Brightline Unveils Orlando International Airport Station

All photos: Brightline

Brightline, the Florida-based private-sector passenger railroad, on April 20 unveiled its completed new station at Orlando International Airport and revealed future plans, including some indications about schedules and fares. The present service runs between Miami and West Palm Beach, and the current plan calls for the upcoming extension to the station at Central Florida’s biggest airport to open for service this summer.

Brightline currently runs between three South Florida stations: Miami Central Station in downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, offering what amounts to a luxury “commuter” service between the three stops. The long-term goal has been Orlando International Airport, and the unveiling of the station there demonstrates that the railroad is moving rapidly toward starting service. Brightline has also been talking about expanding westward to Tampa, with service to a location providing access the Disney properties.

Regarding fares, Brightline announced that “Orlando ticket sales will launch in May for future dates, with one-way fares starting at $79 for SMART and $149 for PREMIUM. SMART fare bundles for families of four will be available for less than $199 one way.” “SMART” fares are what Brightline considers coach fares, in cars with 2-2 seating. “PREMIUM” fares include food and beverages, while riding in cars with 2-1 seating. Brightline did not specify a date when service will start, but that will be revealed when ticket sales begin.

For the first time, Brightline specified some information about the schedules that will become effective when the airport station opens for service: “Service will begin in Summer 2023 and will include 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. Brightline’s non-stop trains have a run time between Miami and Orlando of two hours and 59 minutes. Regular service from Orlando to Miami will stop at all Brightline stations including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, with a run time of three hours and 30 minutes.” The stations at Boca Raton and Aventura opened for service in December 2022.

On weekdays, Brightline is planning hourly departures: southbound from 5:00 a.m. until 8:50 p.m., with the first train arriving at Miami at 8:30, and northbound from 6:50 a.m. until 9:45 p.m., with the first train arriving at Orlando Airport at 9:15 a.m. The weekend schedule would be the same, except the first train will leave Miami at 5:45 a.m. and arrive at Orlando Airport station at 10:15. There will also be local trains in the current service areas, as Brightline announced: “Additional dedicated trains will continue to serve commuters and the South Florida region between Miami and West Palm Beach with early morning departures at 5:00 a.m. from West Palm Beach and late-night departures until 12:45 a.m. out of Miami.”

In an apparent nod to its northern destination, the style of the newly unveiled Orlando International Airport station has the “airport look” consistent with waiting areas at Brightline’s stations further south. The railroad described the “Brightline Orlando Station Experience” this way: “The new station is meticulously designed and built through the lens of today’s modern traveler. The 37,350-square-foot station is located in Orlando International Airport’s new 80,000-square-foot Train Station facility adjacent to Terminal C. The Train Station connects directly to the airport’s Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces branded for Brightline guests. The Train Station provides direct access to airport Terminals A and B via the airport Terminal Link (automated people-mover) in under five minutes. Transportation and mobility options at the Orlando Station include Brightline’s first and last-mile service, Brightline Plus, which will cater to the unique needs of the Orlando visitor.” There was no mention of other transportation between the airport and anywhere else, although local LYNX buses go there. A bus ride downtown from there takes almost one hour; less time with a connection to Sun Rail.

Brightline also described the station’s amenities: “The guest journey begins at the main entrance, located off the airport’s expansive two-story glass atrium. Once inside the station, passengers can purchase tickets from guest services or one of several self-service kiosks, and check luggage before proceeding through touchless turnstiles into the security screening tunnel.” There are several amenities, including food service, WiFi, phone charging stations and the like. Also included is “BrightKids, a children’s play area located in the SMART lounge,” a feature that used to be found at fast-food outlets, but not in a train station in this country. Another is described this way: “Above the Mary Mary bar is an iconic, split-flap message board that can rotate alphanumeric text and/or graphics to form a message. A nostalgic nod to historic train stations, the split-flap will provide updated train schedules, boarding times, news of the day and other announcements complete with sounds reminiscent of the first passenger train stations in America.” How similar will that board be to the Solari boards that graced stations along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor from the 1970s until recently remains to be seen.

There is other information that we don’t have yet, but Vanessa Alfonso, Brightline’s Media Relations Director, told Railway Age: “Full schedules will be available once tickets go on sale in May,” and “We will have first-last-mile services with Brightline Plus and will share those soon.” There is also no date set for the first revenue train, but Alfonso reaffirmed that “it will be this summer.”

The last time a scheduled passenger train ran between West Palm Beach and Cocoa was in 1968. The segment between Cocoa and Orlando Airport will run on newly constructed railroad that Brightline built for the service. There is always a period of anticipation when a new train is scheduled to appear on the rails, and that period for Brightline is now in full swing.