstiles, 486 outlets for charging devices, high-speed WiFI, BrightKids, and Brightline’s Mary Mary Bar.
Mary Mary Bar, Brightline Orlando Station. Craft cocktails, snacks, and more.
The Mary Mary Bar will be located at Brightline Orlando Station and serve craft cocktails, snacks, and more. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
The sound of the flapping tiles will bring to mind grand European rail stations.
The stations that lack a distinctive scent, combining notes of vanilla and citrus, are most likely to be those without MRKT PLACE, the convenience store in-station selling last-minute gifts, sundries, and refreshments. Brightline’s scent wafts throughout the stations. If you like it, then you can purchase a Brightline Candle at MRKT Place, the convenience store in the station that sells last-minute items, sundries, and refreshments. The station was designed to keep the passengers inside and protected from the Florida heat, until the train arrives. The escalator will take passengers to two platforms of 1,000 feet.
Brightline Orlando Station is located inside the airport, next to Terminal C which opened in September, and serves JetBlue and international flights. The station is directly connected to Parking Garage C at the airport, which has 350 parking spots reserved for Brightline passengers. Brightline departures will be displayed in the airport and passengers can travel easily to Terminals A or B using the automated people mover.
Goddard stated that the Brightline station at the Orlando airport “opens up an entire bunch of new markets,” including international travelers. The train service was launched in South Florida, in 2018. He said that the station’s launch was more of a “global launch” than a “local launch”. We’re now in the process of signing contracts with wholesalers and are getting ready to launch our system on GDS in the next few months, so travel agents can book and get a commission because that’s where we know a lot of this business comes from. Commissionable rates should be in place when the Orlando service begins, said Goddard.
Brightline’s President Patrick Goddard spoke at the Brightline Orlando Station Unveiling.
Travel agents can now register as Bright Advisors on GoBrightline.com. This gives them discounted rates for Brightline’s services in South Florida. Brightline’s Vice President of Distribution, Gabriel Martinez, stated that the Orlando station opening prompted an influx of registrations.
Martinez said that everyone understands the importance and value of travel. “We will be enhancing the tools we offer to travel advisors.”
Brightline’s new service connecting South Florida to Orlando offers travel agents new opportunities to market Florida.
Brightline, which has expanded into South Florida, offers the Brightline+ service to make it easier for passengers who want to travel to or from their stations. The PREMIUM fare includes a complimentary Uber anywhere within a 5-mile radius of the Brightline station. The Brightline app allows passengers to add an Uber ride, and the pickup time will automatically match the schedule of the train.
Brightline coaches have comfortable leather seats.
The seats on Brightline coaches are made of leather.
Brightline+ provides fixed-route shuttles that run between the Miami station, Miami International Airport and three Miami Beach destinations; as well as the Fort Lauderdale station, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and the Fort Lauderdale Station. One-way rides cost $10 per person. Brightline Aventura Mall Shuttle takes passengers to Aventura Mall bus stop. Free neighborhood electric vehicles are available at the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton stations, as well as Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. Brightline also offers shuttles for special events and sporting activities, such as games of the Miami Marlins and Miami HEAT, and Inter Miami CF.
Brightline’s easy-to-use service, its on-time performance and the comfortable leather seats equipped with USB and power outlets as well as its snack and beverage services have won it many fans along South Florida route. A passenger who was on a Miami-bound train, and heard about Brightline’s soon-to open Orlando service, raved about Brightline’s convenience, amenities, and partnership with Uber, declared, “I will never drive to Orlando again!”