Brightline Orlando Launch Discussion

""{I} I genuinely think MCO is one of the worst airports ever. {I} cannot believe there is only ONE TSA checkpoint in the whole airport. ""

Then there were two, now there are three. One for half of the A side and half of the B side. One for the other half of the A side and the other half of the B side. One for the C side. Admittedly any given gate is served by only one TSA checkpoint.

For the A and B sides, think of them as football stadium sidelines. Think of the TSA checkpoints as the end zones.

It would be farfetched for a rail line especially a high speed rail line to have two stations for a very large airport. So wherever they put the (single) station some airlines would be favored, for MCO it would be the C side airlines.

I've never had an issue with Orlando, in either A/B or C. My wife and I both have Pre-Check, which helps, but even when we didn't we just followed the "get there early and use common sense/follow instructions at TSA". The last time we flew it took us longer to get through the Pre-Check Lane at Bradley than the one at Terminal C.

The only thing I don't like about Terminal C is the directional signage and mix of elevator and escalator banks to get to Mears and the rest of ground transportation is a little confusing. On one of our Disney trips a few years ago when C first opened we stayed at the Hyatt in A&B the night before our check-in at Riverside, and we had a hell of time trying to get to the shuttle tram from C to A&B. Most employees didn't know either and asked if we were looking for a bus lol.

The TSA Pre-Check people in C seem pretty cool from the limited interactions I've had with them. Last year we bought a bottle of hot sauce from Art Smith's to bring home and instead of shipping it from the gift shop with everything else we packed it into carry-on not thinking. My wife got stopped, and the agent looked at her and said, "Miss, do you have anything liquid in here?" Neither of us remembered the hot sauce, and were both like, "No?". We both had an "oh shit" moment and were totally apologetic, but the agent said it happens all the time. She offered to let us go check the bag, but the $8 bottle was not worth the checked bag fee from JetBlue lol.

I just finished a plane-to-Brightline trip that required a Terminal B to Terminal C transfer. The wayfaring signage could have been better, but I didn't have a problem finding the train. The airport shuttle train to Terminal C runs every 5 minutes and it's a quick walk from the shuttle stop to Brightline. Terminals A & B are very busy and I doubt there's much room for growth for the airlines that currently operate in A or B. Terminal C is cavernous and practically empty except for JetBlue, the once-a-day foreign carriers and Brightline. But over the next 10 years, any airline that plans to seriously expand their MCO operation is going to have to consider moving to C. And why not? A new facility with modern infrastructure and a handy train station should be attractive.

Vincent wrote: ↑Mon Jul 29, 2024 3:25 pm I just finished a plane-to-Brightline trip that required a Terminal B to Terminal C transfer. The wayfaring signage could have been better,

Mr. Vincent, I'm surprised to learn you had any kind of issue transferring from Terminal B to C and Brightline. I did a joyride last February, which also involved "peasantran" (hey, for a buck each way, I'll be a peasant) to watch #91 pass by the Downtown bus terminal. Getting to and from the Lynx bus stop in front of "B" presented no issues - and pretty sure I'm considerably older than are you.

Now next January, I could end up using Brightline to get from MCO to West Palm for a concert. It seems rates ORD-MCO are more favorable than into PBI. Further, I'm not familiar with West Palm's bus system and I certainly know how to walk South from Brightline on Evernia to the Hilton on Okeechobee and from there to Kravis. So for me, more "knowns" than "unknowns".

Mr. Norman, thanks for the tip about Lynx. I am now fully qualified to travel at the senior tariff.

My flight arrived at the far end of Terminal B and there wasn't a lot of signage showing the way to the other terminals or Brightline. But I've been through plenty of airports in my time, and this being my first time into MCO, I just followed the herd and ended up in the main terminal where the route to Terminal C was pretty clear.

MCO is the most unpleasant airport I've taken. And I've taken EWR, PHL, ACY, FLL, AUS, and MSP

John, "not looking forward" to an October "change at Newark" from an ORD-EWR to EWR-BER on United (no such a thing on anybody ORD-BER nonstop). Return is BER-FRA-ORD on Lufthansa (never flown them before).

Moderator; so much for planes; back to trains.

Summary of my FL/Brightline/MIA/MCO/Tri-Rail experiences for 2024.

My first time on Brightline and I like it. Approximately 275 miles in 3 hours on a comfortable train offering hourly departures from modern terminals with an organized boarding process that allows pre-assigned seats. Cool.

My midday Friday train from MCO to Miami was announced as "Sold Out", but unless my neighbor was Mr. Casper T. Ghost, I had an empty seat next to me the whole way. Brightline promotes its wide 32" aisles, but my seat seemed a little narrow. Because I spent about 99% of my time in the seat and not in the aisle, I wouldn't be upset if the seats gained a little width in future versions.

Brightline offers a van connection to MIA airport. I wouldn't recommend using it. The service is operated by a contractor and the van is a van is a van--nothing special. The price is $10, the schedule is once-an-hour, but the Brightline agents weren't sure what time it left or even where it departed from: "I think it's picking people up outside that door today". Metrorail's Historic Overtown Station is right next to the Brightline station (you can see the overhead tracks as you exit the station) and the Orange Line runs every 10-15 minutes to MIA. Regular fare is $2.25/$1.10 for seniors and students. Unless you are laden with excess baggage, take Metrorail.

The journey from the MIA Metrorail station to the gates is quite a distance (much further than MCO to Terminals A or B) so allow plenty of time if you are planning to make that transfer (same with Tri-Rail).

Well Mr. Vincent, you just "learned me" something about Miami - and I "go down" every year for Cleveland Orchestra concerts during their later January residency. I also "go down" during February to Boca on a road trip, but my auto gets no further than the Brightline garage in Boca (my hotel there is "out of range" for Brightline's jitney).

But where you "learned me" is that Metrorail's Overtown station is closer to Brightline than is Government Center; the Willie Ferguson station is the closest Metro Mover, which is what I use during my January trip boarding at Arsht Center (stay at a Marriott near there where the Orchestra also stays - call me an "83yo Groupie" - I know several musicians by name).

And so far as getting from there to the Airport (always fly for the January trip), I don't know any other way than Metrorail (Mover to Government Center Metrorail to KMIA), but I heartily concur, allow plenty of time - that even applies if you have shelled out $75 for a taxicab (understand nowadays Uber is no cheaper). And yes, once in the terminal buildings, be prepared to hike (maybe less for American, who kind of "owns" the place, but I fly United, and they are "some kind of Leftover" there).

So Mr. Vincent, sounds like you had a good, and flawless trip, I haven't been out your way since the MILW pulled the plug on Lines West, but I have sailed on the CP operated m/v Princess Margaruite - and I don't think too many others around here can make that claim.

Mr. Norman, my experiences in south Florida consist mainly as a transfer point for trips to South America. Usually during summers when the local temperature and humidity are both in the upper 90s. Plus, on this trip, the MIA Mover between the terminal and Metrorail was closed for maintenance, as were most of the moving sidewalks, so the journey was even longer.

If you ever do make it out to the PNW again, you might recognize the Space Needle, Smith Tower, Pike Place Market or the ferries on Puget Sound, but virtually everything else is new(ish). The Princess M has been replaced by the Victoria Clipper catamaran which makes the trip in about the same time Brightline needs for MIA<>MCO.

One surprising thing I noticed on my Brightline trip was the number of passengers who use Brightline to commute between WPB and Miami. Brightline's schedule beats Tri-Rail by at least 45 minutes and doesn't require a transfer to Metrorail to get to downtown Miami. There was a huge turnover of seats at WPB. It appears that fast, frequent, reliable rail service attracts a crowd willing to pay a higher price.

Somewhere I learned that Brightline will sell WPB-MIA only to the extent that they have filled their anticipated demand from MCO. This means a WPB-MIA (or worse; me with my BOC-MIA or BOC-WPB) booking will be turned away if to accept such means they would lose an MCO-BOC-FTL-AVE-MIA booking.

Hey, railroads "did it all the time" with pen, paper, carousels, and clerks that had brains (and cared about their job). Try, as I once did during '63 to book a day occupancy Compartment on the Zephyr Denver to Glenwood - sorry, no dice!!!

And to Mr. Vincent; wonder why, save once when my Sister was too quick to declare a family emergency (my Father was discharged from the ER well before I got down there), I've never been in Florida earlier than Thanx or later than Easter - and that better be an early one!!!

And finally: oh; getting off that plane @ FLL in August?, that blast of hot humid air was only equaled by that I experienced @ SGN/VVTS.

Second trip this week. Few years back I rode FLL-MIA-WPB-FLL. Today is MCO-WPB. This should be interesting.

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2024/09/ ... ming-soon/

Florida’s Brightline Train Just Confirmed TWO Big Changes Coming Soon

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Brightline is also starting a loyalty program in early 2025. So you’ll be able to earn and use rewards just for riding the train. COOL, right? We’re ready to sign up!

Brightline will also start a new program that will allow its riders to order food, beverages, and other items directly from their train seat via a website. Okay, we are all about convenience, so that sounds BRILLIANT.
...

Passengers, but not profits:

NPR Station WLRN

Fair Use:

Ticket revenue for the privately-owned passenger train service more than tripled in the first quarter compared to a year earlier. Brightline collected almost $40 million in ticket fares to begin this year, according to its unaudited financial statement for the first quarter.

Brightline started running its long distance service in September and those additional paying passengers were responsible for the company’s big jump in ticket revenue. If it weren’t for the passengers and fares between South Florida and Orlando, sales and ridership would have dropped.

The increase in revenue did not translate into a profit, though.

Despite my admitted skepticism fifteen or so years ago, when I held it was simply a ploy to sell the FEC to the State, I now hold it's here to stay.

But in the private sector, who knows?

It seems to me when I have ridden, the whole outfit is way overstuffed. I also must question how well the station concessions are doing. Sure its nice to have airport styled concessions at some stations (even Boca has a newsstand), but are the concessionaires "making book".

I hope it doesn't come to pass, for I use it on my two or three trips "down below" to get from here to there, as distinct from a railfan joyride as I acknowledge I did to MCO this past February.