Is The Brightline Orlando Construction Stopped?
Brightline Miami and
Brightline Orlando News
The construction and completion of Brightline’s new rail route project, which would connect the Brightline Miami to Orlando, has been delayed, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
The route was to be operational by end of 2022 but it went to 2023. And the reason given by the company was its revenue and ridership for June because of which the company would “raise money in the coming weeks” to complete the findings.
According to the company’s report there is a due amount approximately $500 million which was given by the US transportation department in the form of tax- exempt private activity bonds and will expire on August 31st if not issued.
It further states that if the company is unable to arrange additional financing. It would have to “curtail or delay” a part of the construction. The company’s contractors have also indicated that they would stop working for it if the problem could not be resolved. Wow this is a shame.
As the company is also preparing to work on other train routes to South Florida, Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami, this situation can create a problem for them if it stays the same.
The Brightline Train
The Brightline train will connect the Brightline Orlando to the Brightline Miami station of course for the sunny Miami beaches, and the Miami life. But not only that, you can now go to the Orlando theme parks easier if you want with this new train.
This train can travel at up to 125 mph and will take passengers in three hours to and from Orlando’s International Airport to the heart of Miami… exceptional isn’t it!!
Brightline Phases of Constructions
Brightline launched their rail line routes in two phases:
- The first phase was launched in January 2018 that connects Miami with West Palm Beach through Fort Lauderdale with a total length of 234.8 miles. Both West Palm Beach station and the Fort Lauderdale station cover an equal area size of 60,000 feet with a new 218,204 feet park, ride facility with a passenger capacity of 576.
- In the second and the current phase, the railway line will be extended from West Palm Beach to Orlando. It involves the construction of a new track spanning 170 miles (273.5 km). Between South Florida and Orlando creating more than 10,000 jobs and ridership of more than three million annually.
Brightline’s Project Construction
- Materials: The company has used 100% American-made recycled materials to construct the route’s tracks. The new route has been under construction for over a year, and 1200 workers have been working long hours to get it done.
- Cost: The whole project costs a total of $2.7 billion. It’s almost 80% completed and is most likely to be operational next year (like I said and hopefully). So are you excited about it? Think of how much transportation costs it will save you.
- Test process: The Brightline train made its first test run to Orlando in the month of May. But there weren’t any passengers in it. Once the test was completed, the train returned to Brightline’s repair facility.
- Routes: In addition , Brightline is also working on the new route or their third phase which would be from Orlando to Tampa. The route will include an 85-mile rail line and the train would travel at the speed of 125mph. The amount of travel you can do to visit other cities in Florida with this is amazing so I am definitely looking for it.
- Brightline Miami Central station: It’s a six blocks construction including three rail services, sizable commercial center, two high-rise residential blocks and two office buildings rising to over 30 stories, a dining and food market,130,000 square feet of retail space and an apartment complex with 816 units.
Importance of the Brightline to Florida
Florida is a heavily transportation dependent state and the reliance on transportation becomes even greater when it comes to travel within the state.
Before the Brightline, in Florida there was only Amtrak; a long distance train service, which was present and was limited in terms of coverage and availability. So far Florida does not have a high-speed rail infrastructure that can connect neighboring states, nor a high-speed line.
Considering that Florida is a tourist state, where tourism represents one of the largest sources of the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expansion. (GDP basically tracks the health of a country’s economy). A project like this, generates a great impact to the economy.
By the 2021, a total of 122 million tourists visited Florida in 2021, a rise of 54.1% from 2020. The tourists spent approximately $90 Billion. This was achieved without the completion of the project.
In addition to all the benefits this could bring, it has also become a source of real estate development in Florida.
Impact of the Brigthline on Florida
Brightline has made a huge impact on Florida and of course in South Florida. Here is some additional data from Brightline’s official website where it shows how much the rail-route construction has contributed to the economic wealth of Florida.
- The project have added $2.4 Billion in the labor income of the state
- $6.4 Billion in economic wealth
- $3.5 Billion in Florida’s GDP
- Has created more than 2000 jobs in post-rail line construction
- More than 10,000 jobs through rail line construction and lastly
- $653 Million in Federal, State and Local tax Revenue
Hopefully, this project is successfully completed soon. It is by far the only provider of modern, eco friendly, inter city rail in America’ as it rightly states. So, it would be a shame if this would be delayed even more. And it also means so much to Florida residents and other states through which it will provide a backbone for transportation.
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Sharon Colón
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Home Miami Realtors
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