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Brightline Trains


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7 minutes ago, codypet said:

You'll probably see work at the airport and along the existing rail corridor first as they seem to still be going through the permit process the part along 528.

Permit Link

Cody, you are right. The article stated the first two phases would be storage/railyard and about 3 miles worth of track at the airport to connect to the terminal and the railyard.  The other 2 long track phases will happen a bit later when they get cleared, but they said they were "imminent" -whatever that means. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

“Virgin Trains in Central Florida will leave traffic in the dust.”

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-virgin-train-orange-track-20190617-hqzsnx3j6jhspf6z3svu5foxlu-story.html

From the Sentinel 

good article.  Um, they state that the Intermodal Center building at OIA cost $221M.  Didn't they say that the final price tag on that was over $400M?  I thought the $220M or so was the money they got from the State.

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Interesting tie-in note, as a Red (the lowest since I don't fly them very often) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member I now get discounted tickets on this train.

  • 20% off Smart Class
  • 10% off 1st Class
  • Free Smart Class voucher if I make a Brightline Train Account

I can only assume Silver & Gold members get better?

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1 hour ago, HankStrong said:

Interesting tie-in note, as a Red (the lowest since I don't fly them very often) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member I now get discounted tickets on this train.

  • 20% off Smart Class
  • 10% off 1st Class
  • Free Smart Class voucher if I make a Brightline Train Account

I can only assume Silver & Gold members get better?

I wonder what a round trip to Miami will cost.

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That will be the key.

 

Last month we went to Miami for the weekend.  If I could have rode the train from MCO to Miami for a reasonable fare, I would've gladly done it.  That drive was obnoxious.  Google maps said it should be a little over 3.5 hours, but with a wreck on 528, miles of construction on I-95 near Port St. Lucie,  and a major wreck between WPB & Fort Lauderdale (as well as just general traffic) it took much closer to 4.75 hours.  We didn't even stop to eat or pee.  The trip home was much closer to 4 hours because we only had the construction.

If we could do that in about 3 hours flat and I could be drinking a beverage & playing on my tablet or phone (or sleeping with my headphones in) the entire trip, I'm in.  I looked over at my wife and said "I'm doing this by train in the near future and I'll be way happier when we arrive." 

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1 hour ago, HankStrong said:

That will be the key.

 

Last month we went to Miami for the weekend.  If I could have rode the train from MCO to Miami for a reasonable fare, I would've gladly done it.  That drive was obnoxious.  Google maps said it should be a little over 3.5 hours, but with a wreck on 528, miles of construction on I-95 near Port St. Lucie,  and a major wreck between WPB & Fort Lauderdale (as well as just general traffic) it took much closer to 4.75 hours.  We didn't even stop to eat or pee.  The trip home was much closer to 4 hours because we only had the construction.

If we could do that in about 3 hours flat and I could be drinking a beverage & playing on my tablet or phone (or sleeping with my headphones in) the entire trip, I'm in.  I looked over at my wife and said "I'm doing this by train in the near future and I'll be way happier when we arrive." 

I'm not sure how much the tolls are these days, but the last time I drove to Miami I took the Florida Turnpike both ways. I think it was either $20 each way, or possibly r/t. Either way, it was worth the extra expenses for the smooth, hassle-free trip with rest stops along the way.

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1 hour ago, JFW657 said:

I'm not sure how much the tolls are these days, but the last time I drove to Miami I took the Florida Turnpike both ways. I think it was either $20 each way, or possibly r/t. Either way, it was worth the extra expenses for the smooth, hassle-free trip with rest stops along the way.

...and they've got newer really nice rest areas now

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1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

...and they've got newer really nice rest areas now

According to Google Maps and Wikipedia, the distance from Orlando to Miami via the turnpike is 235.7 miles and the average cost per mile to travel on it is 6.7¢ using SunPass. If you pay cash or toll by plate, it's a bit more.

That works out to about $16 each way. 

Well worth it to avoid I-95.

3 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

$17 each direction from my house.  I've always avoided the turnpike without having a distinct reason for doing so.

Just posted right after you did.

The turnpike is the only way to go to Miami by car.

Boring, but smooth and hassle free.

.

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10 minutes ago, orange87 said:

Two questions.

How long will it take to go from Orlando to Miami with this train?

Do you think this train may connect to a Sunrail stop or near one some day?

Phase 2 of Brightline is slated to have a stop at Meadow Woods Sunrail Station as it's first stop

Also, I think the trip to Miami may be a wash; it may take just as long with Brightline as it would driving.  Is this a negative?  To me, no, because it gives you the option of not driving the route yourself.

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4 hours ago, jrs2 said:

Phase 2 of Brightline is slated to have a stop at Meadow Woods Sunrail Station as it's first stop

Also, I think the trip to Miami may be a wash; it may take just as long with Brightline as it would driving.  Is this a negative?  To me, no, because it gives you the option of not driving the route yourself.

Given what I assumed is the high speed of the train, even with a few stops I would think it wouldn't take quite as long, but then again I'm just guessing.

The main thing to me would be saving the wear and tear on my car, being able to sit back and relax and not worrying about getting into a wreck.

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15 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

They said the trip itself would be slightly faster than an average car trip at about just over 3 hours. Of course, you also have to deal with getting to the station and checking in and security and finding a way to get about at your destination. 

It isn't airport checkins or TSA security, at the existing stops, its typically just a minute to complete the checkin. The biggest question (after the Orlando completion) is when it will be extended to Sunrail and Disney to help solve the destination issue a bit.

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2 minutes ago, aent said:

It isn't airport checkins or TSA security, at the existing stops, its typically just a minute to complete the checkin. The biggest question (after the Orlando completion) is when it will be extended to Sunrail and Disney to help solve the destination issue a bit.

Yeah, it definitely needs that vital connectivity to other things. That's why it is so important to get it to other things/areas like SunRail, Disney, I-drive/convention center area. 

I am really hoping that this will finally act as a catalyst to get the rest of the connection to the intermodal station at the airport done. 

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46 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

Yeah, it definitely needs that vital connectivity to other things. That's why it is so important to get it to other things/areas like SunRail, Disney, I-drive/convention center area. 

I am really hoping that this will finally act as a catalyst to get the rest of the connection to the intermodal station at the airport done. 

I wonder if the final Miami route won't be a one-seat ticket, Miami to Disney. 

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On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 4:40 PM, orange87 said:

Two questions.

How long will it take to go from Orlando to Miami with this train?

Do you think this train may connect to a Sunrail stop or near one some day?

The info I saw estimated 2:50 Orlando to Miami, which is consistent with the "under 3 hours" line being used.

That's (as stated above) the next phase.  Miami to MCO is next, then MCO to the Disney area, then to Tampa.  Somewhere after that a Jax route is being discussed.

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