Brightline (All Aboard Florida) Orlando - Miami FL FEC fka Virgin Rail

The Business section of that link mentions corporate charters. How long until someone tries to charter Brightline to Jacksonville of other points North of West Palm Beach?

From the Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/transp ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't get into gobrightline.com at the moment, so I can't see what they have there yet.

So if I want to be there for opening day, I have to leave today. It takes me two days to drive down, unless I put in an unusually long day (for me at least) behind the wheel. And no word (yet) about what events will happen on Saturday. I need to think about my strategy here.

Here is reporting by Jennifer Sorentrue at the Palm Beach Post who in, again, this admitted "newssnob's" opinion is the best of the bunch reporting on this "saga".

Fair Use (startup):

...will launch introductory service on its passenger trains on Saturday , with round-trip fares starting at $20 for rides between its stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

During the week, the company plans to run 10 round-trip trains a day between the two cities. There will be nine round-trip trains on the weekends.

Trains will depart as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. The schedules will differ between weekdays and weekends, Brightline said.

Introductory “Try Our Train Fares” will be $10 each way for a seat in one of Brightline’s Smart Service cars. One-way tickets for a Select Service seat will cost $15, the company said

But, like Mr. Bell, I can't get into their site. However, Ms. Sorentrue reports that there remains no resolution of the Quiet Zone matter. The thought of apparently twenty more trains a day blowing at the 200 some X-ings WILL cause disruptions in a lot of people's lives.

Fair Use (QZ):

...But as Brightline prepares for its launch, the company continues to draw criticism from some longtime supporters of the project who are upset that it didn’t make good on a promise to create a continuous quiet zone to silence train horns along its route.

The zone will run from 15th Street in West Palm Beach south to the county line. It will silence the horns of both Brightline’s trains and freight locomotives that travel along the FEC tracks

Ah, their site finally came up. Let's see, search for trains on Saturday... first one apparently leaves WPB at 8:00 AM, arriving in FLL at 8:40. Return trip leaves FLL at 9:25 and arrives in WPB at 10:05.

After that, it's every 1:30 until the final train leaves FLL at 10:55 PM and arrives in WPB at 11:35.

Their search engine crashed once while I was researching this. I guess a plain old timetable is too low-tech for them.

No wait, there is a schedule page with a simple timetable, but it apparently goes through the search engine, too. It takes just as long to bring up as the "purchase tickets" page that has the same information.

https://gobrightline.com/trip/schedule" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a message I sent to the Palm Beach Post reporter that I believe is "the best of the bunch" reporting on AAF affairs:

May I commend you, Ms. Sorentrue.

I have been following the "Brightline Saga" since it was first announced during 2012. Admittedly I have been and still remain highly skeptical of this initiative and have shared thoughts at several discussion sites, I am glad to see they are inaugurating service in time for my annual journey "down below" (I reside in the Chicago area). Here is one discussion site, at which I post using my given name, and where thoughts have been shared by both hobbyists and those who are or have been employed within the railroad industry:

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=94565" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

But with the above having been said, I have found your reporting of AAF affairs to be the most objective and informative of any of the South Florida publications covering the story. Thank you for your continued efforts.

Gilbert B Norman

Gilbert B Norman wrote:But, like Mr. Bell, I can't get into their site. However, Ms. Sorentrue reports that there remains no resolution of the Quiet Zone matter. The thought of apparently twenty more trains a day blowing at the 200 some X-ings WILL cause disruptions in a lot of people's lives.

I live within 150 yards of the Harlem Division, 1/4 mile from the station in Bronxville and 3/8 mile from that in Tuckahoe. Every single train that goes through on a platform track whistles at both of those. That's >150 trains a day. Doesn't disrupt my life or the lives of my family and neighbors in the slightest so far as I can tell. Granted it's just a short blast or two, not the long-long-short-long for a grade crossing, but still: one gets used to it very quickly.

Have to say, I find all this fuss over quiet zones at crossings to be somewhat incomprehensible. A train horn is nowhere near as intrusive as a fire siren, let alone a low-flying aircraft or a next-door-neighbor's blasting stereo. And it's not like this is some pristine wilderness area we're talking about. The stretch of Florida between West Palm and Miami is as built up as Queens or the northern reaches of Chicago. Some of these people agitating for quite zones must live right underneath the final approaches to KPBI!

OK everybody; the AAF site appears to be "up and running" and I have taken the occasion to plot out an AAF joyride for Sunday January 28:

Station-----------Time----Carrier

Arsht Center-----910A---Metro Mover
Govt Center------925
---------------------934-----Metro Rail
Airport------------948
-------------------1017----Tri Rail
Ft Lauderdale---1105
FTL AAF Stn-----1225P---AAF
WPB AAF----------105
---------------------200
FTL AAF Stn------240
Ft Lauderdale---356-----Tri Rail
Airport------------450
--------------------516-----Metro Rail
Govt Center------531
---------------------545----Metro Mover
Arsht Center-----600P

Nine hours on my only free day; tempting if I were more the railfan; otherwise "too much".

Ridgefielder wrote:Some of these people agitating for quite zones must live right underneath the final approaches to KPBI!

And they probably bitch at that just as much! And it's not like it's the middle of the night.

Interesting that their graphic says FLL-WPB is "30 min" but the schedule is 40. Maybe not wanting or needed to promise full speeds for now?

Also interesting that it is a schedule that, and 40 mins per trip and trips every 90 minutes (each way) it is can be operated with just 2 trains.

Wow, thread originated nearly 6 years ago , and finally, they are almost there.
Despite the delays and problems , hopefully it will be an exciting day for all concerned.

I think it will be a very good day and I am looking forward to it. I'll try to give a report on it sometime this weekend.
Noel Weaver

I hope things turn out well tomorrow! I decided not to try to come down for opening day. Too short notice. Instead, I'm aiming for sometime next week, watching the weather forecast so as to try to avoid rainy days.

It looks like Brightline CEO Dave Howard is out, and COO Patrick Goddard is now President and COO. This news flew under the radar.

https://gobrightline.com/about-us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The private rail service also announced yet another leadership change. COO Patrick Goddard will take over as president, replacing former sports executive Dave Howard, who joined the company in March as CEO. Howard replaced Mike Reininger, who became executive director of Brightline parent FECI.

"As we launch this new service, Patrick Goddard will lead Brightline as the President and COO. Dave Howard was instrumental over the past year in transforming the company into the vibrant operation you see here today," said a Brightline spokesman via a statement. Howard is no longer with the company, he said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/busines ... 68174.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brightline looking at other corridors in the US.

too long to drive, too short to fly

http://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/ ... 017612001/

WEST PALM BEACH — The Treasure and Space coasts still are waiting for Brightline, yet the railroad already is looking beyond its original goal of passenger service between Miami and Orlando. It’s eyeing expansion to Jacksonville and Tampa. And even as South Florida service gets underway Saturday, officials are exploring other parts of the country, such as Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, said to Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group, Brightline's parent company "Our vision doesn't stop here," Edens said Friday at a media event. "Our goal is to look at other corridors with similar characteristics — too long to drive, too short to fly."

I can tell you right now, from the video posted at the Gannett Treasure Coast Newspapers site linked here byr. Chaz, that those AAF cars bear a strong resemblance to the OBB, Austria, cars used on their premium "higher speed" RailJet trains. If so, then those who show up to ride AAF after the "feeding frenzy" dies off, will have a nice ride in equipment far superior to any Amtrak single-level car in service.

Considering the columnist who was anti-AAF, as distinct from my skeptical AAF, it's a wonder they extended any freebies to anyone associated with Gannett Company, Inc.