Brightline Orlando Launch Discussion

I got the dreaded, but wholly expected, cancellation email yesterday for my 9/1 reservation. No information about when they would actually start up, but they wrote that since I was originally reserved on the first day, I’ll get notification of the actual startup date before they announce it to the rest of the world.

Brightline Orlando launch faces delay; guests offered refunds: WESH.com

"It’s apparent we won't hit our opening weekend as planned," a Brightline spokesperson stated.

The delay comes during the “final stages of certification and crew testing.”

In response, Brightline is taking steps to minimize passenger inconvenience.

"We want to give guests ample time to adjust their travel plans. We will refund their tickets and provide a premium credit 'on us.' We hope they will rebook and enjoy the inaugural Brightline experience,” the spokesperson said.

The company will announce a new launch date in due course. Passengers with queries about Orlando travel plans can find assistance on Brightline's Help Center page.

Not good. Labor Day Weekend is a pretty crucial weekend, but I guess it would be better to cancel over a major holiday weekend than have some major hiccups that would leave a bad first impression.

There was an announcement a couple months ago that all construction for MIA - Orlando was complete. Now we have what appears to be last minute construction on the single track bridge. Can we guess that something broke on that bridge for Brightline and FEC to now close the bridge for work?

Brightline's official statement was that 'the delay comes during the “final stages of certification and crew testing.” ' Whatever that means.

I assume certifications and training and other regulatory things are unsure of how to approve a completely new ROW that historically never had trains run on it. Which is pretty rare these days...

It's more than blessing the track with visual, and Sperry + Geometry inspections, and proving out the signal system. The PTC component needs to be fully tested and pass through RSD testing phase as well. With PTC being the new normal, it takes a while to prove it's working as intended.

Last decade, we had an international car ferry service start up here in Portland with new-to-the-game operators. In the middle of their first summer, they had to cancel existing reservations one weekend on relatively short notice due to a safety equipment installation. I think the publicity around that cost them dearly given the number of vacationers whose plans were wrecked, and they didn't survive past the following summer, so I'm glad Brightline was able to make the announcement early.

It appears that Brightline is taking the lead with Wi-Fi aboard their trains:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/train-wi-f ... _permalink

Fair Use:

Internet access on trains can be notoriously bad. But train operators say hope could be around the bend.

That hope comes in the form of growing cellular coverage and 5G networks, which can power better and faster onboard Wi-Fi, operators say. But for some, it also comes in the form of a growing industry of low-earth-orbit satellite providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.

As these train operators contend with the limitations of the nation’s current telecommunications infrastructure, they say the satellite option—though it offers compelling benefits, with the capacity to address a major source of passenger frustration—has its own set of challenges.

Funny how last week, even throughout mountainous Austria on the Salzburg-Villach route, I found that the OBB's onboard Wi-Fi worked whenever I wanted it.

Also funny, how Amtrak's "Minister of Propaganda" Maglieri (appears he has Reloed from Chicago to Wash) noted within the article how "we can't have it everywhere; no cell towers near our tracks (well the Class I's)".

Is there nothing of interest between West Palm Beach (corrected from Ft. Lauderdale) and Orlando? That seems like a really long way without a stop.

West Palm is already there.

Between there and Orlando, there are discussions in one county (I forgot which one, but they mandated it in their approval of the project). The bigger attraction IMHO, the Melbourne - Cocoa - Cape Canaveral area, made no such provision and AFAIK there are no plans afoot.

So far as "no attractions" in general goes, it may be worth noting that Florida's Turnpike historically went 92 miles, from MM 152 in Fort Pierce to MM 244 in Kissimmee, with only one intervening exit at MM 193, Yeehaw Junction. Those were some of the longest stretches without an exit on the US highway system.

This is also supposed to be a high(er) speed line. The more stops in the middle, the longer it will take.

I believe Stuart/Port St Lucie is looking for a stop as well, allegedly. A lot of towns/counties north of WPB were extremely opposed to Brightline running through them in the first place, so I wouldn't be shocked if Brightline isn't going to push for stops in hostile territory

I got Ft Lauderdale and West Palm beach mixed up in my mind.
Thanks for explaining the 2:10 without a stop, which seemed surprisingly long to me, but not necessarily bad. I just don't know Florida geography very well. It certainly will make it faster.

Allow me to share first hand, that the Boca stop "pulls very well"; I have no knowledge of how the Aventura is doing.

These are the two stations that were added to the existing Miami-West Palm route.

Launch moved to 9/22: The Points Guy

Brightline delays Orlando debut again, with earliest possible start date set for Sept. 22

Brightline is once again delaying its debut at Orlando.

The Florida-based private rail carrier announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday that it won't launch its Orlando service from Sept. 7 to Sept. 21 because it is still in the final stages of certification and testing.

The earliest possible date customers could use the Brightline service to and from Orlando International Airport's (MCO) Terminal C would be Sept. 22. However, Brightline did not give an exact date for when it would start service.
...

JohnFromJersey wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 5:43 pm This is also supposed to be a high(er) speed line. The more stops in the middle, the longer it will take.

I believe Stuart/Port St Lucie is looking for a stop as well, allegedly. A lot of towns/counties north of WPB were extremely opposed to Brightline running through them in the first place, so I wouldn't be shocked if Brightline isn't going to push for stops in hostile territory

I think Stuart / Port St. Lucie is the one that negotiated their own stop (the "Treasure Coast"), but they're also responsible for the holdups over the bridge (southern equivalent to Mr. Norman's oft-mentioned Fairfield Navy). Personally, I do think they should look at a stop around Cocoa/Melbourne; they'll make a ton off of connections between MCO and the cruise port area.