Brightline, the privately-financed high-speed rail line in southern Florida, says it will restart its service between Miami and West Palm Beach, which has not been operating during the pandemic on November 8. Brightline operates its own trackage and claims higher speeds than either Amtrak or local regional service in the area.
Travel between the two cities will run hourly, and takes one hour, compared to over two hours for the regional operator TriRail. The company says all employees will be vaccinated and the line will follow federal regulations for masks on board.
Although trains have not been operating since March 2020, the company hasn’t been idle; construction has continued on its extension to Orlando’s airport and its theme parks; that line is expected to open late next year, followed by an extension from Orlando to Tampa. The company is also building a line that will connect Las Vegas to the Los Angeles area.
