Brightline Florida is moving forward with plans to expand its high-speed rail service from Orlando International Airport to Tampa, seeking to borrow up to $400 million to fund the first phase of the project.
Since September 2023, Brightline has been running daily trains between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando, with coaches’ cars sitting up to 60. The riders zip the undeveloped ranch and store it at a speed of up to 125 mph at a speed east of Orlando before slowing down to about 80 mph in South Florida on their way to downtown Miami.
The current end-to-end trip between Orlando and Miami by Brightline train is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. Brightline spent $6 billion in private funds to lay or upgrade a 233-mile truck between Orlando and Miami, building the building’s stations and 10 trains.
Brightline’s long-range target is to expand to Tampa, primarily along the four interstate corridors, bringing the full length of the route to about 320 miles from South Florida.
According to Brightline, the train trip between Orlando Airport and downtown Tampa takes about an hour. By comparison, a car trip along the I-4 now takes nearly two hours.
“Connecting to Tampa means that the system will expand to Florida’s next largest population center that is currently not serving, bringing about 75% of the state’s population close to Brightline Station,” said Ashley Blassowicz, the company’s spokesman, on Friday.
According to a notice on the Florida Development Finance Corporation website in Winter Springs, Brightline will use $400 million in bonds to pay for the “design, develop, acquire and build” railroad systems to Tampa.
The total cost of extension to Tampa, or when it is completed, has not yet been determined.
The Hillsboro Transportation Planning Organization is currently studying the downtown location of Tampa’s Brightline Station.
The Florida Development Finance Corporation will hold a public conference call at 2pm on Thursday.
Callers will be able to hear the information and express comments regarding the issuance of bonds. For more information on communication and how to participate, please visit www.fdfcbonds.com/notices.
