Brightline
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:35 pm
I was in southeast Florida this past week and while I was down there, I took a ride on the Brightline and was very impressed by it. The whole experience puts Amtrak to shame really. From the stations, to the train car design, to interior design, to staff, to not yielding for freight trains, and to getting around in destination cities, Brightline does it right. I guess this is what you get when you have a private company take a swing at things.
MiamiCentral - Brightline's Home Station
This place is impressive. It's several blocks long and has a visually interesting design thanks to the zig-zags that make up the lower few floors and train platform levels. Ground level activation is great but isn't being taken full advantage of right now. I believe that once the retail spaces fill up, then it'll be a busier place sidewalk wise. The retail spaces may also get a boost thanks to ongoing nearby developments with Miami World Center, a parcel directly East of the Station, MiamiCentral expansion (two super towers located South of the station), and some miscellaneous apartment/condo/hotel/office buildings. On top, MiamiCentral has two residential towers - Parkline, and an office building (2 MiamiCentral). Another office building, 3 MiamiCentral, is located around the block and includes a Publix Grocery Store. The station was built by Brightline's parent company/operator Florida East Coast Industries.
MiamiCentral is easily accessible by the Metrorail System via the stop at Historic Overtown, or the Metromover via the stop at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr.
Inside, the station has a smell of citrus. It's very clean too and has a lot of signage to direct you to where you need to go. Upstairs is the "Citizens Miami" Food Hall. To get to the trains, your bag goes through a quick scan at security and you're in. You use a barcode on your phone to gain access to the station area. Once there, you have a lounge, a bar, a "quick market" where there's no checkout lane, and then a premium lounge. Boarding is fairly easy as a station attendant announces which track the train you're boarding will be on and to go to the escalator that takes you up to track-level. From there, you board your train car and sit in your chosen, or assigned, seat.
The Ride to West Palm Beach
Upon boarding the train, you're greeted with a nice interior design and the name of your train (in my case, Brightblue). There's a small sitting area outside of the main seating area and by the bathroom where you can make a phone call. The bathrooms themselves are clean. I sat in the "Smart" coach on this trip, which is comparable to your economy class. Brightline offers two classes - Smart and Premium. In Premium, you get a larger seat, more legroom, and free snacks and drinks but I found the seat size and legroom to be plentiful in Smart. Each seat pair includes 4 power outlets and two USB-C charging ports. LCD displays on the ceiling throughout the railcar advertised Brightline's services as well as the next destination.
The ride was quiet and smooth. The maximum speed is currently 79mph, but the smoothness of the ride makes it feel like you're going faster. Eventually, Brightline will operate at speeds of up to 125mph once the expansion to Orlando opens. According to a press release, Brightline will begin testing the stretch of the extension up to Cocoa with testing on the line to Orlando Airport beginning by the end of the year. In the future, the train might be extended to Disney World and Tampa as well as PortMiami. Along the ride, we passed by Brightline's next two stations - Aventura Mall and Boca Raton. Both are early in their construction process but will have a similar design to the West Palm Beach station.
West Palm Beach's station, like Fort Lauderdale's, is a miniature version of MiamiCentral. However, unlike Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach station includes its own "Parkline" apartment tower. the station is also located just around the corner from Related Southeast's Rosemary Square which includes shopping, dining, residential, work, and entertainment options. If you wish to go to Palm Beach, Brightline+ is a free service to get you there. It's a service to get you anywhere within a 5-mile radius of the station and will also pick you up if you need a ride back.
Other Photos and Thoughts
I love the way the stations are lit up at night. Definitely are eyecatchers. Overall, I like the system and wish it was adopted in more places across the country. It really is nice despite not having much ridership. On my return trip back from West Palm Beach, there were 6 other passengers in my coach. On the way to West Palm Beach, as evidenced by the pictures, I was the only passenger in that coach. I guess it depends on when you ride as trains run every hour from the early morning to around 11PM. Station designs like West Palm Beach seem like they could easily be brought to the Amtrak network at some point. It's not too big of a station and includes everything you need when waiting.
Brightline is also currently more convenient for travelers to access than Amtrak or Trirail. Trirail, the Metro Area's commuter rail, will eventually go to MiamiCentral, but currently sits near the airport and away from areas where visitors will go. Amtrak is also shoved away from the activity.
I found Brightline+ to be a good feature and can see it being used more once ridership increases. Between the Metromover, Metrorail, Metrobus and Brightline+, getting around Downtown Miami, and into other neighborhoods, is pretty easy. It does shine in West Palm Beach if you want to get to the beach, but beyond that, I don't really see it being a good thing to have there as you can easily walk to nearby destinations. Same with Fort Lauderdale.
Lastly, since Amtrak will be getting the Venture railcars, which are basically the same as Brightline's, I have hope that those will be just as comfortable to ride in. Even though Amtrak has its problems with being on time and operating at somewhat faster speeds, getting new railcars into mix could help change perceptions of Amtrak. Just speed needs to be worked on.
MiamiCentral - Brightline's Home Station
This place is impressive. It's several blocks long and has a visually interesting design thanks to the zig-zags that make up the lower few floors and train platform levels. Ground level activation is great but isn't being taken full advantage of right now. I believe that once the retail spaces fill up, then it'll be a busier place sidewalk wise. The retail spaces may also get a boost thanks to ongoing nearby developments with Miami World Center, a parcel directly East of the Station, MiamiCentral expansion (two super towers located South of the station), and some miscellaneous apartment/condo/hotel/office buildings. On top, MiamiCentral has two residential towers - Parkline, and an office building (2 MiamiCentral). Another office building, 3 MiamiCentral, is located around the block and includes a Publix Grocery Store. The station was built by Brightline's parent company/operator Florida East Coast Industries.
MiamiCentral is easily accessible by the Metrorail System via the stop at Historic Overtown, or the Metromover via the stop at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr.
Inside, the station has a smell of citrus. It's very clean too and has a lot of signage to direct you to where you need to go. Upstairs is the "Citizens Miami" Food Hall. To get to the trains, your bag goes through a quick scan at security and you're in. You use a barcode on your phone to gain access to the station area. Once there, you have a lounge, a bar, a "quick market" where there's no checkout lane, and then a premium lounge. Boarding is fairly easy as a station attendant announces which track the train you're boarding will be on and to go to the escalator that takes you up to track-level. From there, you board your train car and sit in your chosen, or assigned, seat.
The Ride to West Palm Beach
Upon boarding the train, you're greeted with a nice interior design and the name of your train (in my case, Brightblue). There's a small sitting area outside of the main seating area and by the bathroom where you can make a phone call. The bathrooms themselves are clean. I sat in the "Smart" coach on this trip, which is comparable to your economy class. Brightline offers two classes - Smart and Premium. In Premium, you get a larger seat, more legroom, and free snacks and drinks but I found the seat size and legroom to be plentiful in Smart. Each seat pair includes 4 power outlets and two USB-C charging ports. LCD displays on the ceiling throughout the railcar advertised Brightline's services as well as the next destination.
The ride was quiet and smooth. The maximum speed is currently 79mph, but the smoothness of the ride makes it feel like you're going faster. Eventually, Brightline will operate at speeds of up to 125mph once the expansion to Orlando opens. According to a press release, Brightline will begin testing the stretch of the extension up to Cocoa with testing on the line to Orlando Airport beginning by the end of the year. In the future, the train might be extended to Disney World and Tampa as well as PortMiami. Along the ride, we passed by Brightline's next two stations - Aventura Mall and Boca Raton. Both are early in their construction process but will have a similar design to the West Palm Beach station.
West Palm Beach's station, like Fort Lauderdale's, is a miniature version of MiamiCentral. However, unlike Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach station includes its own "Parkline" apartment tower. the station is also located just around the corner from Related Southeast's Rosemary Square which includes shopping, dining, residential, work, and entertainment options. If you wish to go to Palm Beach, Brightline+ is a free service to get you there. It's a service to get you anywhere within a 5-mile radius of the station and will also pick you up if you need a ride back.
Other Photos and Thoughts
I love the way the stations are lit up at night. Definitely are eyecatchers. Overall, I like the system and wish it was adopted in more places across the country. It really is nice despite not having much ridership. On my return trip back from West Palm Beach, there were 6 other passengers in my coach. On the way to West Palm Beach, as evidenced by the pictures, I was the only passenger in that coach. I guess it depends on when you ride as trains run every hour from the early morning to around 11PM. Station designs like West Palm Beach seem like they could easily be brought to the Amtrak network at some point. It's not too big of a station and includes everything you need when waiting.
Brightline is also currently more convenient for travelers to access than Amtrak or Trirail. Trirail, the Metro Area's commuter rail, will eventually go to MiamiCentral, but currently sits near the airport and away from areas where visitors will go. Amtrak is also shoved away from the activity.
I found Brightline+ to be a good feature and can see it being used more once ridership increases. Between the Metromover, Metrorail, Metrobus and Brightline+, getting around Downtown Miami, and into other neighborhoods, is pretty easy. It does shine in West Palm Beach if you want to get to the beach, but beyond that, I don't really see it being a good thing to have there as you can easily walk to nearby destinations. Same with Fort Lauderdale.
Lastly, since Amtrak will be getting the Venture railcars, which are basically the same as Brightline's, I have hope that those will be just as comfortable to ride in. Even though Amtrak has its problems with being on time and operating at somewhat faster speeds, getting new railcars into mix could help change perceptions of Amtrak. Just speed needs to be worked on.