WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Just a day before it begins service, 7News got an inside look at Brightline’s new higher-speed train in West Palm Beach.
City, county and state officials were among the dozens to christen the new rail line on Friday.
Equipped with comfortable seats, the express train will travel between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale at up to 70 miles per hour, creating a trip that lasts only 30 minutes.
“You don’t have to take your private car on crowded roads to get from city center to city center anymore,” said Mike Reininger, executive director of Florida East Coast Industries.
The train will take off from a brand-new station in Fort Lauderdale, off Broward Boulevard.
“Who wants to sit in traffic?” said Reininger. “Everything is great about Southeast Florida, except I-95.”
Inside, the ride is peaceful, and the train has all amenities to make passengers’ trip more comfortable. “From accessibility to free Wi-Fi, to power ports everywhere, to all kinds of details large and small,” said Reininger.
A new station in Miami is expected to be operational this spring.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said the train will provide an economic boost for South Florida.
“It’s bringing our Downtown to the Northwest and our Northwest to the Downtown,” he said. “This is a transformational job creation project, from the construction to the operation, to the jobs that’s gonna bring people into our downtown now and not have to get on a bus, or get into a vehicle, and they’ll be able to come down and work. It’s a job creator.”
The first ride on the train will be at 8 a.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $10.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.