First Leg Of Miami-Orlando Train Set To Open

CORAL GABLES, FL — The first leg of the highly anticipated Miami-to-Orlando Brightline train is set to open in early January, according to a spokesperson for the train operator. The line will reduce a four-hour trip by car to three hours by train.

"We'll launch introductory service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on the week of Jan. 8," the spokesperson told Patch on Friday. "Construction on the rail infrastructure and Miami central continues to progress and we look forward to extending the service to Miami in early 2018."

The company has not yet said how much tickets on the new service will cost, but plans to offer "Try Our Train" introductory fares. The trip between Miami and West Palm Beach normally takes 90 minutes by car, but should take less than an hour by train, according to Brightline. Similarly, the 45-minute trip between Miami and Fort Lauderdale will take less than half an hour.

Brightline received its final federal permits in recent weeks to begin construction on the segment between Orlando and Cocoa, Florida. The U.S. Department of Transportation also approved a $1.15 billion private activity bond allocation to also help fund the project.

"We've had a great year and we've made a lot of progress," the spokesperson explained. The company plans to begin construction to Orlando in the first quarter of 2018.

Brightline is also working on the installation of a new signal system and Positive Train Control for the entire system between Miami and Orlando. Such systems are designed to automatically stop trains when they detect a possible collision or in the case of trains that are traveling too fast.

The system will be in place between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018 and will be operational along the entire 235-mile route when the extension to Orlando opens. It is not yet clear when that might be.

Brightline’s station in Orlando will be located at the Orlando International Airport’s new Intermodal Terminal Facility which will serve as the hub of the future South Terminal complex.

The company is planning to use existing track for parts of the project.

"Between downtown Miami and Cocoa, Brightline will utilize the Florida East Coast Railway. The FEC was originally double tracked," according to the spokesperson, who said that the second track was removed several decades ago. "We reinstalled the second track and then upgraded all the rail infrastructure along the corridor."

Photos courtesy Brightline