Brightline slates fares and service date

Written by Railway Age Staff
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Brightline announced a new launch date for revenue service as well as schedule and fares for the private South Florida passenger rail operations.

The company will begin introductory service Jan. 13 between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The “Try Our Train” fares are $10 per segment for basic service and $15 for Select service with larger seats and more amenities. A segment is one way between Brightline’s West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale stations.

Brightline had earlier planned to begin service in July 2017, but then delayed that to the week of January 8. The company expects to become fully operational and extend service into downtown Miami in the coming months. It has been running a simulated service since December, with 10 round trips between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

The introductory service will feature 10 daily weekday roundtrips and nine on weekends. The trip between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach is expected to take about 35 minutes. Trains will depart as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. The schedules will differ between weekdays and weekends.

The news comes as Brightline launched its mobile app and new website.

Brightline also shuffled its management team, promoting Patrick Goddard to president, replacing Chief Executive Dave Howard, a former sports executive who was hired in March 2017.

Brightline operates on Florida East Coast Railway infrastructure, upgraded to permit 79 mph operation on the 67-mile section between Miami and West Palm Beach. Trains are projected to operate up to 110 mph in the next 133-mile phase of the project to Cocoa Beach.

Construction on Phase 2 to Orlando International Airport will begin in 2018.

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