Florida's Brightline passenger rail as an opportunity to rearticulate and extend transit service in cities like Orlando
I have zero personal experience with transit in South Florida.
I know that Miami is served by bus, a heavy rail system that was burdened by a poor system design that didn't focus on stoking ridership, an intra-district downtown transit service called Metromover ("Making the case for intra-city vs. inter-city transit planning," 2011, "Brief follow up to intra-district transit proposal for Tysons: Toyama City Compact City initiative (Japan)," 2020) and a regional commuter railroad that apparently doesn't serve a lot of places--it's only with the creation of Brightline that it will extend from Palm Beach County to Miami--it doesn't currently serve Dade County (Tri-Rail Miami Link).
Also see "Two of a kind: Miami's Metrorail and Metromover." There are a couple of Metrorail stations--a polycentric system--that link with the Metromover. Miami Metrorail is one of the "next generation" new heavy rail systems in the US along with BART in the SF Bay, MARTA in Atlanta, Metrorail in DC, and the one line subway in Baltimore (it was at the tail end, so funding for expansion disappeared).
Cool train branding designs though for Tri-Rail.
I have five foundational pieces on organizing transit at the regional and multi-state scales.
The first proposes a "transport association" based on the German VV model, where all the local transit providers commit to integrated service, and a common schedule and fare system. Although it has a problem of not necessarily including for profit actors.
-- "The
answer is: Create a single multi-state/regional multi-modal transit
planning, management, and operations authority association," 2017
--"Verkehrsverbund: The evolution and spread of fully integrated regional public transport in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland," Ralph Buehler, John Pucher & Oliver Dümmler, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation (2018)
-- Transport Alliances - – Promoting Cooperation and Integration to offer a more attractive and efficient Public Transport, VDV, the trade association for German transport associations.
The second uses my "transformational projects action plan" approach to transit planning, with the idea that new additions to service should be used to simultaneously drive other improvements across the transit system.
Relatedly, the third is about transit as a "design product" and branding.
-- "Branding's not all you need for transit," 2018
-- "One
big idea: Getting MARC and Metrorail to integrate fares, stations, and
marketing systems, using London Overground as an example," 2015
-- "BVG Jelbi — world’s most extensive MaaS solution in Berlin," Medium
The fourth, based on how rail passenger services are organized and delivered in Japan, proposes passenger rail as a foundation to regional and multi-state transit, with regional railroads (like my RACER proposal for the DC area, "A new backbone for the regional transit system: merging the MARC Penn and VRE Fredericksburg Lines," 2017) organized through six districts covering multiple states, with wide scale passenger services across and within districts provided by Amtrak.
-- "Two train/regional transit ideas: Part 1 | Amtrak should acquire Greyhound," 2021
The fifth is writing on bus transit.
-- "Making bus transit service sexy and more equitable," 2012
--"Will buses ever be cool? Boston versus the Raleigh-Durham's GoTransit Model," 2017
-- "What Richmond can't teach DC about bus services," 2019
Brightline is a new railroad passenger service that started in South Florida, is expanding to Orlando and intends to expand to Tampa. They are building modern train stations with the aim of their serving as business and community hubs.
Note that separately, Brightline is building a similar service between Las Vegas and Exurban Los Angeles. Brightline West will start at the Rancho Cucamonga Station in San Bernardino County, which is served by the regional Metrolink passenger rail system. People will ride out to Rancho Cucamonga and transfer to Brightline.
The train stations aren't necessarily world class, but a step forward for the US (outside of Grand Central Station in New York City).
To ride is expensive compared to the regional commuter rail in South Florida and Brightline has had serious problems with crashes with vehicles and pedestrians. Lots of deaths.
But it's quite impressive in two ways.
Granted they've been able to do it because Brightline is a division of Florida East Coast Railroad and uses its right of way. But still. To get from Miami to Orlando in 11 years is an incredible accomplishment.
By contrast, It's taking 40 years from the concept of the Purple Line transit line in Suburban DC to realize maybe 20% of the proposed line, 18 miles, with zero planning for extensions currently underway.
It's over 200 miles between Miami and Orlando.
And their first mile/last mile transit connections might actually be the best in the world. Brightline is a true innovator in creating transit service zones around their stations, some services are free, others cost money or are built into premium services. They have branded special event transit service, provide service to certain airports, and the Port of Miami Cruise Terminal, etc.
Also see:
I hate to admit that despite all my writings on TPAS and transit, it hadn't occurred to me to explore the concept with the Brightline passenger rail system.
The planning approach needs to be applied at multiple scales. Within cities and metropolitan areas. Across metropolitan areas. And across the state. And note Brightline made some commitments to put in a station or two between West Palm Beach and Orlando ("Where will Brightline have train stations between Orlando and Tampa?,"Tampa Bay Business Journal).
With local subsidy, they've already opened additional stations in Aventura and Boca Raton, which weren't planned as part of the original service footprint ("27% of Brightline riders come from new stations," Miami Today).
Brightline is a great opportunity to drive improvements across local transit networks in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Orlando, and eventually Tampa.
A friend is in Orlando right now and he says that public transit isn't great. They do have bus service, which in the past has been heralded as a great example of marketing and branding, and a poorly used commuter rail (it costs them more to collect fares than they make in fare revenue).
They are looking to improve transit but haven't had a lot of success--failed tax referenda in 2020 and 2022 with another possible attempt for 2024, and there is back-biting ("Mayor Demings wary of Universal’s SunRail expansion plan, cites ‘lack of transparency’," Mass Transit Magazine).
Again, Brightline provides a perfect opportunity to build a new consensus for how to handle public transit in Greater Orlando, along the lines I've recommended for DC Metrorail for a long time.
-- "What it will take to get WMATA out of crisis continued and 2016's 40th anniversary of WMATA as an opportunity to rebuild," 2015
-- "WMATA and two types of public relations programs," 2015
-- "St. Louis regional transit planning process as a model for what needs to be done in the DC Metropolitan region," 2009
And some of that seems to be happening, at least with the local commuter line ("Brightline, Orlando and Orange County collaborate on potential convention center rail route," Orlando Business Journal). From the article:
The vision of the "Sunshine Corridor Program" would include a shared corridor between Brightline and SunRail which would allow SunRail to connect with Orlando International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center and Walt Disney World.
Photo: Ryan Lynch, Orlando Business Journal.
My friend says there is no good public transportation from the airport to the city's major hotels. From the OBJ:
The growing Iinternational Drive resort area currently has about 75,000 employees, a number projected to reach 100,000 in the next few years, which increases the need for a connected transportation system.
Again, airport to city transportation is a great opportunity for rearticulating transit. Especially with the opening of Brightline service there. That would be a big deal in any big city.
Sadly, Disney dumped their Disney Express service which provided
high quality transit service to Disney World, bundled into hotel reservations, although the private
sector has stepped in.
-- "Manhattan
Institute misses the point about the value of light rail transit
connections to airports | Utility and the network effect: the transit
network as a platform ," 2020
-- "Airport transportation demand management in flux," 2019
-- "Transportation demand management, transit: Los Angeles Airport (LAX) and Logan Airport, Boston," 2019
-- "London's Stansted Airport provides digital information on transit options," 2019
-- "Why not a bicycle hub at National Airport?, focused on capturing worker trips but open to all," 2017
-- "A brief comment on ground transportation at National Airport vis a vis VRE rail service," 2016
-- "Revisiting stories: ground transportation at airports (DCA/Logan)," 2017
-- "Airports and public transit access: O'Hare Airport and the proposed fast connection from Downtown Chicago," 2018
-- "More on airport-related transit/transit for visitors," 2013
The Tampa area has had many failures in trying to pass referendums to support transit expansion ("Tampa Bay Times investigative report on transit in the Tampa-St. Petersburg Metropolitan Area," 2017).
But that could be reversed in association with Brightline service extension from Orlando, especially if they have examples of Brightline + local transit network improvement in Orlando and the South Florida cities now.
In South Florida some of that is happening, maybe not with bus and heavy rail, but the commuter rail is expanding some. And some of the cities un-served by Brightline are building stations in return for agreements for future service.
Kyushu Shinkansen as an example of how to do complementary transit improvements across the network.
What Kyushu Prefecture has done with the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen is a perfect example. Complementing the new high speed rail service, they've invested in new train stations, in tourism marketing, in better connections, such as to the Nagasaki International Airport, and transit marketin. It may be the best "in real life" example of the point I make about linking new infrastructure with complementary improvements across the transit network.
A way to do this would be to organize transport associations in South Florida, Orlando, and Tampa, to coordinate transit services.
Brightline as an opportunity to improve transit in Florida State. Brightline serves South and Central Florida, focused on the east side of the state. There aren't plans to extend north up to Jacksonville. There aren't plans to extend north and south from Tampa on the west side of the state.
Amtrak. Perhaps some of the slack could be picked up by Amtrak. Amtrak could expand and extend services within the state to complement Brightline.
The Silver Meteor and Silver Star serve the Atlantic Coast with service to Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami and intermediate points. The Auto Train allows people to travel with their car from Virginia to Florida.
The Sunset Limited served Florida at times, but for almost two decades initially because of hurricane effects on infrastructure, it has not.
Florida could step up like some states--California, Maine, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington State are premier examples--that have created joint programs with Amtrak to expand intra-state service. Amtrak Cascades actually joins Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia working together.
Perhaps Brightline could be expanded to be a true intra-state railroad passenger service, not unlike how I suggest Maryland (MARC), Massachusetts (MBTA), New York (Metro-North, LIRR), and Pennsylvania (SEPTA) could have true statewide rail systems by building out from existing rail services.
Labels: railroad passenger services, sustainable mobility platform, transit marketing, transit networks, transportation demand management
posted by Richard Layman @ 3:30 AM&Permanent Link
26 Comments:
Good editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer about how SEPTA should refocus attention on the core system, since they didn't get federal funding for the extension to King of Prussia Mall.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/septa-service-improvements-maintenance-kop-king-prussia-rail-20230323.html
SEPTA made the right decision to stop its suburban plans. Here’s how it can best serve riders going forward
First, it should avoid making huge leadership changes. Employment contracts mean that getting rid of executives can be costly, and current general manager Leslie Richards should be given the opportunity to prove herself.
2. To improve service, SEPTA must ensure that basic functions return to normalcy. That means clean, safe, smoke-free stations for all riders and an end to relentless equipment and operator shortages. The agency says that its transit police are making more arrests and banning more offenders, but problems with crime remain. A back-to-basics campaign, along with a concerted, consistent, and visible push to secure stations, can win back riders.
Part of that security push should include installing high fare gates. These gates would allow SEPTA to reduce fare evasion without involving police or rowing back on a 2019 policy change that reduced penalties for nonpayment. Failure to enforce fare rules — like the choice not to enforce a mask mandate during the early stages of the pandemic — stemmed from wanting to reduce unnecessary contact between riders and police. Both choices contributed to the sense of lawlessness on the system and led to more people avoiding transit.
3. Improvement of staffing levels is also crucial for service. A significant uptick in hiring has not been enough to stem the departures of workers to other transit agencies in the region, particularly NJ Transit, which is offering a $6,000 signing bonus to new employees. SEPTA has to have something to offer if it wants to compete.
4. The system needs to better publicize other major capital plans. Two projects — “Trolley Modernization” and “Reimagining Regional Rail” — have the potential to add tens of thousands of riders and bring the network into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These proposals represent an exciting opportunity to reacquaint residents with the rail services they already have. Yet few people, outside of dedicated transit enthusiasts, know about them.
5. SEPTA must also focus on expansions that make sense, such as the Roosevelt Boulevard subway. While the King of Prussia rail line would have drawn about 10,000 daily riders, a Roosevelt Boulevard subway would serve up to 124,500 daily passengers and divert more than 80,000 daily car trips.
SEPTA needs to do the work to regain the public’s trust and restore ridership, but a better future for public transit depends on state and local support and the creation of a consistent regional funding source. If the region is to benefit from an unprecedented investment in public transportation from the federal government, it’s essential that SEPTA invest in projects that provide maximum benefits for the public good.
Review of riding Brightline from Miami to West Palm Beach to go to a restaurant. Very positive.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/article-in-florida-is-it-better-to-rent-a-car-or-take-the-train/
"In Florida, is it better to rent a car or take the train?"
3/22/2023
Brightline’s tickets start below US$10 for trips between Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm. However, tickets in the winter high season can often cost upwards of US$30 each way. We scored two upgraded tickets, which allowed access to a lounge with a charcuterie spread and pour-it-yourself wine and beer. Tickets to this section are steep – about US$60 one way. While commuters dominated the crowd waiting in the main area of the terminal, many people in the VIP lounge seemed to be doing the same thing as us, heading north for a night out – and hitting the rosé tap hard until boarding call went out for our 3:48 p.m. train.
On board, the Brightline is sleek and modern. Even the coach-level cars have seats as wide as an airline’s first class, modest but clean bathrooms, and a rolling cart with drinks and snacks for purchase. Up in the premium-level car, we lounged in chairs as big as La-Z-Boys, punched the recline button and ordered a cabernet. The man pushing the cart poured from a cloyingly sweet bottle of 19 Crimes, the one with Snoop Dogg’s face on the label, and handed us plastic cups, an odd contrast to the otherwise fine surroundings.
... Unlike Miami and Fort Lauderdale, where the stations sit in up-and-coming areas, West Palm’s station is dead centre in the charming downtown, a short walk to the Rosemary Square entertainment district and the bars and restaurants along Clematis Street.
... Uber got us back to the station with almost an hour to kill before our 7:48 p.m. train, and we considered grabbing a drink nearby. But the fine print on the tickets suggests showing up early because trains can inexplicably depart a couple of minutes ahead of schedule. (Recently, I showed up to a Brightline station early and watched a young woman and her elderly parents get turned away because their train had left two minutes early.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/03/29/brightline-expansion-miami-patrick-goddard-train.html
"Brightline President Patrick Goddard reveals No. 1 question he's asked about Orlando train route"
In the long-term, the Miami-based company expects as much as 60% of its ridership on the Orlando route to originate from South Florida, as the company has "warmed up the market" there for the service, Goddard told Orlando Business Journal.
“A lot of those people already are familiar with our product, they already know what it is about," Goddard said. "We are just making the product more relevant to them because we have this important destination of Orlando to offer."
... You are affording people a chance to skip the airport, not sit in the car, be able to work, be productive, have a cocktail if you want, have productive time with colleagues while traveling from one place to another. We think it’s a game changer. What gets people on the train to begin with is the focus on travel time, but the intrinsic benefits of travel by train versus travel by car become all the more apparent when you experience the train once. That’s what we expect to happen with the launch of the long-haul service.
... We think with the current configuration of trains with these coaches, you have the capacity to carry roughly 3 million passengers per year between South Florida and Central Florida. As we add more coaches in 2024 and 2025, that number will go up. Ultimately, the system will be able to carry 6 million to 7 million people. We expand to Tampa, and that number continues to grow. We’re at capacity in South Florida, so we expect a faster ramp-up for the long-haul service based on the fact that our largest audience already is familiar with the product.
https://www.gobrightline.com/food-and-drinks
Happy hour for premium ticket holders. Not happy hour prices though. Food available. Hopefully it's good.
Premium fares can include unlimited drinks and snacks including at the station before boarding.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Miami/comments/wsf0n9/has_anyone_ridden_the_brightline_on_a_premium/
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/miami-exploring-effort-to-expand-commuter-rail-service/
Again, it's incredible to me that you can build a commuter rail system without connections to major destinations like the Airport and Convention Center.
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/05/19/florida-sunrail-train-construction-to-start-deland.html
"Construction to start on SunRail's next train station"
(Orlando)
"Sunshine Corridor may boost transit-oriented development"
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/04/10/sunshine-corridor-orlando-brightline-development.html
Even though hardly anyone rides SunRail...
The Central Florida commuter rail system has already drawn nearly $2 billion of development close to its stations along the existing 49.5 mile corridor near Interstate 4. The combined rail route with Brightline would add stops near the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive, as well as connect SunRail with Orlando International Airport.
3,600 daily riders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunRail
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/bikes-no-longer-allowed-on-florida-brightline-trains-17772671
Brightline opens $6 billion line to Orlando, expands U.S. rail market
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/09/22/brightline-higher-speed-trains-orlando/
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/brightline-mears-connect-miami-orlando-transportation-disney-world/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/florida-train-disney-world/
Plans to connect the local commuter rail system to the airport, thereby connecting to Downtown Orlando, and then to add weekend service.
Article discusses funding options for the expansion.
Here's what Orlando leaders say must happen before SunRail weekend service begins
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/10/09/sunrail-weekend-service-orlando-sunshine-corridor.html
Dyer said after an Oct. 9 Orlando City Council workshop that weekend service likely would not happen until the commuter rail has a connection to the airport. Plans for that corridor likely would include the ability to phase the route, with one potential phase being the airport to the existing SunRail line, a second from the existing line to the convention center and a third to South International Drive.
"When we go to the airport, it will be an absolute necessity we go seven days a week and more frequent service," he said. The mayor added that could create momentum for the other parts of the corridor to start and would allow the commuter rail to connect with the over 20,000 employees at the airport. There's no exact timetable for the new route, but Dyer said he expects it won't happen for at least two more years.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Transportation District 5 Secretary John Tyler on Oct. 9 gave an update on the transition of the commuter rail from FDOT to the five local government partners — the city of Orlando and Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties.
He also spoke about the proposed Sunshine Corridor SunRail would share with intercity passenger train Brightline, which would connect SunRail with Orlando International Airport and allow both trains to connect with the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive near Walt Disney World Resort.
We Rode the NEW Brightline Train at the Orlando Airport, and It's a Gamechanger | the disney food blog
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2023/10/09/we-rode-the-new-brightline-train-at-the-orlando-airport-and-its-a-gamechanger/
Pricing hints at early patterns of Brightline ticket demand: Analysis
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/pricing-hints-at-early-patterns-of-brightline-ticket-demand-analysis/
https://allears.net/2023/10/23/6-ways-the-new-brightline-train-will-change-your-disney-world-trips-forever/
https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/11/21/brightline-central-florida-october-ridership-miami.html
Total ridership for October — including service between only the company's five South Florida stations — was at 205,745, or 101% higher than last year's total of 102,615 when there was no service to Central Florida. Total revenue — which includes ticket and ancillary revenue such as food service — for the month was $12.8 million, compared to $3 million in October 2022.
... rightline also noted corporate ridership for October was at 10,216 passengers for last month, up 40% from October 2022.
Year-to-date through October, Brightline had 1.61 million riders, up from 944,030 during the first 10 months of 2022. Total revenue through October was at $57 million, compared to $23.5 million last year.
Brightline has projected 4.3 million “long-distance” annual passengers between South Florida and Orlando in 2025 once service stabilizes.
... Brightline is working with commuter rail SunRail on the Sunshine Corridor, which would include shared stations at Orlando International Airport, Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive near Walt Disney World Resort. The corridor would let Brightline continue to Tampa.
Orlando Business Journal sister publication Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Florida Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman (R-Tampa) sponsored a request from Hillsborough County Commissioner Michael Owen which would incorporate "a modest scope of additional structure work" into a $2 billion Interstate 4 construction project near Orlando that would allow for intercity passenger rail service. The move likely would preserve that corridor for Brightline.
Light buffet in the station lounges for first class passengers.
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/brightline-orlando-miami/
Too short allowance for parking.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Brightline/s/OT2rKfsbuj
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-26/brightline-florida-s-high-speed-railroad-slashes-2024-ridership-forecast
Brightline, Florida’s High-Speed Railroad, Slashes 2024 Ridership Forecast
The Florida high-speed rail system last month disclosed in bond documents that it anticipates carrying a combined 5.5 million passengers this year on its new long-distance service between Miami and the Orlando airport and on its five-year-old South Florida commuter line between West Palm Beach and Miami.
That’s down 21% from Brightline’s forecast of about 7 million riders in September, when the service to Orlando airport opened.
Fortress Investment Group-backed Brightline said this month that the Florida lines carried about 2.1 million passengers in 2023, signaling how important building ridership on the Miami-Orlando route will be to making the railroad profitable. The updated passenger numbers come as Brightline weighs refinancing its $4 billion in municipal and other debt as early as this quarter.
“They have a ways to go to reach the level that is needed long term,” said Dan Solender, head of municipal debt at Lord Abbett & Co. “They’re expanding service but we still need to see if the demand can attain their aspirations.”
... The overwhelming number of travelers between the two cities drive the 235 miles (378 kilometers). The journey is “too short to fly, too long to drive,” says a Brightline bond offering document.
The rail service makes the trip in 3 hours and 30 minutes, reaching speeds as high as 125 miles per hour. Brightline runs 16 daily trains between the cities, with one-way tickets priced as low as $49 for coach and $149 for first-class. Brightline plans to extend the line west to Tampa, with a projected completion in 2028.
... Skeptics say South Florida’s car culture will be hard to disrupt and that train passengers would need to take a ride share or rent a car to get from the Orlando airport to the city’s tourism destinations, such as Disney World or Universal Studios theme parks. Brightline is planning one or more stations to serve theme parks on its extension to Tampa.
===
Group pricing that is cheaper, to counteract the fact that the marginal cost for additional passengers when driving is zero.
Better first and last mile connections to Disney World and other attractions.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2024-03-01/train-florida-high-speed-rail-line-from-vegas-to-california?sfmc_id=6532a51625b3640666c8366
New high-speed train from Vegas to SoCal will be a model for the nation — if it succeeds
Definitely aiming for a premium service. $400 ticket.
2100+ pages of Brightline financial data.
https://emma.msrb.org/P11702782-P11309279-P11740810.pdf
3/15/24
Brightline to add train stop in Cocoa, providing access to Brevard cruise ships
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/12/brightline-announces-it-will-add-train-stop-in-cocoa
The high-speed train connecting Miami to Orlando plans to add another stop along the way as Brightline officials said Tuesday it would put a station in Cocoa.
The new stop could draw residents from Central and South Florida as well as tourists flying into Orlando International Airport providing easier access to the cruise ships at Port Canaveral and other attractions in Brevard County.
The rail line began in 2018 as a three-stop service between Miami and West Palm Beach with a station in Fort Lauderdale and has since expanded with a station at Orlando’s airport that opened in 2023 after having already added stops in South Florida in both Aventura and Boca Raton in 2022.
The Cocoa stop would be the second station between West Palm Beach and Orlando, as the line also recently announced it would build one in the Treasure Coast in Stuart. Future extensions could bring it to Tampa as well.
Targeting northern Brevard County gives access to yet another major tourism hub with proximity to Port Canaveral, the second-largest cruise port in the world. Brightline already works with local transportation to get passengers to PortMiami and Port Everglades from their stations.
“We’re projecting over seven million passenger movements this year, and we are thrilled that our guests will have another transportation option to embark on a cruise from Port Canaveral,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray in an emailed statement.
It also opens access to tourism draws such as Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Cocoa Beach. The train’s path follows the Florida East Coast Railway corridor until it heads west toward the Orlando airport adjacent State Road 528.
Brightline losing money despite increased revenue, ridership from Miami-Orlando service
https://archive.is/A6ZVt#selection-431.0-431.87
Higher interest and operating expenses contributed to an 18.1% higher net loss in 2023 compared to 2022, to $306.68 million from $259.58 million. That includes: Operating expenses: Up 30.4% over the year, to $176.05 million from $134.98 million, for labor, maintenance, fuel and other train expenses.
Brightline revenue increased 174% in 2023 compared to 2022, to $87.66 million from $31.97 million, including:
$76.34 million for passenger and ancillary revenue, such as parking and food and beverages
$11.32 million for revenue from other sources, which the report doesn't list.
The average fare nearly doubled to $52.63 from October to December, compared to $22.02 before that.
Long-distance ridership has been increasing as short-distance ridership between the five South Florida stations has been decreasing — 27% less in 2003 than 2022.
The Miami-Orlando route contributed to over 30% of Brightline's monthly passengers in 2023. In January, for the first time since September, long-distance ridership surpassed short-distance ridership. Brightline had a record 237,069 passengers in December, which is 29% more than the 183,920 passengers it had in December 2022.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-18/florida-s-high-speed-brightline-cuts-2024-
ridership-projections-by-600-000
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By Martin Z Braun
March 18, 2024 at 1:04 PM MDT
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Three months after Florida’s high-speed rail system, Brightline, disclosed a 21% decline in projected ridership for 2024, it’s cutting its forecast again.
The Fortress Investment Group-backed Brightline now anticipates carrying a combined 4.9 million passengers this year on its new long-distance service between Miami and the Orlando airport and the five-year-old South Florida commuter line between West Palm Beach and Miami. Service to Orlando began in September, behind an initial target for a January 2023 opening.
The forecast was trimmed by another 600,000 from Brightline’s forecast of 5.5 million in December after an updated study of ridership and revenue.
Projections for when the new rail service will be fully ramped up — 2026 for trips between Miami and Orlando — were unchanged, according to bond documents amended earlier this month.
The company expects to reach its projection of 8 million passengers in 2026, even under a more conservative forecast of 4 million riders this year, according to an offering memorandum for a $770 million bond remarketing this week.
“We are seeing strong adoption and rapid growth in our business since the opening of our Orlando service, and our projections for the stabilized operation remain unchanged,” Ben Porritt, a Brightline spokesman, said in an email.
I wrote that Brightline offers some serious steps forward in terms of integration of first mile/last mile mobility services to get to the train and to your final destination.
As the service becomes more operational, they seem to care much less about the quality of these services.
Word of caution about FLL Connector Shuttle from FLL Airport to Brightline Station
https://www.reddit.com/r/Brightline/s/kJXKn4rIr1
Brightline loses $493 million so far in 2024
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/brightline-loses-493-million-so-far-2024/HKMAFYN4ZNEKLNCSROKVN7N7KE/
According to the 630-page preliminary bond offering from an affiliate of Brightline’s owner, New York-based Fortress Investment Group, Brightline collected $137.75 million in revenue between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 — a 211% increase from the first nine months of last year.
In addition, just over 2 million people rode Brightline through Sept. 30 of this year, a 44.8% increase from the first nine months of 2023. The average fare per passenger also went up 148.8% to $54.86.
Nevertheless, Brightline still had a comprehensive loss of $492.65 million through the end of September, a 156.3% increase from last year's $192.2 million loss in the same time period.
A major factor for the large comprehensive loss was Brightline diverting $218.6 million toward paying off the billions of dollars of debt, the report said.
In addition, interest expenses increased by $78.9 million, the report added.
Operating expenses rose 111.2% to $212.84 million, primarily due to Brightline's expansion from within South Florida to Orlando. Yet Orlando was also credited with Brightline's revenue spike thanks to the higher ticket prices for long-distance travel.
Because demand for fast train service exceeds supply, Brightline has ordered 25 more passenger coaches that will arrive in 2025. In the meantime, Brightline still sometimes restricts tickets for short-distanced trips within South Florida to provide additional seats for the more profitable long-distance trips to and from Orlando, according to the bond offering.
Fortress Investment Group has invested nearly $6 billion so far building Brightline's stations, tracks and other infrastructure from Miami to Orlando.
This included a 260.2% year-over-year increase in ticket sales and a 130.2% hike in ancillary revenue such as food, beverages, baggage fees and parking fees.
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Train Spotting: Full steam ahead
As Tri-Rail expands to fill Brightline's commuter void, so could economic opportunities
8/29/24 South Florida Business Journal
As Brightline veers away from serving commuters in South Florida, Tri-Rail aims to pick up the slack and could emerge as the top transportation option for the region’s workforce.
For decades, Tri-Rail operated on state-owned tracks west of Interstate 95 from Miami International Airport to Mangonia Park near West Palm Beach. That changed earlier this year when Tri-Rail’s first station east of I-95 opened within Brightline’s MiamiCentral complex.
But now, deals are in the works that could pave the way for a taxpayer-funded, affordable train service to head further east from the downtown Miami station to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale by 2027, county reports indicate.
An expanded passenger rail system will enable South Florida to attract additional companies and provide opportunities for real estate developers to build more transit-oriented projects, economic development experts say.
“A lot of influential developers are bullish on Tri-Rail. Thousands of people are moving to Florida every year, and they’re coming from the Northeast U.S., where transit is in their DNA,” said John Boyd, principal of Boca Raton-based corporate site selection firm Boyd. “When companies consider leaving Chicago or Boston, one of the boxes they check is access to public transit. And that, in and of itself, becomes an economic recruiting tool.”
Last year, Miami-Dade County estimated it would cost taxpayers $538 million to build a commuter line on the Florida East Coast Railway line. However, the new estimate is $927 million to build a commuter system in Miami-Dade. That figure includes $330 million in access fees paid to Brightline, which has exclusive passenger rights to the FEC tracks.
Although popular with many commuters, by September 2023, Brightline had opened its Orlando station and shifted its focus from downtown commuters to long-distance travelers.
By June 2024, the average one-way ticket to travel within South Florida was $28.03, a 56.9% increase from last year. The cost for a trip to Orlando was $71.46. Booking seats for stops within South Florida also grew more difficult, and Brightline stopped selling most of its monthly commuter passes.
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