Brightline announced plans to reintroduce a new South Florida commuter pass designed for the frequent traveler with the award of a Federal Railroad Administration Restoration and Enhancement Grant (R&E). The R&E Program was designed to assist projects that establish, expand or restore service on intercity passenger rail routes.
Brightline was awarded $33.8 million in funding to support expanded service for the project that consists of extending Brightline trains from five to seven coaches thereby reducing capacity limitations within ongoing service and operations. The project will help meet the urgent need to increase passenger capacity on intercity passenger rail service from Miami and West Palm Beach. The funding is provided over a two-year period.
“Brightline has revolutionized how people travel around South Florida and proven that daily commuters need more options that make it possible for them to get out of their car,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline Florida. “The funding allows us to expedite new passenger cars into service and with that capacity, increased availability for the South Florida traveler.”
Brightline’s new commuter offering may be seen as a bridge or interim plan before Brightline and local counties are able to establish commuter lines in Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County. Miami-Dade and Broward counties continue to advance projects to provide commuter service along the FEC corridor and discussions to finalize an agreement are ongoing.
“We’ve been working on developing a true commuter system in South Florida for years, but that solution takes time and can’t be turned on overnight. This is the next best thing and can be seen as an interim commuter program before Miami Dade and Broward launch service,” said Goddard.
Brightline will roll out the complete details of a new commuter program via its website and app and expects to launch the product in March. The program is expected to save daily commuters money while offering the convenience of traveling between Brightline’s South Florida stations including Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.
