Brightline opens first US passenger line in a century with high-speed Florida train

FLORIDIANS AND TOURISTS TIRED OF THE FOUR-HOUR DRIVE BETWEEN MIAMI AND ORLANDO NOW HAVE A NEW WAY TO TRAVEL – A MUCH FASTER WAY – AND ONE THAT IS LOOKING TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE TRAIN INDUSTRY.

BRIGHTLINE LAUNCHED ITS PRIVATELY FUNDED HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN THE TWO MAJOR CITIES FRIDAY – WITH SPEEDS THAT CAN REACH UP TO 125 MILES PER HOUR. IT’S A FIVE BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT THAT EXPANDED THE COMPANY’S MIAMI-WEST PALM BEACH LINE.

THE PLAN IS FOR 32 TRAINS TO RUN THE THREE AND HALF HOUR (3.5), TWO HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE (235) MILE TRIP DAILY – COSTING SINGLE PASSENGERS $158 FOR A ROUNDTRIP BUSINESS SEAT AND $298 FOR FIRST CLASS.

BRIGHTLINE’S OWNERS — FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP — IS HOPING EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL ON THIS HIGH-SPEED LINE ANNUALLY. HOWEVER, THE COMPANY HAS SEEN SEVERAL SETBACKS AND CONTROVERSIES IN THE PAST INCLUDING A 17-MONTH COVID-19 PANDEMIC RELATED SHUTDOWN AND A FAILED DEAL WITH VIRGIN GROUP FOUNDER RICHARD BRANSON.

BRIGHTLINES TRAINS HAVE THE HIGHEST DEATH RATE OF ALL RAILROADS IN THE U.S., ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS’ ANALYSIS OF FEDERAL DATA – WITH 98 FATALITIES ON ITS TRACKS SINCE THE COMPANY BEGAN OPERATIONS IN 2018 – THAT’S ABOUT ONE DEATH FOR EVERY THIRTY THOUSAND (32,000) MILES ITS TRAINS TRAVEL.

THE SUN SENTINEL REPORTS FRIDAY’S INAUGURAL HIGH-SPEED RIDE BETWEEN MIAMI AND ORLANDO WAS DELAYED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A PEDESTRIAN AND A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN.

THOUGH NONE OF THE DEATHS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE THE COMPANY’S FAULT – BRIGHTLINE HAS INSTITUTED SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING ADDING CLOSED-CIRCUIT CAMERAS, INSTALLING UPDATED CROSSING GATES AND POSTING SUICIDE PREVENTION SIGNAGE.