The Brightline Thread

[N830MH]

BREAKING: Brightline considers adding one or more Treasure Coast stops

https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/busi...xa0yXKgW18sjI/

[N830MH]

For Tampa station site, Brightline wants connectivity to airports, attractions

https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay...ine-wants.html

[eleven=11]

Originally Posted by eleven=11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa_Union_Station
this is location of tampa brightline station near/next to new 800 million Rays stadium

Orlando 1st 2020 - Tampa next then Jacksonville ?

[lrt's friend]

It will be amazing if this gets built through private initiative. If it is successful, it will be a lesson for all of North America. Can something that was routine in the 19th century, work in the 21st century?

[N830MH]

Brightline considers Ft. Pierce station

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion...fe4bd80d91e064

[eleven=11]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

It will be amazing if this gets built through private initiative. If it is successful, it will be a lesson for all of North America. Can something that was routine in the 19th century, work in the 21st century?

if you need a lesson for north America Why cant you look at France/Europe/England or japan and china?

[electricron]

Originally Posted by eleven=11

if you need a lesson for north America Why cant you look at France/Europe/England or japan and china?

Most rails in Europe and the Far East are owned by the government and are subsidized, they are not owned by a private company actually making a profit with freight operations.
FYI, 2010 statistic per Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_freight_transport
Rail freight by network, billion tonne-km 2010
Gt-km Network Countries
2863 North America U.S., Canada, Mexico
2451 China
2351 Russia CIS, Finland, Mongolia
607 India
391 European Union 27 member countries
269 Brazil includes Bolivia (1)
115 South Africa includes Zimbabwe (1.6)
64 Australia
20 Japan
10 South Korea
North America had 732% more goods moved by trains than all of the EU.
Math = 2863/391 x 100 = 732%

If there were 700% more freight trains running on British railroads, would there be as much room for all their intercity passenger trains? The European model is not going to work where there are significantly more freight trains moving goods....and over longer distances.....

[Cirrus]

I renamed the thread to reflect the fact that it's not really about the FEC announcement from 6 years ago anymore. I'll take off the parens in... I dunno a month or something. Whenever I remember.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I renamed the thread to reflect the fact that it's not really about the FEC announcement from 6 years ago anymore. I'll take off the parens in... I dunno a month or something. Whenever I remember.

Thanks for your efforts! I appreciate your help. I can see Brightline Thread. If I see any news about Brightline for next new station.

[N830MH]

Stuart Brightline station to be considered Monday

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/lo...op/1252789002/

STUART — The city is taking steps to explore a potential Brightline station, including holding a workshop Sept. 17 to solicit community input, Mayor Kelli Glass Leighton said Monday.

[Mister Uptempo]

Miami-based Brightline looks west, acquires Vegas-California route

By Rob Wile

rwile@miamiherald.com

Brightline is going west.

On Tuesday, the high-speed rail company, currently expanding its South Florida service to Orlando, announced it would take up construction of XpressWest, a long-troubled rail project planned from Las Vegas to Southern California.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Last month, Brightline won approval to sell $1.75 billion worth of tax-exempt bonds to finance its Florida service. Citizen groups along the Treasure Coast have opposed its expansion. The company’s first-quarter results showed the $1.8 billion service was operating at a $28 million loss. Those figures did not include revenues from Miami, which had not yet opened.

link

The deal apparently includes the purchase of 38 acres of land in Vegas for a station/mixed-use development.

[Hatman]

Holy cow! This is FANTASTIC news!

Xpress West is the group going to Victorville, correct?

And a $28 million loss - is that per year, or just the few months that the first segment was opened before the Miami extension? I expected a loss, and I think they are probably still operating at a loss until the Orlando portion opens. But man, $28 million is a lot of money to loose.

[edit - I read the article linked within the article, and that $28 million loss is for the entire company during the first quarter. How much of that is operations vs new construction is not disclosed. Total ticket revenues for the first quarter - between Ft Lauderdale and West Palm Beach - were only $663,667, so not good if the $28 million loss was only operations.]

I hope they are not biting off more than they can chew here, because a lot of future projects are riding on Brightline. If they give up and go bankrupt, so many other potential projects will fade away.

[Busy Bee]

Why do I feel like we are about to learn that a proposal to build electrified true high speed rail from Las Vegas to Victorville with eventual access to LA Union Station is instead going to be downgraded to LV-Victorville with 110 mph diesel hauled trains with fun playing card themed paint jobs? Because in America we shoot for the moon but usually settle for much less.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Hatman]

You will be wrong. Brightline's diesel trains will go at least 125 mph.

If they do use the current diesel trains on a mostly single-track line from Victorville to Las Vegas, at least they will be able to run the trains all the way into Los Angeles without forcing everyone to transfer.

Until the California High Speed Rail goes from Victorville to Los Angles, I don't think there is any real incentive to build anything more than that. Brightline may be a niche player in that corridor, but at least it will be better than nothing!

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Hatman

Holy cow! This is FANTASTIC news!

Xpress West is the group going to Victorville, correct?

Yes, that is correct. This is where they came from.

[digitallagasse]

I am wondering if the site they are buying is land Wynn Resorts bought last year. The land in question is the old New Frontier site. Wynn Resorts assembled 38 acres in that purchase and that matches the 38 acres that Brightline is said to be buying. It also also adjacent to Las Vegas Blvd and the Union Pacific ROW. The I-15 ROW is somewhat near as well. Not sure what ROW they will be using. The New Frontier site would also make it possible for additional future lines. XpressWest was looking to have lines go to Salt Lake City and also Phoenix. The SLT line could follow I-15 ROW and the Phoenix line the I-11 ROW. If the I-11 ROW uses the I-515/US95/US93 ROW into Las Vegas that would be perfect for this. Not sure if that is still the plan. No other undeveloped site in the resort corridor jumps out to me. Maybe the Bali Hai golf coarse but that is a lot bigger site.

I also hope they still go with an electrified line as well as the target 150 MPH max speed. It would be great if they complete the Victorville to Palmdale link sooner than later. Even if needing to make a transfer at Palmdale and the route down to LA is electrified would be great. I would be using this line at that point. Stopping at Victorville would be useless to me.

[eleven=11]

https://www.reviewjournal.com/busine...-la-rail-line/

wow BIG news , heck what about tampa and jacksonville

[Lakelander]

I assume they plan to multitask! I heard from a high up source in the transportation industry yesterday that they do have intentions on expanding to Tallahassee. To get to Tally, you have to go through Jax.

[Busy Bee]

Suspicions confirmed. This won't be true hsr. Because America:

https://urbanize.la/post/new-owner-b...peed-rail-plan

[Lakelander]

Unless heavily publicly subsidized, speeding $7 billion building "true" high speed rail between Southern California and Vegas makes no sense. Speeds up to 125mph and beating the car to the final destination by an hour are better than nothing. Especially for a privately funded project.