Brightline train Miami to WDW

[joelkfla]

Virgin Trains, aka Brightline, has announced it's intention to extend it's previously announced planned service between Miami & MCO on to WDW. Up to now, they had said they were looking into it but had not made a firm decision. Service may eventually be extended to Tampa.

Service currently operates between Miami and West Palm Beach. They had planned to start construction of the WPB to MCO phase a couple of years ago, but it has been repeatedly pushed back, primarily due to funding issues. Virgin recently purchased a minority interest, and they say Virgin's name recognition and backing has allowed them to finally obtain the funding.

They're now planning to reach MCO in about 3 years, and say "it's entirely conceivable" that service to WDW could be ready around the same time.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...-walt-disney-world-stations-at-the-same-time/

 

[JimMIA]

Building Brightline out to Orlando and beyond has a lot of moving parts. One of the most important was getting approval from the Florida Development Finance Corp, which allows them to borrow at much lower rates. They got that approval recently:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article228912594.html

The above story also mentions that Virgin wants to connect not only Tampa, but also Jacksonville to the line.

They also have plans to connect to FLL (Ft. Lauderdale airport) and Port Miami.

I personally don't see Port Miami as being cost-effective since their existing station is less than 1.5 miles away and it would be much easier to just bus the cruise passengers over the bridge. It's not like there are going to be hundreds of people a day riding the Brightline from WDW or Ft. Lauderdale to get to Port Miami, although there is an existing rail line they could connect to.

A smarter connection would be Miami International Airport (about 8 miles, with some existing tracks they could connect to) That could provide a very viable option for European and Latin American visitors who want to go to WDW.

 

[joelkfla]

Local TV station WFTV is reporting that Brightline told the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority this week that construction of the extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando is 33% complete, and is still targeted for completion at the end of 2022.

The extension to Tampa and a stop at WDW are still "under discussion."

 

[JimMIA]

Local TV station WFTV is reporting that Brightline told the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority this week that construction of the extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando is 33% complete, and is still targeted for completion at the end of 2022.

The extension to Tampa and a stop at WDW are still "under discussion."

Our route from Miami to UCF takes us right alongside a good part of the route coming into Orlando from the East. The last time we drove it, they were really doing a lot of work. We aren't going that way again until late August, but I'll try to remember to report back.

Richard Branson doesn't play, so I expect Miami-MCO to be open on schedule or very close. They went through a lot of delays with the several counties along the route to get the zoning approval, but now it's just a matter of building it.

 

[gatour]

I personally don't see Port Miami as being cost-effective since their existing station is less than 1.5 miles away and it would be much easier to just bus the cruise passengers over the bridge. It's not like there are going to be hundreds of people a day riding the Brightline from WDW or Ft. Lauderdale to get to Port Miami, although there is an existing rail line they could connect to.

A smarter connection would be Miami International Airport (about 8 miles, with some existing tracks they could connect to) That could provide a very viable option for European and Latin American visitors who want to go to WDW.

I know this a resurrected thread. Since there are already tracks to the port to handle freight traffic to/from the freight side of the port, all Virgin has to do is build a passenger terminal which is fairly cheap

 

[JimMIA]

I know this a resurrected thread. Since there are already tracks to the port to handle freight traffic to/from the freight side of the port, all Virgin has to do is build a passenger terminal which is fairly cheap

Correct. It's possible they'll have to update/modify the existing cargo tracks a little, and they'll have to build a spur to their terminal, but no prolonged zoning battles or expensive right-of-way acquisition like what delayed them on the WBP-MCO leg.

When Virgin gets the MCO-Port Miami link finished, it's really going to open up some nice options for WDW visitors. You'll not only have the availability of the busiest cruise port in the world, but also an easy, pleasant ride to South Florida for our many other attractions. From the downtown Miami station to South Beach is only a 5 mile Uber/cab ride, and there are many other options.

The train will also have a station near FLL, with easy access to Ft. Lauderdale Beach (11 miles) or Port Everglades (5+ miles)