Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida.

Infill stations at Aventura and Boca Raton opened in December 2022, and the West Palm Beach to Orlando segment began revenue service in September 2023.

[8] In March 2013, All Aboard Florida applied for a $1.6 billion Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan, which was administered by the Federal Railroad Administration,[9] and in late 2014, the company applied for a $1.75 billion private activity bond allocation, with proceeds from the bond sale substantially reducing or replacing entirely the amount of the RRIF loan request.

[10] The company received a Finding of No Significant Impact from the Federal Railroad Administration in January 2013, effectively clearing way for work to begin between Miami and West Palm Beach.

[12] By the beginning of 2015, the company had started site work at the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations, plus right-of-way improvements along stretches of the corridor.

[18][19][20] On October 5, 2020, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of that decision, ending Indian River County's efforts to stymie development.

[31] Construction began on the Miami–West Palm Beach section with the laying of new tracks and closure of the temporary surface lots in Government Center, Downtown Miami, in mid-2014.

[43] As of May 2019[update], the contractors on the project were the Hubbard Construction Company, Wharton-Smith Inc., The Middlesex Corporation, Granite, and HSR Constructors.

These five contractors are responsible for the development of 170 miles (270 km) of new track into the completed state-of-the-art intermodal facility located in the new South Terminal at the Orlando International Airport (MCO).

[6] During the first two and a half months of introductory service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, ridership totaled 74,780, increasing from 17,800 in January to 32,900 in March 2018.

[79][80] This increases connections to activities and tourist destinations, including the Performing Arts Center, Bayside Market and Bayfront Park.

In the future, it will include another bridge that will connect the platform to Aventura Mall, and it will serve as the terminus of planned Northeast Corridor Rapid Transit Project commuter rail service.

[4] As of September 2019[update], Brightline is in negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to lease right-of-way along the Interstate 4 corridor.

[90] In September 2020, the railroad entered into a memorandum of understanding with a local developer to potentially construct the terminal station in Ybor City.

The high-speed rail corridor between Disney Springs and Orlando International Airport was projected to cost $1 billion and travel alongside Florida State Road 417.

Plans call for a 27-mile (43 km) commuter rail route starting at Aventura station in the south and running as far north as Deerfield Beach.

[108] On September 18, 2018, Fortress Investment Group announced that it would acquire XpressWest, a venture capital proposal to build a privately funded high-speed rail passenger train from Apple Valley, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, from hotel developer Marnell Corrao Associates.

[109][110][111] When Fortress subsequently entered into its partnership with Virgin Group in 2019, it was announced that the newly formed consortium will build and operate XpressWest when it opens.

To meet the target 3-hour schedule, trains would have to operate with an overall average speed of 80 mph (130 km/h), which is similar to the overall average speed of the Amtrak Acela operating on the Northeast Corridor between New York City and Washington, D.C.[131][132][133] The project to connect Miami and Orlando called for more than $1.5 billion in upgrades to the rail corridor between Miami and Cocoa.

The company double tracked the corridor, improved signaling systems, and upgraded every grade crossing to meet the highest applicable safety standards set by FDOT and Federal Railroad Administration.

[134][135] In January 2013, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Miami–Cocoa phase of the project, effectively clearing the way for work to begin.

[137] Responding to citizen concerns about increased noise from additional horns, the company stated that it will work with local communities to implement quiet zones where possible.

[138] Federal law requires quiet zone requests to originate from the local authority that has jurisdiction over the roadway, not the railroad company.

Brightline started service on January 11, 2018, but various delays in constructing the quiet zones stretched their in-service date to sometime in March.

Most did not require United States Coast Guard (USCG) permitting as they do not span significant navigable waterways and clearances did not change.

According to a pact made on July 16, 2013, CFX tentatively agreed to pay $12 million for an extra 200 ft (61 m) along the 22-mile (35 km) BeachLine corridor between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport.

[150] In early October 2013, CFX and All Aboard Florida reached a formal purchase agreement for the land required for the right-of-way.

[157][158] The coaches, with interiors designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group,[159] feature ergonomic seating, Wi-Fi, and level boarding, and meet ADA standards.

[174] According to AP analysis, as of February 2022, the train averaged one death per 35,000 miles (56,000 km) traveled, the highest rate in the nation.

Law enforcement and federal reports found that the deaths were not caused by crew error or faulty equipment, but were all related to either suicides, or people trying to cross and beat the trains.