Brightline Orlando to Miami Inaugural

After years of planning and construction, Brightline has finished it's trackage into Orlando International Airport and opened service there on September 22, 2023. Lizz and I wanted to take one of those first-day trips. Here's how it was. *My thanks to FECRS President Jim Kovalsky for technical guidance in the making of this video.

[@joshfenton5522]

I learned two things from this video: 1) Danny never makes a bad video; and 2) Danny is never quite sure if he’s looking at hummus!

[@corduerorose9747]

You got that right 😊

[@distantsignal]

Apparently that Hummus on the buffet was egg salad. I would have tried some if I'd known that!

[@dtktrucker]

I also learned the difference between a floridian and a floridan. I’ll hang with a true floridan any day!

[@ncard00]

Brightline should replace all of their trash cans at the stations with “smart” ones, which can compress the waste so there’s room for much more, and tell staff by itself, that it’s full and needs to be emptied!

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

From 1893 to 1895, Stuart was called Potsdam. This name was chosen by Otto Stypmann, originally from Potsdam, Germany. It was renamed Stuart in 1895, in honor of landowner Homer Hine (Jack) Stuart Jr, who owned 160 acres around the railway station. The St. Lucie River got its name from the Spanish. They first called the river, Rio de Santa Cruz, river of the Holy Cross, as the river is cross-like. Later, they re-christened the river Rio De Luz, river of light, for the lighting on the water is heavenly. Eventually, the Spanish called the river, Santa Lucea. The English then taking over, “anglicized” the name Santa Lucea, to what we know today, as “St Lucie,” the church’s saint of the blind. The story about the two wives named Mary (he also married a third named Ida) that Flagler married is interesting. Mary Harkness Flagler was the mother of his three children. After Mary died, Henry married her nurse-caregiver, Ida Alice Shourds. Ida Alice, called Alicia by her husband, was much younger than Mr. Flagler. After being declared incurably insane, Ida Alice was hospitalized. Flagler obtained a divorce and married Mary Lily Kenan, who was with him at his death in 1913 and inherited his wealth, and she suddenly died in 1917, with people believing foul play was involved.

[@SignalAspect]

We all love it when Danny posts❤

[@cherylday5270]

I loved his cap there at the end! Nice video Distant Signal.

[@AmtrakTBL]

So cool seeing them go 125mph now. I got some shots by the airport last week. Can’t wait to ride it.

[@distantsignal]

Yes. The thing is an absolute greyhound. (and NOT the bus kind)

[@Maunico0809]

@@distantsignalhaha

[@AmtrakTBL]

@@distantsignal 😂

[@Fireball9394]

@@distantsignal🤣🤣

[@southamcaballero]

And somehow, it still takes 3 hrs to cover 230 miles 👎

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Exactly, having a station at such an important hub like MCO makes a lot of sense! Not just for those going to downtown Orlando and the theme parks, but also for those heading to the cruise ports! The McCoy of the former McCoy Air Force Base was Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy to be specific! He was killed in 1957 in the crash of a B-47 Stratojet which suffered wing failure northwest of downtown Orlando while taking part in a practice demonstration. The Air Force Base was Orlando's biggest employer and economic backbone before Walt Disney World opened in 1971. The Air Force Base shut down in 1975 after the Vietnam War and was thus redeveloped as Orlando International Airport! Ghirardelli is pronounced GEAR-ar-deli! As its logo states, it was founded in San Francisco in 1852 by Domingo Ghirardelli, hence the name! Domingo was born in Rapallo, Italy in 1817, first learned about chocolate trade by being a candymaker's apprentice as a child, sailed to South America in his 20s, and after his neighbor in Lima moved to San Francisco in 1847, he decided to move himself in 1849 after hearing about the California Gold Rush.

[@TheCloakedTiger]

So glad to see private rail coming to the USA! Maybe it’s the start of something bigger!

[@SD40Fan_Jason]

Every railroad in the US is privately owned. This is nothing new. The only difference is Brightline's interest is in moving passengers.

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

Honestly privately owned freight rail is why Amtrak service sucks they don't own most of the track they run on and can't run many trains or run fast and they certainly can't Electrify it since the freight railroads refuse to pay even though Electric freight rail has proven itself in other parts of the world mainly India China and South Africa

[@christophertappero8426]

Wisconsin failed on their opportunity to have a private rail company operating a passenger line back in the early 2000's. I will bet Brightline west is up and running before California is done building their high speed line.

[@robertheinkel6225]

Amtrak travels on freight lines. Brightline travels on dedicated rail built by Brightline.

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

@@robertheinkel6225 partially they run on FEC train for a significant section but Brightline and the FEC have the same owners

[@drgwnut]

I love this Distant Food channel. And the train stuff is nice also.

[@paulbergen9114]

It's good to see such an option in place and hopefully people will take advantage of it. It should be your voice aboard the train making the announcements

[@benjamindosumu9074]

Great videography, my mom and I were really impressed 👍👍👍

[@mattc.310]

Took a while but it looks like they did it right. Brightline West is slowly moving forward. Not surprising in California. Can't wait to ride it. Regional routes are the future of getting rail travel back on the menu. Things would be better if freight rail would cooperate. Thanks for showing us around.

[@statelyelms]

I love your voice! I can't quite remember what it'd be called, but it sure feels American. Enjoy your fancy new train! -your far-northerly neighbour

[@davevan8864]

Now we NEED Brightline level trains in 47 more states!!!! Thanks for your great video as always. Thanks

[@keiranharper4330]

Never disappointed with Danny’s videos. Watching from the narrow iron of NZ

[@chrisw73]

It’s great to finally see new passenger trains here in the US, we’ve got some catching up to do! Hopefully people see how well this works and it spreads throughout the country

[@tonyburzio4107]

The Amtrak Office of the Inspector General put out, on about the same day, that they found $4 Billion in waste on trains not even in service. Then, the new Siemens Chargers started throwing pistons. It's been a bad year for Amtrak.

[@JermaniBurroughs]

⁠@@tonyburzio4107So Amtrak can’t replace decades old trains? They just ordered the ARIO & one is completed there entering service in 2026. This is actually a great year for Amtrak.

[@cadenfoley4489]

LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE OPENING KZbin TO FIND DANNY UPLOADED A NEW VIEW 10 MINUTES AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@dave_n8pu]

Thanks once again for taking us along.

[@davidschick6951]

Brightline. Smart thinking, good decisionmaking, and a wide open throttle. May trains reign again.

[@jackpetrone4031]

What a great segment! Thanks for the video. Nwxt bucket list item for sure.

[@alanthefisher]

Hey nice to see that you were also on my train! I'm even in the video at 1:32 on the platform haha

[@buffaloditka]

Looks like a fun trip between Orlando to Miami (and back) by rail and perfect to get away from one big city to another and not have to worry about traffic

[@philhyde983]

Excellent re-cap, Danny! I hope we do see a resurgence in the US.

[@tomas5376]

Now that’s real passenger service! Maybe AMTRAK should watch this video! Gracias🚂🚂🚂

[@Eastern_railfan]

The funny thing is that Amtrak representatives were there at the station that day for the speeches that the Ceo gave.

[@dynasty0019]

Amtrak actually sent a delegation for opening day. Andy Byford was there and he's in charge of Amtrak's HSR development and was recently instrumental in getting the Texas Central Railway project revived after being stalled.

[@tonyburzio4107]

There's good chance the Amtrak guys were turning in resumes to Brightline after the Acela 2 disaster.

[@constanttraveler]

I watched a few other videos from the content providers that you mentioned seeing, but no one does it like you!

[@distantsignal]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Thanks for sharing this "bright" video. Greetings from Australia.

[@bp-ob8ic]

Thanks for this, Danny. Brightline's connection to Orlando is a game-changer. If they can make it work, financially, there are tons of other point-to-point pairings that can also work.

[@EddieDexterStewart]

One of the NICEST people I had the pleasure of meeting when I worked at WTVT-TV. Seeing that you love trains shouldn't be a surprise. Most rail fans are the nicest people on God's green earth. I stumbled across your channel as I viewed the news of California's Brightline project announcement. You can never have enough railways! Blessings to you and your family!

[@N556ND]

Henry Flagler would have been very proud of this service!

[@BrianHanscom0790]

Another amazing informative episode 👍 Thank you sir! Watching from Pahrump Nevada 🇺🇲

[@ericemmons3040]

Coming soon: high-speed rail from Pahrump to Elko!!! 🙂

[@gcorriveau6864]

What a great service! Hopefully, we'll see more of this across North America.

[@jamesjette4343]

Thanks for the ride. I live in LasVegas and waiting for our Brightline to California.

[@Waterslide_Productions]

It's always a great day when Danny uploads

[@MJinFlorida]

Very excited about the next terminal being built in Tampa and the new, recently announced planned terminal near Port Canaveral. These will be a boon for the cruise community.

[@vhpilot66]

Awesome video Danny! As a television producer for over 3 decades, you’re killing it! I live in the high desert of Southern California between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I hear Bightline will be breaking ground soon for passenger rail service from the Inland Empire (East of LA) to Las Vegas, starting with service from the Victorville/Apple Valley area. The Cajon Pass is the challenge for bringing it to the main population in the IE and LA basin. The Cajon Pass presents many geographical challenges and is already a bottleneck for freight. I’m excited for the possibility of Brightline coming to the west coast. There certainly is a need as the I-15 is jammed almost every weekend with LA to Vegas traffic.

[@jameseubanks1509]

Danny, as always you come through for us with a great and informative video. Thanks!!

[@3henry214]

Brightline... it's what the California high speed rail project wishes it could be... 15 years later, and there is not a single mile of track laid, with the original 9.8 billion price tag escalating towards an estimated 88 - 128 billion for completion, in who knows when. I'm very envious of you Floridians.

[@Ven100]

A silly comment considering the size/scope of CAHSR is far above that of Brightline FL. Brightline FL got to make use of existing FEC track and the only new section they had to build was along the SR 528 ROW. Conversely CAHSR is building brand new electrified, grade-separated Class 9 200+ MPH track. Not have to battle wave after wave of Zombies: NIMBY edition, along with land acquisition and environmental studies. Construction didn't start 15 years ago, so I don't know why people keep regurgitating "n0t a s1ngLe MiL3 oF tR4cK LaID", as if nothing has been constructed in the meantime. No overpasses built. No grade separation, no lands cleared... 9.8 billion was never the total price for the complete system..

[@RC944jim]

I’m never ever disappointed by your videos, I want to thank you and your wife for taking us on your trip around Florida on a sunny Friday! Looking forward to seeing you again on the Train Aficionado or The Scanner Guys, I hope it’s real soon! Thanks again Danny 🤗

[@neonhomer]

I see Brightline heading out every morning as I'm heading west on 528 to MCO....

[@Iliketrains346]

HE POSTED WOOOOOOOO. Love the content Mr. Harmon!

[@distantsignal]

Thanks Gavin!

[@dawdawes]

I was an engineer out of Paddington station in the 1980s with what was then pretty new HST (High speed trains) 125mph with a front/rear power cars and 7 passenger coaches (cars). Nice to see the USA finally getting some high speed rail away from the NE corridor

[@phunperson64]

Thanks Danny I can't wait to ride it one day. I wish they had a stop out near the cape for us cruisers. I also heard the CEO for Brightline said they are investing in right of ways for a brightline route on the west coast. We will see how they grow the business... good first step!>

[@jonr3809]

The stations look beautiful !! Let's keep them that way. Minus the urine, cigarettes, spit, bubble gum...you name it.

[@RandyCRR]

Hi Danny, another worthwhile video. Thanks for sharing your trip.

[@slamhart1]

I haven't even watched the video yet and I know it is going to be great... Always top content from Danny! 👍

[@distantsignal]

I appreciate that!

[@jime2290]

Thank you so much Danny , really appreciate your vlogs! Keep em coming! Jim ( Fairport Ny)

[@pinchy08]

I’ve said this on many videos. I can’t wait to ride this train. And I hope Brightline trains come to Jacksonville soon.

[@lanimulrepus]

Excellent report... Will be interesting to see if, 5 years from now, Brightline is just as clean, speedy, and relaxing, and its personnel are so helpful and friendly... I'm old enough, 90, to remember railroad systems that started the same way and ended up veritable cesspools of dirty and broken equipment and very bad personal service...

[@bezoar21]

Looked like fun. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@kamaurryharrison9053]

Thanks Danny! I'm been waiting for you to make this video for some time.👍😃

[@steveamurray59]

Excellent Work once again Danny, Brightline has set the Benchmark for Passenger operations, love to see them do well and maybe expand further into the future. Thanks Again !

[@J3scribe]

Wonderful review, Danny Harmon! Thanks for another great video adventure.

[@Galaxy2517]

Love ❤❤❤❤ The glory days are not gone....

[@andross51]

Once again I always love when danny uploads! Great introduction to the bright line rr danny! wooohoo to this!!

[@MattTheLizard]

Great video! Thanks for uploading this experience...you brought the goods

[@distantsignal]

My pleasure, Matt.

[@JL-yl8gd]

Thanks for posting Danny. Fun and informative as always!

[@distantsignal]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@peterredfern1174]

Obviously you both had a great trip,thanks Danny,safe travels ,👋👋🙏👍🇦🇺

[@ChrisMarshallUS]

Very cool to see Brightline up and running, thanks for sharing. Hoping to make it down that way soon to travel on the train

[@arbigdog73]

Very nice. I hope they can sustain that level of service.

[@colefd]

Waiting hard for the Brightline push up to St Aug and Jax. Great video again.

[@GarryRedman]

Hot take: Brightline is what Amtrak is supposed to be.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

Amtrak will never be a viable passenger rail service unless you live in a dense corridor like the Northeast, Chicago or California left coast. Amtrak doesn't own the rails and the freight trains have their rails full of freight trains.

[@williamjones4483]

@@JohnSmith-zi9or By law Amtrak is supposed to have priority over freight but it is not enforced.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@williamjones4483 Of course its law, but its unenforceable. You can't pass freight trains sitting in your way on a set of rail. Amtrak can only go as fast as the freight train in front of them. Sure there are sidings where they can pass, but many sidings are too short for the trains today. Perhaps Amtrak and the government would like to pay for the freight companies to build larger sidings?

[@JimBones1990]

@@JohnSmith-zi9or Quad-tracking works better.

[@JohnSmith-zi9or]

@@JimBones1990 "Quad-tracking works better." They don't have the money for the property purchases required for the right-of-way.

[@niobraraterminalrailroad2709]

Woo hooo! Another Distant Signal video, great video Danny!

[@GrammarPoliceInvestigations]

Now, Florida Man just has to learn to stop for the lights, bells and gates and stop getting creamed by Brightline.

[@cadenfoley4489]

Cant wait until they get to Georgia! it seems far off but I wait for the day I can take a train to go on vacation in Florida!! Go Dawgs!!

[@distantsignal]

It'll be nice to ride that train from Florida and into downtown Atlanta. I'd never fly again.

[@briannorman952]

Great video. Thank you.

[@jonhornbeck4324]

I wait patiently for new content from you, because each and every vid is a real treat. Imagine my surprise when I was watching late nite TV, and I heard your voice advertising for Muddy Mat. Very professional job. Anytime I can hear your voice, it becomes a good day!

[@distantsignal]

Ha! That's a nice compliment, Jon. Many thanks!

[@naypomjack6459]

Very cool way to travel indeed! For those who have never been to Florida yet this is certainly a good incentive to visit. This will also help reduce traffic congestion. 👍👍

[@SignalLightProductions]

Fantastic video of a fantastic service! Thanks for filling us in until we can ride!

[@elcastorgrande]

Great to see you back.

[@MattChaffe]

What an experience! Definitely a resurgence of rail travel. Greatest thing for tourists, especially to cut out hours of driving or taxi service and use the convenient Brightline service right at the airport.

[@georgewheeler3731]

Thanks! Danny great video...

[@Zadesniper]

Taking bright line next month, cant wait

[@adamchristman9761]

Great video, I am very excited to visit Florida again and to ride this train.

[@eml-0404]

I believe that the USA had the greatest rail service BEFORE the mergers (ie when the PRR & the NYC merged). I rode the PRR from Chicago to Johnstown, PA. and back many times. The Broadway Limited route was wonderful. Not so great when it merged into the Penn Central, but still WAY better than the AMTRAK that we have today. I remember bar cars on the PRR that had piano's bolted to the floor. Restrooms back then had toilets that emptied onto the rail tracks (that kept the reff raff off of the rails for sure). Porters were ready to help anybody no matter how well (or not) they were tipped. So many of the routes that made so much $ in their hey day are gone forever. Now, most routes have you make overnight stops to continue on to the next leg of a trip because the trains barely follow their schedule ontime (you can't make a reservation for a segment the same day as they expect delays). We had the best rail service and then with deregulation and all of the woes of the rail industry (ConRail included) strangled our wonderful railways.

[@kenmunozatmmrrailroad6853]

Really excited for you but even more excited for Brightline to start construction here near my hometown of Victorville for the high-speed line to Las Vegas!

[@nordisk1874]

I can’t wait for the Tampa-Orlando run… I will drive from Pinellas to Orlando to ride!

[@hodges-hg6ck]

Nice hat. The next time I am in FL, I will be taking this route.

[@The_DuMont_Network]

Good to see you again, Danny!

[@sebastianstracksandgameswo9595]

Construction Workers just broke ground in Polk County for the brightline extension to Tampa

[@RandomTrainfan]

Nice

[@deutschegeschichte4972]

nice

[@glencrandall7051]

Looked like a nice ride. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@JasonFaul]

Thanks for the ride Danny!

[@killerbees177]

This is the best Brightline review.

[@tonyf734atl]

Looks Awesome ! I'm looking forward to checking this out some time ! Hope you enjoyed your trip !

[@jameshicks914]

Thank you Danny. Great Job. Love your videos!!

[@hobsonbeeman7529]

I live in Juptiter Fl, and would travel ( add trip fuel cost $ 50.00) to ORL to catch direct flights to destinations that were not served at WPB airport. I would spend 2.5 + hours on the trnpk ( provided no traffic issues), then find parking and pay for it for the time away ($75-100). So now I drive or Uber to Brightline WPB and get delivered to ORL. Much better solution. I hope the ridership holds up.

[@kentslocum]

As a theme park fan, I am very excited that Brightline's Orlando airport station is now open, because it means they can begin planning for the next phase to Tampa. There has been a great deal of debate regarding how Brightline will route their tracks west, and I am very curious to see whether an Orlando Convention Center/Universal Studios station takes shape.

[@georgettedebuhr2660]

Danny Harmon makes the best videos. Always looking forward to the next one.

[@Cobra459]

A great addition to your 1st video Danny. Well done. I always love the history

[@toddster2656]

This project illustrates the vast differences between a private enterprise like Brightline, and a government subsidized company such as Amtrak. Here in California, the high-speed railway to nowhere continues going nowhere. Years underway, and 128 billion in taxpayer dollars spent, not a single section has been completed yet. Personally, I'll take the private sector to the government anytime.

[@TheTokyomatt]

Always good to see passenger Expansion anywhere in the USA.

[@markhughes1099]

Nicely done, Mr. Harmon! I wish it had been open a couple of years ago, Ash and I would have loved to make that ride.

[@johngrant1337]

Great train ride , thanks

[@Andrew_G4CH]

Glad to see Brightline is still doing well! I rode on the service a couple years ago while I was working in Miami. Took Tri-Rail from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to go to Primanti’s (I’m from Western PA. That’s our place 😁), and again up to West Palm. Spent a little time there, then took Brightline back down to Miami in the evening. It was winter time so they had polar express stuff on board.. I got a little bear. It was such a fantastic ride! Can’t wait to see their west coast electrified service open up.

[@harrychest4303]

$229 from Orlando to Miami premium, and $149 for the return. Trip time 3.5 hours.

[@ELAlcoRS3]

You have to book further in advance to get better pricing. Last minute or within a few days the fares are crazy. That's demand pricing for you.

[@anthonyhunt701]

Boy the ride back was way better visually. Free windows!

[@warnerherst6709]

Wonderful video very informative

[@distantsignal]

Glad it was helpful!

[@countdooku1971]

Thanks for taking us along on your adventures, Danny. It makes a good day even better when I see you have posted a new video. Thanks for all you do!! 😊

[@NOVARailandWeatherEnthusiast]

After a long Tuesday there’s nothing better than a new Danny Harmon video!

[@bobknowles8451]

Great job. ( as always ) I live in Cape Canaveral and go over to. Route 1 to watch Brightline. Thanks for the video

[@clintonstubbs2319]

This was a great video of the Brightline passenger railroad. I had followed the construction of it on other KZbin videos. That ride looks really nice and clean and modern.

[@ronw59]

A little different this time, but not in the least less interesting. As always, thanks again, Danny.

[@rick9811]

I thoroughly enjoy each and every one of your videos Danny, but I especially enjoy the ones where you (and Liz on occasion) will take us along on an adventure where you are on the train, versus filming/chasing it! These two Brightline videos, along with your Auto Train trips and the journey you were invited to attend with the then VP of CSX in his rented Private Varnish were such a hoot! Keep on Keeping on sir! Best, Rick out on the Nampa Sub of the Union Pacific High Iron here in southern Idaho.