MIAMI, FLA –  Brightline, the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America, is back in service between its Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach stations. Brightline has relaunched with multiple service enhancements and investments, including its new fully integrated, door-to-door booking service Brightline+ which is powered by its app and supported by a new fleet of Brightline branded vehicles, and upgraded food and beverage options. Brightline+ will be piloted in November and officially part of the booking flow on December 1, 2021.

 

Travelers can take advantage of special ticket promotions including the first ride free through the new Brightline app for smart ride offers during the month of November. Introductory ticket prices will start at $10 for SMART and $27 for PREMIUM for a limited time only. Passengers can purchase tickets and book future travel plans through Brightline’s new website and mobile app available for download in Google Play and the Apple Store.

 

Brightline trains will operate at FRA-approved and authorized top speeds of 79 miles per hour along the entire 67-mile corridor. In light of this, Brightline is reminding the public, pedestrians, motorists and cyclists to make safe choices around trains and crossings. The safety message is simple: look, listen, live. 

 

WHAT’S NEW

 

As part of its relaunch, Brightline has unveiled guest enhancements that will elevate train travel to a true car-free lifestyle experience in South Florida through its new door-to-door service and upgraded food and beverage options.

 

Door-to-Door Service

 

In addition to the Tri-County connectivity provided by Brightline, riders will now get to experience the new and first-of-its-kind branded, door-to-door booking service, Brightline+, which will include a Brightline-branded mobility fleet. The fully electric mobility fleet is Brightline’s investment to provide travelers in South Florida a door-to-door solution to travel by train, powered by Brightline’s new app and supported by the fleet. The service will enable customers to book seamless transportation across multiple modes of private and public transportation for the first and last miles of their journeys, which will make Brightline the most integrated multimodal planning and ticketing app in North America. 

 

Citizens Culinary Center, Mary Mary and MRKT

 

Citizens is MiamiCentral’s new 26,000 SF culinary center by C3, the leading global food tech platform, which will house C3 by sbe’s restaurant offerings inspired by globally-renowned chefs such as “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto, Chef Katsuya Uechi,  Michelin Starred chef Dani García and Chef Dario Cecchini. Founded and led by visionary Sam Nazarian, C3 (Creating Culinary Communities) is the fastest-growing food-tech platform today. 

 

Upon reopening, Brightline also introduces its signature bar, Mary Mary, and an innovative autonomous market called MRKT. Named for two wives of Henry Flager, founder of Florida East Coast Railway, Mary Lily Kenan and Mary Harkness Flagler, Mary Mary is Brightline’s new elevated sit-down bar serving all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. MRKT, the first fully-autonomous market in South Florida, makes picking up snacks and other conveniences easier. Mary Mary and MRKT will serve riders at all three Brightline stations -- Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.

 

Touchless and Safe Travel

 

Among its new safety measures, Brightline will require all teammates to be fully vaccinated prior to the reintroduction of service. The company has identified and will implement a series of COVID protocols in-station and on-board, including an almost touchless transportation system. Safety measures include increased cleaning, pre-packaged foods, touchless bathrooms, cashless payment, and electronic tickets. Per the existing federal mandate, teammates and guests will be required to wear masks in stations and onboard all trains. Brightline features reserved seating, and the private four-person table configurations within each coach have plexiglass dividers, providing increased privacy and distancing.

 

Railroad Safety and Mental Health Awareness

 

Education on safety along railroad crossings is one of Brightline’s top priorities. The company has partnered with several organizations to promote safety around railroad crossings through education, enforcement, engineering and technology including South Florida school districts, WAZE GPS to map all railroad crossings across the U.S., and the 211 hotline to bring awareness to mental health and wellness campaigns -- 100 percent of Brightline’s proceeds during soft launch will go to 211. Brightline will also implement a $5.6 million CRISI grant adding safety infrastructure at 48 crossings between Miami and West Palm Beach. This year, the company was awarded the Operation Lifesaver (OLI) Rail Transit Safety Education Grant for $20,000 to continue its efforts to educate the public about rail safety through its award-winning Buzz Boxx campaign. 

 

Furthermore, Brightline is proactively taking steps to increase awareness around railroad safety by implementing law enforcement outreach, a red light camera pilot in North Miami, drone technology for trespassing prevention, has deployed safety ambassadors to high-trafficked crossings and installed VMS signs at rotating crossings, created tri-lingual materials and rail safety pledges, runs thousands of PSAs on radio and TV in English, Spanish and Creole, and installed more than 3,000 native plants and fencing in select areas in southern Palm Beach County to deter trespassing through the Community Greening project.

 

Brightline currently serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with expansion stations in Aventura and Boca Raton opening in 2022. Brightline’s current construction project to Orlando is over 70 percent complete with over 1,300 daily workers on the job tallying more than four million hours of work. Over an eight-year period, Brightline’s corridor between Miami and Orlando will result in $6.4 billion in economic impact and over 10,000 jobs. The highly anticipated expansion to Orlando is on track to be complete by the end of 2022. Moreover, discussions with local stakeholders remain underway regarding expansion to Tampa. Brightline projects over nine million annual passengers once all Florida stations are completed. The future expansion of MiamiCentral includes a Miami-Dade commuter rail system with stations in Wynwood, the Design District, El Portal, North Miami, and FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.

 

About Brightline 

 

Brightline is the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, high-speed rail service in America. The company currently operates between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach in Florida and is scheduled to complete construction to the Orlando International Airport by the end of 2022. Brightline was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in travel, offering a guest-first experience designed to reinvent train travel and take cars off the road. Brightline plans to bring its award-winning service to additional city pairs and congested corridors across the country that are too close to fly and too long to drive, with immediate plans to connect Las Vegas to Southern California. For more information, visit www.gobrightline.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.