The high-speed train that will link Miami and Orlando begins its first partial trips
A 40-mile “introductory service” between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach will be the maiden voyage
The first privately funded passenger train will roll out across South Florida this week, providing the region with a much-needed alternative to commuting via county highways.
Travelers make 500 million trips each year between central and south Florida. If you're planning a trip that includes both adventures at the Disney parks and pleasure on Miami's beautiful beaches, consider this new offering: Florida's new city-to-city passenger train that will significantly change the way travelers get around. between Orlando and Miami.
With promises to save 25 percent in travel time compared to existing transportation options, it's no wonder commuters have been looking forward to the debut of this passenger train.
The Brightline company did not report the exact day the service will start. He has only indicated that it will be "the week of January .without giving details of hours or prices
The project, with an estimated cost of 3,100 million dollars, has suffered delays and legal setbacks that already seem to be overcome.
During the past weekend several trains circulated between Fort Lauderdae and West Palm Beach with selected passengers, as a preparation for the employees of the line, reported the Palm Beach Post newspaper.
One of the passengers on these first trips described the trip of about half an hour as "wonderful" and added:
It's not like anything else I know of in this country. It's fast. It's soft. I think it's going to change the way rail service is viewed in America."
Service between Miami and West Palm Beach, which is expected to last one hour, is expected to be operating by the end of this year.
The completion date of the second phase of the project, West Palm Beach-Orlando International Airport, some 241 kilometers apart, is unknown, but local media suggests that it will be completed in 2020.
The new Brightline high-speed line hopes to reduce traffic on South Florida's highways by three million cars.
The amenities that the train has are internet connection, plugs, large windows and leather seats, as well as diesel-electric technology that, according to the company, reduces emissions and noise.
The project foresees that in the future 32 trains a day will circulate between Miami and Orlando, which will make the journey in about three hours, at a speed of 127 kilometers per hour between Miami and West Palm Beach, and up to 201 kilometers per hour between Cocoa and Orlando.
