The Brightline Thread

[N830MH]

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/lo...A9pK6z1kP0sGJk

Virgin Trains planning $122 million of bridge work; two demolitions on Treasure Coast in May

[N830MH]

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/...aaTJn3ZwLASUQ0

[bobdreamz]

ORLANDO, FL - COVID-19 is not slowing down Virgin Trains. The South Florida to Orlando railway is moving full speed ahead.

“We’re proceeding and proceeding on schedule,” said Michael Cegelis, Virgin Trains Executive Vice President Rail Infrastructure. “We’ve been able to absorb the impact so far, with the impacts being change in work procedures, change in cleaning procedures, sanitation, change in social distancing.”
“Our linear type of construction, building a 168-mile railroad, means that by nature, the workforce is more spread out than they would be, in building a building,” said Cegelis.

Executive Vice President Rail Infrastructure Michael Cegelis said that the pandemic has actually helped with finding labor.
“Because of the shutdown of other construction projects in the region, more work crews have been available, so we’re seeing our contractors be able to relocate crews from projects that have stopped, onto our project,” said Cegelis.

750 workers are building the 168-mile railroad. Virgin reports that the project is about 30 percent complete.

Link & Video :
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/vi...2X7hZd_IvFB0AE

[N830MH]

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/n...on/5252403002/

Virgin Trains to close downtown Melbourne crossing for 2 years for bridge construction

[Hatman]

This fellow has been doing some neat construction updates with a drone:
• Video Link

• Video Link

From the sound of things, Brightline won't be reopening for quite a while. I'm placing my bet that it won't reopen until the Orlando Extension is in the testing phase. I also bet that when it reopens, it will be officially branded as Virgin Trains.

[ardecila]

Sounds like Brightline/Virgin is looking to cut a deal with Miami-Dade County to run commuter service on their tracks from Miami Central to Aventura, with up to 5 infill stations along the way. Miami-Dade would pay for the stations, track upgrades and any subsidy required for service. This makes sense, that way scheduling and dispatching can be centralized with FEC, which wouldn't be the case if Tri-Rail ran the service. Here in Chicago the freight railroads operate the Metra service that runs on their tracks, it's not perfect but usually an okay arrangement for avoiding conflicts and delays.

It's not clear how often the commuter service on Virgin would run, but the stations would be pretty closely spaced for commuter rail at about 2 miles apart (on average). Hopefully the frequency is decent and fares are affordable.

[N830MH]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loc...YC0AMlfQdJKA7c

Brightline wants $350 million to build five rail stations between Miami and Aventura

[Lakelander]

Definitely knew express and local would be the route taken at some point. Also not surprised to see Virgin wanting to run the local services instead of Tri-Rail. Seems like a cash cow for them. On the other hand, it could also be a deal locally. How much would it take tax payers to set up a comparable commuter rail service on that line? My guess, is a lot more than the numbers I see here.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Lakelander

Definitely knew express and local would be the route taken at some point. Also not surprised to see Virgin wanting to run the local services instead of Tri-Rail. Seems like a cash cow for them. On the other hand, it could also be a deal locally. How much would it take tax payers to set up a comparable commuter rail service on that line? My guess, is a lot more than the numbers I see here.

I think Virgin would like to coordinate schedules with this local and commuter rail service and the intercity Miami - Orlando rail. Also, the ability to purchase one ticket for both the local rail and the intercity trips would appeal to many potential passengers.

[Lakelander]

I can't wait for them to reach Orlando. I've had to coordinate with their construction that impacts a few of my FDOT projects. Here are a few pics around the MCO station a few months back:

[jd3189]

I know I should check, but are they still planning on having stops in the Treasure Coast( specifically Martin/ St. Lucie counties)?

Edit, Just read an article taking about Stuart and Fort Pierce sending in proposals. I wouldn’t mind if both got the go ahead. It would really lead to some more development up here. I think a significant portion of Treasure Coast residents commute down to Palm Beach County via that rural stretch of I-95. It would be nice to leave that area peaceful as is and add more density to the downtowns and surrounding cities in the Treasure Coast.

[Lakelander]

Yes, they plan to add stops in Brevard County (Cocoa), at Sunrail's Meadow Creek Station and Disney as well.

[Hatman]

Virgin Trains Brightline High-Speed Railway Lays Track to Orlando International Airport
https://wdwnt.com/2020/05/brightline...ional-airport/

[N830MH]

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wir...mltruVkfPdyqtk

Miami-Dade approves negotiations over Brightline commuter rail proposal

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loc...ggN73Vo8VPPdjM

Brightline commuter plan panned by mayor and Tri-Rail, but advances into county talks

[N830MH]

https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2020/...zkvZhkf7P5tF00

Brightline might bypass five new rail platforms

[ardecila]

^ Not sure why that's the lede. The commuter platforms are local service, so of course an intercity train will bypass them. That's how it works in NY or Chicago, Amtrak does not stop at all the Metra or NJT stations. Brightline passengers will be able to change to a local/commuter train at Aventura.

[N830MH]

Commuter Trains: Can Negotiations Stay on Track?
http://biscaynetimes.com/index.php?o...LPvBB9jorwfNRE

New Brightline train station in Boca Raton impacted by coronavirus
https://www.wflx.com/2020/08/05/new-...4cobgFL1oeWww0

[CrazyCres]

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...saa-story.html

[mattropolis]

It's back to Brightline! I am kind of pleased with this as I like the design of Brightline.

From Trains Magazine news:
Brightline severs ties with Virgin, will retain current name, image
Florida passenger operator Brightline says it has ended its agreement with Richard Branson’s Virgin Enterprises and will retain its Brightline name and image, although Virgin may challenge termination of the two companies’ licensing agreement. Forbes reports that Brightline reported the move in its monthly operating report, saying it will operate as Brightline Trains LLC and “Virgin has no remaining affiliation with us, our parent or its affiliate.” The report says Brightline delivered its termination notice on July 29, and that “Virgin has disputed the validity of the termination notice.” Branson told Forbes earlier this year that Virgin had not invested in Brightline but was interested in doing so. The two companies signed a marketing agreement in late 2018 [see “Brightline enters branding, marketing pact with Virgin Group,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 16, 2018], but a spring 2019 rebranding of MiamiCentral station was the only portion of Brightline’s operation to ever reflect the planned change to Virgin Trains USA [see “Virgin Group’s Branson highlights Miami Central rebranding,” Trains News Wire, April 5, 2019]. The pandemic has taken a toll on Virgin Group-related companies: airline Virgin Atlantic filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, while Virgin Australia announced a restructuring including major job cuts and the shuttering of its low-cost affiliate. Brightline has its own pandemic challenges — its Florida operations have been shut down since March — but the company continues to work on its expansion to Orlando and its plans for high speed service between Southern California and Las Vegas.

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wir...h-virgin-group

[N830MH]

Disney World Brightline station is expected to open by 2022
https://chipandco.com/disney-world-b...xtE8dcQIog06-4