Brightline Orlando's FIRST Train! 125 MPH from MCO to MIA

[@LonestarTrips]

A quick note I want to add after the fact: Although Brightline invited me to Florida and paid for my roundtrip tickets between Orlando and Miami, all of the opinions expressed in the video are my own. Also another HUGE Thank you to Brightline for allowing me to be a part of railway history!

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

So does that still qualify you as the first “revenue passenger” then? 🤔 😂😂

[@ncard00]

The brightline trains do not show up at all on google maps when searching for trips with public transportation between all the different stations/cities where Brightline has service. Please share this information with Brightline leadership and staff and people you know, so this issue can be fixed quickly.

[@kitchin2]

Fortress does not own FEC. It owns BL and FECI (real estate biz, mostly). Grupo Mexico owns FEC (freight railway). But they seem to get along. Historically it was all part of Flagler’s business, which developed a lot of South Florida. SoftBank recently sold Fortress to Mubadala.

[@LonestarTrips]

​@@FromtheWindowSeat shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I was the first person to scan through the gates, so technically yes.

[@lovedfriend2020]

Give it time. They just opened fully but I did check and only SunRail is on Google Transit.@@ncard00

[@the_duke_is_luke]

Great review! As an American with a lifelong visual impairment, I think too many people forget that not everyone chooses not to drive, but some of us simply never can in the first place. Although I see where more stations would be great along the current route that would slow down the train, so maybe they could use some of their passenger vans to shuttle people form their origin point to the nearest station and vice versa. Hope Brightline West can start construction, especially as we in the US have been car dependent for far too long. I'm only in my mid-20's, but it's going to be interesting to look back on in retrospect in the few decades.

[@StefanWithTrains]

Brightline actually ordered 20 extra cars instead of 4 sets. They will be added to all 10 sets in service. They also have 10 Cafe cars on order for all the trains. So every train will have 7 cars. 7 cars trains will be expected by 2024-2025. Edit: I was wrong read in the comments.

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Yea!!!

[@ncard00]

Where do you have this information from? Do you have a link you can post?

[@GregPalmer1000]

Thats great, I thought 4 car set overpowered...

[@xNesimxTrains]

Should’ve been 8

[@ncard00]

@@xNesimxTrainsShould’ve been 10, what the platforms are built for.

[@JanoJ]

As a British/European (who already have 125mph and faster train) I am truely impressed and well done Brightline for getting this done! I hoep the general public see this and more such projects come to fruition. I always believed that when the high speed rail bug hits the US, that the US could quickly lead this, as the country is actually more suited to this form of travel, and most objecttions seem to be more just unfamiliarity and genuine. Will definatly be using it on my next trip there!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

I love how I can see Miles in Transit by the escalators on the right in the background at 5:52 doing his thing, on top of you watching him get yelled at for running at 0:08 😂. The accessible seating is great! A little touch I appreciate at the MCO station is how the screens at 1:31 say Hello, Hola, and Olá, especially how it acknowledges all Latinos in Florida, not just the Hispanics like the many Cubans and Puerto Ricans, but also the Brazilians who of course speak Portuguese, which Orlando has a growing amount of Brazilians. The Mary Mary Bar at Brightline stations is in reference to Florida East Coast Railway founder Henry Flagler’s first and third wives, Mary Lily Kenan and Mary Harkness Flagler! And it's so nice to see communities like those at Stuart so passionate for the Brightline! 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 old Stuart railway station. Fort Lauderdale on the other hand is named for a Second Seminole War fortification built on the banks of the New River in 1838, named after Major William Lauderdale.

[@murraybarnes6089]

I enjoyed that you caught Miles in transit get yelled at for running to the front of the train.

[@LonestarTrips]

Haha yeah lol. I got to meet him and chat for a bit, super nice guy.

[@baseballfan99]

I was about to say I just saw his vid 😂. Travel in the US often feels like being back at school.

[@ivyrogers7761]

​@@baseballfan99p0p0p😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

If is not 200km/h is not hsr

[@lukew7901]

Where is that clip? I wanna see it

[@izzieb]

From Simply Railways video, some of the carriages seemed to have wheel flats already, the noise of which would get tiring rather quickly over time. Hopefully they resolve those quickly. Hopefully America will continue to reinvigorate its railways.

[@LonestarTrips]

I actually ended up on the train with the flat wheel heading back north. I’ll touch on it and the problems with it in a future video.

[@jameylane1591]

Not to mention the hundreds of times the horn has to blow through the small towns?

[@chrisb0418]

brightline bought a wheel truing machine (something like that) to make the wheels perfect. its placed in orlando, maybe that trainset hasnt been fixed up

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

@@jameylane1591 I believe the small towns have rules against the blowing of the horns in their small towns

[@spenceradams2908]

@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957more likely the crossing were upgraded with quad gates and small gates to prevent people entering this allows for them to receive a horn exemption and make the area a quiet zone

[@splatterberry]

It’s not just higher train volumes, but better trip times that are needed. Even though they tout themselves as high speed rail, they only hit 125mph on that short section. Considering that a lot of their traffic is in the Miami to West Palm Beach area, they should really focus on getting their trains to hit 110mph on that portion rather than 79mph. In the far future (15+ years), maybe they’ll electrify the route and get themselves some tilting trains that could better manage the old FEC tracks. Only time will tell, but it’s nice that we finally have a system in this state.

[@valeriekautz436]

We rode brightline from west palm to miami and back earlier this year and we absolutely loved the experience. So much better than dealing with traffic down there on the freeways. so excited to see it now open to orlando~!

[@samtrak1204]

Thanks for your delicious review of Brightline from my hometown Orlando to Miami.

[@LonestarTrips]

Of course! Glad you enjoyed the ride.

[@christopherstyle878]

Awesome video! This is my first time watching one of your videos, and it will NOT be the last. Thanks for such a detailed ride experience video.

[@christopherstyle878]

I forgot to add... thanks to Thibault @ SimplyRailway for providing that video clip of Bright Orange II leaving the Orlando station. And, I just became a Patreon sub for your content. 😎

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks a lot for the support! And thanks for the patreon sub! Your contributions are much appreciated 😎

[@deepwoodguy2]

Simply Railway's review on Brightline was the problem of the window's being covered, where yours were clear..I assume the covering was to show off the great color scheme and would be removed later...looks like a great train ride....thanks for the review...🌞🌞🚂🚂

[@LonestarTrips]

I actually ended up on the same train as he did on the way back north, so I’ll address the issues with that and the flat wheel.

[@deepwoodguy2]

👍@@LonestarTrips

[@raymondlei4032]

Brightline's maximum operating speed is 125 mph (201 km/h), the lowest speed to qualify as high-speed rail by international standards. Trains cover the 235 mi (378 km) route in as little as 3 hours and 25 minutes, which is an average speed of 69 mph (111 km/h).

[@mosessumit7757]

Not even close. The international shresold for high speed train is 155mph or 250 kph, and multiple lines in operation run as fast as over 217mph or 350 kph.

[@Richard-dd3mm]

No one will consider top speed to be qualified as a high speed rail. The average is used to qualify it. The narrative and the way media reporting it is just a joke. Only shows how inarrurate they are

[@Imzaluzzulazmi]

​@@mosessumit7757, Indonesia has high speed rail 350 km/h.

[@mosessumit7757]

@@Imzaluzzulazmi Congratulations 🎉🎉

[@BetaD_]

Well that doesn't matter. Yes it's basically high speed rail light. only barely fulfilling the minimum requirements for HSR , but you know how incredibly expensive HSR is to build, right? And especially in a anti train country with no real ambition to support trains/HSR, it is not that easy to get enough financial support.... The only chance is to build a waayyy cheaper HSR light and hope to get a lot of media coverage, general hype and success, brightline did this, succeeded and now it is way easier to secure needed finances and they can build a real (and expensive) HSR: LA - las vegas with promised (320 km/h) :) maybe that will kickstart a new train era in the US....

[@EmpireStateExpress01]

Great video!!! Congrats to Brightline! I remember watching them build the station at MCO as my plane taxis to the terminal. As the service gets more popular, Brightline is going to improve line between WPB and MCO. To all the "Its not high-speed rail, 125mph isn't nothing", would y'all be saying the same thing if it was Amtrak? It took them 20 years to get to 110mph in Michigan and Illinois. Brightline has done it in less than half the time.

[@huyintang8407]

Also, amtrak's fastest train NEC is too expensive when you book tomorrow tickets, brightline is much more affordable compared to that. More than $200 dollar from NYC to Boston just push people driving or taking bus. Pricing policy shouldn't be like this when it comes to train.

[@michaausleipzig]

Nice!! I really hope that train is a success and shows car dependent America that a different form of transport is possible. The trains look amazing, I get a feeling that more and more trains in the US move away from that "we couldn't afford the paint job" metallic look. Which is really nice! It may be barely scratching the high speed rail definition (over here that would be 200km/h for upgraded lines, but 250km/h for newly built ones) but I guess this speed is pretty much the best you can do with diesel. I'm really excited for Brightline West, now that will be true high speed rail! Imagine the people in cars being like - "Was that a train just passing us?" - "Don't know! It was such a blur!" 😅

[@LonestarTrips]

I hope I’m still in the content creator scene so I can be a part Brightline west as well. The future certainly looks bright for rail travel here in the US.

[@MajorGeneralVeers]

And it's privately owned! That makes it even better and the future looking bright for high quality rail travel.

[@jackjules7552]

I doubt that that Americans will ever take to the train as an alternate mode of travel. They may ride it once or twice for kicks but then they will go right back to their SUV's. You see American clutch to their SUV's as much as they clutch their Smartphone. Nice try though.

[@NoTraceOfSense]

@@jackjules7552Northeast corridor, New York, and Washington DC say hi to

[@Torgonius]

@@jackjules7552 If I'm travelling that trip by myself, then the train wins. If I'm taking my family, now it's 4 tickets instead of 1, plus I still need to move them at the destination. SUV wins hands down just on cost. If they offer a lower total cost family ticket, the train gets more competitive.

[@BenBethelAZ]

Faster faster faster! Brightline is getting close to announcing the Phoenix to Rancho Cucamonga segment, stops at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, downtown Phoenix, Goodyear, Gila Bend, Yuma, Indio/Coachella, Palm Springs, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga... Connections to LA. Right of way is there... Could be the quickest construction and can be pushed to 225+ mph.

[@adithyaramachandran7427]

Texas would benefit from a privatized rail system like this. A HSR mainline connecting Amarillo->DFW->Downtown Dallas->Waco->Austin->San Antonio->Houston Intercontinental->Downtown Houston. DFW and Houston are global hubs while the other cities have limited flight options and would benefit from HSR. Given the fact all these cities are seeing a major population boom and real estate investment, now would be a great time to build it.

[@Bertie_Ahern]

Choo-choo! Great work. I can't wait to take Brightline when I'm next over from Europe, great views from the windows!

[@mjeffreya]

The “downside” of adding more stops would be then less competitive travel time. Maybe some trains that run express?

[@valeriekautz436]

Ye, that's the way to solve that. Commuter trains that stop every stop and express trains that can blast through stops on a thru-line to their final destination.

[@capitalinventor4823]

@@valeriekautz436 It doesn't have to be all or nothing when it comes to stopping along the route. There are probably some stops along the way which are popular enough to have just about every train stop. Mostly likely these places would be the ones currently set up as stops today. I don't know how many times per day the train is scheduled to run. There are probably clusters to handle morning and evening rushes, for people making day trips. Once the number of trips is more frequent than once an hour (or something around there). it would be possible to start having every train going to all of the mandatory stops plus a number of other stops. The number would depend on how often the company would want to have a train stop in each station. I'd suggest at the very least once in the morning and once in the evening for both directions. Then depending on ticket sales extra stops could be added. Stops would be spread out equally throughout the schedule. Busier stations would get more trains stopping and at better times. Lesser used stations would have fewer trains stopping and those stops would be at less attractive times but there would be at least one good time to access the train in the morning and to get back in the evening for every stop. If a train doesn't have any passengers to depart, or packages to leave, at a non-mandatory station and if there are no passengers to pick up at that station at 10 minutes before the train is due then the train would be free to skip the stop. They would wait until the scheduled departure time at the next station they stopped at. This would be to save wear and tear on the braking system and other equipment and to save energy. No use stopping at a station for no nothing.

[@bhilgefort]

I can travel I4 faster than this dressed up pig of a train to any connecting locations using my own car. No stops means no wasted time. Also, this thing isn’t anywhere NEAR bullet train times. I don’t know why they’re excited. I can get home faster in my Prius.

[@TransportNut89]

125 mph running is truly amazing! Luckily this is pretty common here in the UK, but with our new Hitachi trains the ride quality isn't the greatest

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Hopefully the United States will keep progressing. I say we are far behind the UK and Europe, and some of Asia with our train infrastructure and progress is greatly needed since we can’t keep building and adding more and more lanes to our highways\ motorways is all the time it takes away from the countryside.

[@LonestarTrips]

Im hoping that more people will see and experience high speed running and want it in their local area too. Plus once Brightline west opens, everyone will want proper high speed rail everywhere.

[@imsbvs]

On the 140 mph service from London to Kent using the Hitachi (Javelin) trains the ride quality is excellent but I did note the 125 mph service Edinburgh - London was less comfortable (but stil OK). Possibly a track issue.

[@idot3331]

Just from looking at this video, the UK 125mph ride quality that I've experienced on the GWR main line seems generally better or at least on par with Brightline's. I suppose it's hard to tell from video alone but it looks like there's a lot lateral wobbling going on.

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

@@LonestarTrips If is not 200km/h is not hsr

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Brightline will NOT have a station on Disney World property. Brightline is still building a station near Disney World, but it won't be on Disney property as while Disney and Brightline once had a partnership to build a station right at Disney Springs, Disney pulled out in June 2022 after Universal and International Drive businesses got Brightline to change the alignment in their favor instead of a more direct route to Disney. And Fortress doesn't own the FEC as FECI under Fortress sold it to Grupo México in 2017, though they still own FECI and Brightline. Brightline definitely isn't perfect, it's still a fast and frequent intercity service that fills a much-needed gap! The demand for this is very much there. The more train options that people have in the US whether it's Brightline, CA HSR, big regional or commuter rail projects, or Amtrak, the better! Miami was named after the Miami River, which in turn is derived from Mayaimi, the historic name of Lake Okeechobee and the Native Americans who lived around it. Mayaimi meaning "big water". Miami is noted as the only major city in the United States founded by a woman. Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native, owned the land that Miami was built upon at the time. Julia Tuttle has a statue erected in her honor at Bayfront Park

[@ncard00]

Brightline needs to make it easier to walk and cycle to and from their stations!

[@IGuessIDoThings]

Wow, it’s actually hilarious how many people are sayin “Oh LoOk ThE Us HaS HiGh SpEeD rAiL nOw” when by essentially no worldwide standards is 125 mph even close to the low end of the HSR spectrum. Also hello Acela, sure it only goes 150 mph in little areas but it still reaches that speed.

[@dante6563]

Exactly. Brightline is a step in the right direction but its waaay overrated with it's level crossings, slow speeds near the major city centers and its a diesel train. The Northeast Regional does 125 mph while the Acela does 150mph---rarely has at-grade crossings and is fully electrified between Boston to Washington DC.

[@IGuessIDoThings]

@@dante6563 also speaking of grade crossings, the absolutely insane number of car wrecks which happened with Brightline trains on their grade crossings

[@mikegaskin5542]

I would say 110mph is the low end of the HSR spectrum

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Well, the United States has to start somewhere and you know the United States is behind and train for passengers, so it’s progress. Small steps.

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

@@IGuessIDoThings Hopefully that will improve with time, because if they have less grade crossing’s, then the train can go faster. A large segment of the journey from Orlando to the country side has its own track that does not have crossings that was newly made

[@paulg2132]

I've been watching Brightline videos (especially construction) for a couple years and they seem to run a very nice operation. The ride looked so smooth. I am really looking forward to Brightline West because driving to Vegas from SoCal is a nightmare.

[@GregChomko]

I cannot wait until they connect Orlando to Tampa!

[@LonestarTrips]

Me too! Connecting Tampa to Orlando is going to be such a fantastic service.

[@themoviedealers]

And by extension connecting Tampa and Miami and vice versa.

[@alhollywood6486]

Don't hold your breath, lots of local politics getting in the way.

[@necroslair]

Or maybe in the longer term Orlando to Jacksonville or possibly Atlanta…

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

I was just in the train station a few days looking around, but I couldn’t go on it yet because I was going to the north for a family event. . I hope to take the train in about a month for the first time since I would never fly to Fort Lauderdale or Miami from Orlando and I don’t enjoy driving the toll road at all and will not so I definitely need the train. !!! :)

[@LonestarTrips]

I’m glad Brightline is able to fill that travel gap! The train is definitely the best way to travel.

[@adventuresofamtrakcascades301]

Nice video! My favorite Charger is the ALC42s, but my God, the SCB40s look amazing

[@jerrymarshall1360]

I can't wait to ride the train. Very excited. I love Amtrak so I will love Brightline.

[@AcelaRailan2150]

Nice video! So exciting that brightline is a higher speed rail service in the US. Definitely need to head down to Florida sometime this year or the next to experience this! Super modern too.

[@apollospace9804]

Did you just say brightline is a higher speed rail in service in the U.S. lol, obviously, only in Florida, not the U.S. and Amtrak is actually the higher speed rail in service Amtrak trains can go up to 130mph for a long time then goes 150mph ones it gets to an area obviously it's short but that's is some speed that brightline can't even get to and what I'm talking about from D.C to new york and what's crazy is that Amtrak newer train that they have been testing can go up to 160mph to 220mph and I'm not lying look it up to me 125mph isn't nothing.

[@AcelaRailan2150]

@@apollospace9804 i know that’s why I said higher speed rail the Acela is the fastest in the US but brightline finally upgraded to 125 mph which is the HSR standard across the globe

[@AcelaRailan2150]

@@apollospace9804 and yes I’m aware of the new Avelia Liberty sets that are set to arrive next year, they’ve been pushed back so long with maintenance issues and from Monmouth junction to Trenton will reach speeds of 160 mph on the high tension catenary, although the area in Hamilton is yet to be completed

[@apollospace9804]

@AcelaRailan2150 ok cause I was about to say lol Like i know, brightline is more modern looking, but they could have upgraded the speed of 150mph. i think when Tampa is completed and reached to Jacksonville, Florida, I know brightline West will go up to 180mph in California when they complete their tracks and stations, but I should say about time America should have high speed trains so we can finally catch up our technology just like other countries.

[@AcelaRailan2150]

@@apollospace9804 completely agree, about time we reach world standard high speed rail in more areas in the US than just a couple

[@kevincozby]

Great job as always! We love Brightline!

[@mj1234321]

Great report! Definitely looking forward to getting there myself to check it out hopefully before too long!

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks! It’s definitely worth getting out to Florida to check it out.

[@Brightlinebrightblue]

Wow nice work lone star travel report

[@MrFantuv]

I cant believe I missed something as cool as this, I was just in Orlando in early August this year 😅

[@QueenASMR2019]

Excellent review! Had no idea it was at the MCO airport!

[@flyoma]

Great video! And nice to meet you on this trip (I was in 3A). My flight home afterward connected in Orlando and from stepping off the train in Miami to stepping off an American Airlines plane into MCO airport was about 3 hours, 5 minutes, inclusive of ground transport to terminal, airport transit, and flight. Had enough time to eat lunch in the Admirals Club. But, I fly 1-2 times a week and with no checked bags, PreCheck, etc., my airport time is usually sub one-hour if I have my way. I will be curious to see if Brightline does any discounting by day of week peak/offpeak in the future when schedule is at full plan. I can get a ticket on Spirit one way FLL-MCO for $14.91 - $0.01 plus taxes (plus baggage, if anything over a backpack is needed, but Spirit typically carries a lot of day-trippers on this route). It's definitely a competitive marketplace. I would hope Brightline finds a balance in its schedule as additional infill stations come online, as each stop adds journey time, and maintains some limited stop services, but I also don't know enough to know the feasibility with the tracks used as this would require some level of leap-frogging trains.

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks, and it was a pleasure to meet you too! That's interesting that the flight's travel time was right about what I expected it to be, though I don't think they'll be able to beat Spirit's fares (Well not without standing room only lol). My anticipation is Brightline operates with the current fare structure for a few months to see community feedback/revenue in general, and then make an adjustment from there. The addition of new stations will be an interesting thing to watch for sure. My guess is they'll do with those like what they currently do with Boca Raton, and build a single, side platform on one track, and run through trains on the mainline.

[@tpajay]

I commented to you on another post a few days ago about the reducing of trains from 16 to 8 until October 24th & wondering if 16 was too many roundtrips. I don't know what their profit margin is on a 240 passenger train but would be surprised if they could meet it on an hourly basis. I think an airline would have started that service like the hourly air shuttle for decades between Washington, NYC, & Boston if the numbers were there. I pulled up the trains for this Sunday, Oct. 1 to see if I could possibly get on an earlier train than the one they rebooked me on at 2:54 since they cancelled the 1:50 train I booked in July. If my flight into MCO is on time, I should be able to get the 12:54 trip. Anyhow, I noticed they really upped the fares for Sunday. I paid $149.00 for Premium & some of the trains are up to $269.00 one way Premium. One of the train trips is charging $134. Smart fare one way. If they up the fares like that, I think they will price themselves to low passenger counts. I think most families of 4, for example, will drive, pay a turnpike toll, a couple tanks of gas & have their own transportation instead of paying several hundred dollars for the train, parking, & local transportation when they arrive at their destination. I hope Brightline will rethink the pricing structure in order to get full trains or at least full enough to manage a profit..

[@AcelaRailan2150]

Well done!

[@LonestarTrips]

Much appreciated man!

[@exoressdelivers70]

I've ridden Brightline several times between Miami and West Palm Beach and it's an awesome experience. I

[@ChristopherORourke-s7g]

Great video of the Orlando to Miami Brightline train. The building of Brightline to Orlando & soon to the Tampa Bay Area is a very smart moved and also North to Jacksonville and also Brightline West as well.

[@ferretman6790]

This is wonderful! Hope to ride when I go to Orlando this year………..

[@PeaceToAll-sl1db]

America needs more of this

[@paineys3341]

TEN years ago I travelled on the Magtrain in Shanghai which before 9am travelled at 350kph (217mph) and after 9am upper the speed to 450 kph (280 mph).... The train was amazing, each carriage had a speedo so you see the speed reached, it basically floated on a cushion of air and I had to look out of the window to know I was actually moving as it was so smooth. The USA. has a lot to do to catch up with other countries around the world regarding rail travel. Even my home town in the UK. has a high speed rail link to London covering the 60 miles in 38 minutes including doing 2 stops near the capital.

[@RichardGadsden]

In terms of benefits vs flying: if you're trying to do any work while flying, you keep getting interrupted - to go through security, to check-in, to board, to switch off devices for takeoff/landing. On the train, you get a solid three hours to work on the train with no real interruptions. Longer distance flights are fine for getting work done; you can get plenty done while flying from LAX to JFK, but the sorts of flights that compete with trains are ones where you never get more than 40 minutes or so without having to stop and do something.

[@thomascoffin3273]

Of Course the coaches are spotlessly clean: it's the First Time they've been used!!

[@andyidk]

Final Travel Time: Miami: None, Orlando: 30 mins - 1hr One of the huge downsides of the project, the Orlando station has the same stresses of getting to the airport, with little to no benefit, this needs to be addressed more by people like you, cause it’s insane the lack of good transit connections at MCO for a true car free ride between miami and Orlando, id rather take Amtrak instead cause of this, 2 hours longer raw travel time, but more like 1 hour longer

[@AndrewMott6]

The whole point of high speed rail is to get from city centre to city centre, not airport to airport. May as well take an airplane, which is cheaper AND faster..

[@andyidk]

@@AndrewMott6 well miami is in the city, but Orlando isn’t like I stated, ridership will not be as high as it should because if this major design flaw

[@matthewgarcia1499]

I think the ridership will increase especially with traffic on 95 and high tolls ppl will use it more over time

[@hotsaucedave2373]

Great video. I was in Coach 1 seat 3C too. Nice trip

[@NickCharles]

This looks great, but I really hope the cost goes down as the line matures. $160 for a round trip seem a bit steep for the cheapest tickets. I recall that a London to Sheffield train fare when I last looked was around 60 GBP round trip. The price difference there is staggering to say the least! Given the options, I'd almost certainly drive myself. It's not like the "high speed" train even saves you any time between Orlando and Miami - most car trips will take about 4 hours with typical traffic as long as you're not driving during rush hour. Also, regarding your claim that flights are more expensive to Miami from Orlando, that's not always true. I found plenty of flights for about $148 round trip as early as 2 weeks out, which is cheaper than Brightline. Unlike Brightline though, the prices fluctuate for the flights. In that regard, if you are inflexible with your travel dates or are booking on short notice, then perhaps the train would be cheaper then.

[@mr.conductorfromsts4204]

This is amazing! What fantastic start for Brightline in and out of Miami and Orlando. 1st time that Brightline finally reached up to 125 MPH outside of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

[@codyhilton1750]

A very nice video on a beautiful train. Good traveling brightline.

[@tpajay]

On some of the trains, Smart seats are $99.00 one way between Orlando & Miami, according to their website. When I bought my Premium seat in July for this coming Sunday, Oct.1st from Orlando to West Palm, I paid $149.00 but some of the trains have the fare at $229.00 one way (my Akron to Orlando flight in Business class is $224.00 one way). Of course, whether you're flying or taking Brightline, you have to go to Orlando airport. If your destination isn't the city, you still have added time; so that equation is pretty tricky to estimate. The Premium food offering does look pretty basic & disappointing. They should also offer a hot food option like Amtrak's Acela trains.

[@olsurferguy1]

It’s NOT “swampland” between Orlando and Cocoa. It is marshland (St. Johns) which has a flow and eventually turns into the St. John’s River to the north.

[@MrPriebster]

Crazy that SunRail does not already connect to the Orlando airport

[@Blaze6432]

SunRail hardly connects to anything useful. they dont even connect to theme parks, literally the biggest reason why people visit to begin with.

[@LonestarTrips]

Yeah it’s a real shame. But the plan is to integrate service relatively soon.

[@alexverdigris9939]

And when they eventually do, they'll use a separate SunRail platform only, just to remaind SunRail users that they're an untouchable inferior caste. Gotta love the "land of the free".

[@spenceradams2908]

They probably won’t for awhile initially the plan was a joint line as part of the Tampa expansion that both brightline and sun rail would use but the government got greedy and wanted brightline to pay for it while giving sun rail full control of the line hence the Orlando representatives push for the route by the convention center but brightline seems to have smartly left that idea and gone for the southern route towards Disney springs that avoids this

[@maestromecanico597]

@@LonestarTrips "Relatively" being the key word here. SunRail will need a total reconfiguration from the status quo: seven days a week instead of M-F for a start. Brightline isn't exactly known for being patient so waiting 10 for Orange County ain't happening.

[@blind_gamer16]

Wow!!! That was amazing!

[@rongendron8705]

Brightline will have to significantly lower their prices to compete with flying or even driving this Florida corridor! When the Euro-Star Train first started, they charged high prices from London to European destinations! Then, they realized that they needed to charge varying rates for off-peak trains to maintain profits! Brightline will eventually do the same! If you are a single traveler, it might make sense, but a family can still save hundreds of dollars, by driving!

[@bhilgefort]

To add something simpler… driving between them means they don’t stop for passengers and a lot of us Florida drivers speed on the highways. Totally not worth it.

[@cameronbuongiorno8745]

Amazing video! I'd love to travel out to Florida one day to visit Disney World as well as ride Brighline. Living on the West Coast myself, I can't wait for Brightline West and Cal HSR to be finished! P.S. sorry I've missed the last couple premieres I've been occupied with moving. Safe travels!

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks so much for the donation! It's definitely worth getting out to Florida to check out Brightline, and I too can't wait for BL west to begin operations. Also, I haven't been doing premieres for the past few videos as school started back up a few weeks ago, so no worries about missing those. It's still great to see you in the comments anyways!

[@powbobs]

High speed rail didn’t’fall through’. Rick Scott, aka Voldemort, killed it.

[@P.Galore]

I really hope Brightline creates a full circle in Florida by going SOUTH from Tampa, connecting Sarasota/Bradenton airport, Venice, Punta Gorda airport, Ft. Myers, Naples then across alligator alley back to Miami. They have straight line access along the I75

[@bhilgefort]

It would be nice, but our railways have been sabotaged from the beginning. The big oil people didn’t like the economical dream of a bullet train from Tampa to Orlando. Rick Scott is a major blow to having that as a reality. Yet people still vote for him. I’ll never know why.

[@justinwolf7490]

Awesome! Now can we please make the next route from Orlando to Atlanta!

[@jackjules7552]

I used to ride the passenger train from Atlanta to Orlando back in the 1960's. But that train was discontinued as part of the Amtrak butchering that took place upon its inception in 1971. So I imagine the tracks are still there.

[@tonytee2107]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.

[@Imzaluzzulazmi]

Congratulation Brightline Orlando. Btw Indonesia has just launched high speed rail 350 km/h.

[@commodoresbank]

I do agree that Brightline does miss out on the stations between West Palm Beach, and through Orlando. Although let’s not forget there’s major consideration for a stop in Cocoa mainly, and additional options such as Fort Pierce, or Stuart (maybe square away some of roadways too imo). That again, hopefully in the future Brightline would be able to secure additional stops for anyone who wishes to stop in the Space Coast, etc.

[@georgeuribe3305]

I would think the opposite. If several more stations were added you would turn a high speed train into a commuter train. I do love seeing the creators here working with and giving shout outs to other creators of the same content. Support is better then put downs every day

[@OldSchool-px1xk]

You are right, at least one intermediate stop between Orlando and WPB should be added. On the other hand, Brightline by design is HSR, which means not too many stops. If they stop too often, the schedule is extended too much. After all, high speed rail needs regional services to collect passengers and haul them to hub stations. On the Aventura station, they already added a commuter rail platform, though service did not start so far. I believe Tri-Rail should operate on the FEC in future as a second line to their existing. Something like that should happen on the Gold or Space coast too. These regional trains don't need to be that fancy like Brightline, passengers won't travel on them for long distances. I guess all of Brightline's planning capacity is consumed by the Tampa extension, but without more regional services along the line long-term they won't have enough ridership.

[@commodoresbank]

@@georgeuribe3305 that does make sense, a big watch-out to avoid turning it from regional, into a commuter line.

[@kitchin2]

Local governments pay for stations, so that has helped limit the number initially. Miami Dade paid for Aventura, but the pedestrian bridge to the high end mall there has not been built - maybe the mall is supposed to pay for it. It will be interesting to see if BL is in a hurry to get to Tampa.

[@commodoresbank]

@@kitchin2 I don’t know who pays for the rest of the bridge, but that’s the last component to take travelers on foot from the station to the mall, and that’s definitely on the planning list.

[@cryorig_transit05]

Brightline is awesome!

[@shadowrunner2323]

Looks good so far, though for use as a commuter service, I would like to see a better price option, maybe like some kind of monthly or weekly pass. Especially if they open that Tampa - Disney Springs line.

[@anthonygray5581]

The train look wicked

[@johnd9031]

Beats driving that’s for sure👍

[@joealmoni4018]

More trains benefit everyone. Even if you drive there is less traffic on roads.

[@ggreg2258]

Why is the ride ' louder than normal'?? Yes, I agree: the food selection is VERY DISAPPOINTING. It would actually discourage me from riding premium!! Wouldn't the issue with more intermediate stations be that would add significantly to the trip time?? Enjoyed the vid.

[@EpicThe112]

From what I can see bright-line can order FRA modified LNER Class 800 GWR Class 802s if they need Dual mode trains because they can also reach 200 km per hour 125 mph under electric and diesel power. Electrification Wise the entire route Orlando to Miami Via West Palm Beach with Diesel Tampa to Orlando. Saw Simply Railway video of the trip too

[@Fightclubatgmail]

They'll probably order Siemmens Airo because it will be a lot easier on maintenance and logistics I think it could be possible to do electrification first at just the stations to give the train a boost with accelerating while also allowing the train to not have to idle improving customer experience.

[@stephenharper9961]

One of the best days for American rail travel ever

[@channelrafy]

Fantastic video, thank you

[@ben1777]

Looking at that bathroom and remembering the last metro north train bathroom I went in 🤣

[@nickl8830]

Dude this is dope AF

[@dsvd79]

It would be nice for a stop at Port Canaveral for cruise passengers.

[@Lynnie501]

Awesome, I love the train!

[@petterzachrisson2746]

I can’t hold back, most regional trains in Sweden does 200 km/h or 125 mph…. But congrats to the Brightline Orlando line. And the catering and service at brightline is impressive ….

[@robcook3954]

I paid 5.80 a gallon for auto furl month in Sweden lat month It was 3.25 in Florida. Trains have some serious competition.

[@chief1b]

I have taken brightline twice and loved the ride. I think it's a class act. I do live in the NEC where Amtrak is the head dog but would love to be able to take a Brightline train anytime. Cheers!

[@terrancestodolka4829]

Like the speed of the train to cover that large distance at mostly high speeds. And along with good ergonomics with technology connectivity... Seem they also might need to have cameras to watch over the bathroom and some facilities, to get feedback " Was everything okay? or needs some attention..." especially to prevent graffi ti or destructive actions by some while the perpetrators are still on board. So the use of others can inform the staff about it...and hopefully, help in apprehending the individuals...

[@scvandy3129]

26:09 - 26:12 What line uses the (lonely-looking) single track we see that passes below Brightline's arrival to Miami? Great video; picture and audio and selection of footage. Pleasant narration that's informative and enticing The line to Tampa will be up and running before five miles of track of the Las Vegas line are built, what with ALL of California's typically HORRENDOUS environmental and bureaucratic regulations / roadblocks / DELAYS / project-killers. Thank you, Lonestar Trip Reports. And "Good Luck, Brightline -- wishing you continued success!"

[@snakeplisskin8696]

Really nice presentation. Great speaking voice, nice videography. Great job.

[@paulcalhoun6339]

Very nice. I lived in Japan for years where trains travel is the norm. You commented on adding more train stops would be beneficial. In Japan, the train companies run a green, red and black trains. The green train only at major train stations, the black at every local station. Believe me, you don’t want to be in a hurry and get on a black car train!

[@johntaylor3243]

Japan also has actual high speed trains. What we are calling high speed is very slow by comparison.

[@ShotgunAFlyboy]

Passing that 90mph swamp highway traffic like it's standing still! 🚄🚃🚃🚃💨💨

[@bhilgefort]

As someone from Tampa and a long time resident, this train sounds great but a lot of us see this as something that should’ve been here already. That being said our second hope was a truly high speed rail. And that was not met. This rail looks very nice but maybe not worth the price. My car can go faster than those trains and I wouldn’t have to deal with other people’s attitudes and demeanors, yet the cost of a seat. There’s a reason why we drive. Also, Orlando to Miami doesn’t make sense. Miami is a great place but no theme park. Now Tampa to Orlando makes much more sense! We both have theme parks and beaches on opposite sides! But again, I can drive faster than the trains. So, what is it worth?

[@soulofamerica]

Correction. Brightline West will likely travel at 186 mph top speed. California HSR will have a 220 mph top speed. Both are desperately needed.

[@aceroadholder2185]

Well finally. I rode on a 125mph train 50 years ago.

[@christophercancel934]

18:05 and soon they'll have a station. Can't wait.

[@gregs2284]

Florida High Speed Rail didn't "fall through". It was cancelled the governor Rick Scott -- who then invested heavily in Fortress, the investment fund that owns Brightline.

[@aaronerskine3401]

no flight delays. no turbulence. no weather delays. space to walk around. count me in

[@donkraus1991]

Great! Now just extend that ride to Boston with normal city stops and this will be so successful!

[@Mergatroid]

Watching this right after the Miles in Transit video about it!

[@LonestarTrips]

Ha he makes a cameo in the beginning of my video, and I in his!

[@jman1948]

really wish brightline added some grade separation along the us1 part of the route. too many grade crossings.

[@rgomezer]

5:52 a wild Miles in Transit appears.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Looks like a great product. Very comfortable. A thorough review … as always! But lucky you didn’t get the following service with the vinyl-wrapped windows. 🥴

[@Youlosewewin]

Finally fast trains way over due

[@thomaslou624]

Hope they offer Florida residence pricing when they don’t sell out.

[@ACEssentialSwag]

I’m so excited to see the progress Brightline has made in private rail service. It’s my hope, though a far-fetched one, that Brightline would venture up to Georgia, namely the Atlanta metro. That could help ease some congestion on the 75 corridor.

[@joelapp]

If they add stations they need to add a non stop service then or the time between Orlando and Miami will become longer.

[@roaddogg800]

Very cool. Surprised there's no stop anywhere along the space coast. Just one location in say, Cocoa Beach would make a lot of sense.

[@BIGJATPSU]

In order for Brightline West to be profitable, they HAVE TO take the train into LA proper! Going just to Rancho and then boarding regular rail is a complete turnoff to the concept. I've suggested they should partner with CHSR for their right of ways and split costs and profits for that section. It'd be ideal as Brightline then would ACTUALLY go station to station from Vegas to LA, and for CHSR they'd start generating SOME revenue and get butts in seats before 2030 most likely. It's by no means a perfect situation for either party, but the reward would vastly outweigh the negative.

[@brucehain]

From the FEC website: "Florida East Coast Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary Grupo México Transportes (GMXT), the leading Class I railroad in Mexico."

[@vincentmorris2416]

Great video you forgot to mention the dreaded TSA if you have to fly especially holiday, summer travel

[@divdevoe8847]

Come to Jacksonville, Brightline!

[@super_tomtendo]

I really hope they loop it from Tampa down to SWFL, back to Miami. one big loop.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

A selling point is if you're going from Orlando to Miami Central and you're going to places where you don't need a car and you don't need a car to get there you don't have to rent a car, you can take the -T- Metrorail.