I see a lot of folks pointing out the lack of ridership. Don't forget that this video was recorded on a Wednesday at 10:00am. Ridership is way more important during rush hours and week end. And don't forget that Brightline is fairly new and unknown by many Floridans
Yeah, they were shut down because of Covid and are just starting up again, but before Covid they actually had decent ridership. They added the taxi service to help people get back in the groove of Brightline after being over a year out.
The lack of ridership is apparent in statistics as well. Ridership on the TriRail service that runs a parallel line is much greater. This is because it’s far cheaper and for commuters to Miami, the biggest market for this service, that’s a bog consideration. This is a luxury service for rich, white people, nothing more. The same rich, white people prefer to drive their luxury cars.
@@afcgeo882 It’s rather interesting that a service you claim is for “rich white people” had several black and Latino people riding it. You see it throughout the video. Maybe it says more about you that you think I can’t afford a $22 ride.
For people who are complaining about the speed of this train please know that the area it’s currently servicing is one gigantic urban sprawl with no practical way to have this thing safely hit anywhere near top speed. Once the Cocoa to Orlando route opens it’ll hit a top speed of 125 MPH, not record breaking but not slow either.
These people have no understanding that the Miami metro area expands south to north, not outward and this is all densely populated. It’s like complaining that a train isn’t doing 180mph while crossing through London.
@@johanfalk2875 Still, an average speed of 60mph is a bit pants, especially considering that this isn't supposed to be a regional service. The Rhein Ruhr area in Germany is also a massive metropolitan area, but even then most lines passing through allow for speeds of up to 100 mph.
Yes but true upgrades like supressing some level crossings along the route could have allowed to increse speed beyond 80mph by eliminating any risks of hiting a vehicule. It's a shame because the alignement of this section (like the new one in construction) could allow to reach the top speed (realisticly maybe 100mph).
It kinda reminds me of what the Intercity 125 HST trains did back in the 70s for the UK's railways. I like it that the trains are in effect based on the HST. While it may not look like it, many trains owe their legacy to the Railway Technical Centre in Derby where the yaw damper was developed to stabilise the hunting problem. Most, if not all new trains have yaw dampers.
@@ironmantrains Modern yaw dampers are however generally based on a Fiat design, and these days there are several different ways of achieving the same effect.
Every time I see a review on Brightline, I'm amazed by how everything seems neat and well put together. I really hope that with the new extension, more and more people will use it to make the entire project profitable and thus sustainable, and to show to the rest of the US that train IS an interesting option if you need to travel.
Right now all it is showing is that passenger rail is unprofitable, which shouldn't be a surprise, passenger rail has never been profitable in North America.
@@Adumzzinthehouse And I'm happy to see private companies try, Brightline is currently a massive disappointment financially. But hey, private money is private, I don't care how people spend it.
@@TheOwenMajor Brightline trains were supposed to be used a lot by tourists to go around Florida. I think with the extension to Orlando and hopefully the return of tourists, we will see that it can be very profitable.
A thing to consider is Tri Rail has stations relatively close to these and are much cheaper so a lot of people use that service rather than brightline. Brightline basically markets itself as a premium service/car alternative rather than a full on commuter rail IMO which is fine because it gets a certain market to use rail that would otherwise never consider doing so.
True but as many others also pointed out, they're going to Orlando soon, and this is first and foremost an express train, City to city rather than a slow regional service like Trirail mainly serving commuters and locals and other trips in the regional area.
Great Video. Just a clarification that it is the first private railroad since the creation of Amtrak. Prior to Amtrak, all passenger railroads in the US were private.
The truth is Amtrak was created after PennCentral went bankrupt, never mind carrying more passengers than the airline shuttles on the northeast corridor. The main reason why PennCentral went bankrupt, and why many of the other railroads ceased passenger trains, is that the USPS, yes US MAIL, chose to FLY and TRUCK the mail during the 1960s, and terminated the railroads mail contracts. No longer do passenger trains in America have a dozen or more mail cars on the consists... A five hour flight or a five day train journey, the USPS chose the five hour flight...
I just wish Brightline had been more grade separated without level crossings and with less interference from their freight services. Brightline suffers from too many dolts on the road (this is Florida, afterall) who think they can get underneath the crossing gates in time.
Very true, part of the problem of having to share the rails with freight is having to share the rails they run on, too. Luckily the extension to Orlando is all grade separated, which is a huge plus.
There will also be issues building underpasses below ground level, as Florida is just above sea level and the next hurricane that comes through will wreck it.
The problem is Florida East Coast is a freight railroad servicing industries and warehouses on this route on both sides of the tracks. Maybe a elevated track could have been built if the industries and warehouses were located on one side, but alas that is NOT the case.
@@ronclark9724 These tracks ARE NOT OWNED BY ANY US ENTITY. They are owned by Grupo de Mexico which has not renewed Briteline's right of way on what is 100% Foriegn tracks and property de Mexico.
@@vindictivegrind9370 Tunnels have been successfully built in South Florida. Grade separation is a matter of cost and sometimes opposition to elevated structures. BL is already spending a boatload on money on bridges and double-tracking, and made its decisions how to spend it. More grade separation would have been my preference for sure, but getting the Orlando route going may be the only thing to keep the company viable. BL will be a better service than Amtrak in that market.
I'm pleased how clean everything is. The station, the lounge and platform, the train inside and outside, the surroundings. Brightline is operating for almost four years but still looks good as new. That's an ongoing effort and shows how well organized they are.
@@ronclark9724 Also I guess having shut down the system for an extended period during the pandemic helps, I guess. That really gives you time to polish everything to squeaky perfection. I just hope they can maintain that standard through decades of operation. Because it is an asset that clearly impresses riders.
Brightline uses biofuel instead of diesel fuel. AFAIK, it's sourced from used restaurant cooking oil. The local Tri-Rail commuter rail, as well as Amtrak long distance trains, run on parallel tracks about a half mile west of the Brightline tracks, servicing between Miami & W. Palm. The Orlando area has a local commuter line "Sun Rail". Sun Rail runs on tracks purchased from CSX. Amtrak uses those same Sun Rail (former CSX) tracks while in the vicinity of Orlando.
BL is buying a certain amount of 5% blended biodiesel. It's not mentioned on the BL website, but was reported in the press in 2017. The green bonds BL floated and sold will require it to report the amount used. The biofeul component of the blend is unlikely to be mostly waste cooking oil. See the Wikipedia article on biofuel. Other actual and potential sources are fat from slaughterhouses, oilseed crops grown for fuel, algae, salt grass, and sewage. (Waste restaurant oil is in pretty high demand to feed animals.) These require differing amounts of energy to produce as well. It's not like this is an electric train running on renewables, just to keep things in perspective.
Brightline is my hometown rail service, as I live in West Palm Beach. I absolutely love it and use it every time I go to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. In fact, I rode Brightline this past Sunday, and the train was quite full! I can't wait for Orlando to open, and then hopefully Disney and Tampa!! It sure beats driving in Florida!!
The biggest reason you don't see conflicts between Brightline and freight, despite them using the same tracks, is because Brightline's parent company owned the railway until 2016. Hopefully there wont be any issues between Brightline and FECR's new owners into the future.
This whole problem of freight interference is overblown. Freight railroads regularly ran their own passenger trains with excellent on-time performance. It all boils down to nothing more than money. Amtrak trains need more capacity than literally any individual freight train, even fast intermodals, because of the station stops, much faster acceleration, and the fact their timetable speeds are higher than even the fastest freights, which top out around 70MPH. When the cargo of a single high-priority freight train can be worth up to millions of dollars, and a single Amtrak train uses more capacity than several freight trains combined, hosting Amtrak costs the freight railroads millions of dollars in lost potential cargo revenue. Under the terms of the 1971 agreement that formed it, Amtrak also pays the host railroad next to nothing to offset this opportunity cost. Of course freight railroads aren't too concerned with ensuring Amtrak runs on time, they get no incentive for good OTP, and they only lose more money by delaying their freight trains so Amtrak can pass, especially when the Amtrak train itself is delayed by problems. FEC and Brightline don't have that problem because Brightline pays market capacity rates to FEC. The two companies also both outsourced train dispatching to a shell firm they own 50% of, so in theory there should be no conflict of interest among the dispatchers either.
@@GintaPPE1000 As the original poster stated, the issue that other passenger railways face is not specifically "freight vs passenger" the issue is "passenger vs track owner who also runs their own trains and always gives them priority over passenger". The key issues is the management structure, which is why passenger rail worked fine when it was run by the same companies who owned the railways.
Amtrak has made terrible engineering mistakes, you can't blame the freight railroads for a too fat Acela, Surfliner cars that bow in the middle or brand new diner cars that are illegal and can't be used.
Welcome to Florida! I'm so excited to see you review Brightline. I want so desperately for this to thrive. Locals have been resistant to this new service. We have a long way to go to educate the public on train safety and breaking the stranglehold of the American car industry. I cannot wait for the Orlando expansion to complete!
Fun Fact (if not already mentioned): The Siemens Venture trainsets are North Americanized versions of the RailJet trainsets operating in Austria, Hungary and Czechia.
Siemens builds really good rolling stock! I’m impressed with the accessories and adjustments for passengers. This gives me hope for the future of rail travel in the US.
@@tonyburzio4107 Don't see the problem, to be honest. Over 1000 Siemens Vectron are already sold in Europe with more to come. The PKK (polish state railway) just ordered some too. If they weren't reliable, they wouldn't sell so good.
So basically they reached a European standard, apart from this train still running on diesel; The station indeed has a bit of an airport terminal flair, but apart from that you pointed out some similarities already; I also like how Brightline thought about the coverage of the trip to and from the stations, which otherwise might be difficult with missing or poor local public transportation networks.
Calling this “catch up” does Brightline a massive disservice. Track, signaling, and stations are is the number one, two, and three expenses for a railroad, and European train operators don’t pay for any of it. That is by far and away the biggest reason why private operators in Europe can offer the level of service they do without bleeding huge money. And even then, European passenger operations struggle to make money, with many networks being either partially or entirely-run by government agencies funded by public subsidy. Brightline had none of that political or economic support, especially on startup. Far from only matching European operators, they’re already better by actually having a plan to be fully-self-sufficient.
Honestly I hate the airport terminal vibe. I'd much prefer to be able to just go up directly to the train platform without any annoying gates or security checks.
@@squelchedotter I have mixed feelings about it. At Central Stations on this side of the pond it's very normal to find lots of offers besides the plain train-related stuff. You can take the direct route from the entrance to the platform, no check-in or similar required, but you can also turn left or tight and get sth at the bakery, grocery store, kebap shop, newsdealer, fastfood chain, even hair salon, restaurant, travell agency etc might be right there. At medium sized stations like e.g. in county towns the offers are rather limited, but there will still usually be a newsdealer and a small kiosk. However none of them have an airport terminal vibe, it always feels like a train station. Might be also due to the fact that rail travell is sth so very normal here, and that masses of people will go through the stations, while there aren't that many passengers on US trains
Excellent video. Finally a company in the US Gets how A lot of Europe do railways! Great to see. I think in 10-15 years Brightline will be running a lot more services in the US.
That trend won't happen until the link between the 3 major cities in Florida is complete. When thats done and if it attracts the ridership needed. I think it'll do great
My hope is that, with the new Siemens trains and the Infrastructure Bill, Amtrak can bring this level of service to many city pairs across the country. Perhaps a public-private partnership between Amtrak and Brightline could bring along good things.
@@tonyburzio4107 Penn station tunnel is sadly more important for Amtrak than the rest of the country or a separate, passageway on land so that when the station tunnels fail, trains can just divert to grand central or skip penn station entirely
I live in Michigan and we get Siemens venture and 110 mph on the Wolverine. I have taken it from Nile’s to Detroit and it gave me a piece of Europe in rural Michigan! This does depend on if your state pays for it. Michigan and Illinois get this fast and nice trains because they have put tax payer money toward it. (Unlike places Texas, Indiana, Florida, the list goes on)
@@dominic8054 Michigan has treated the Wolverene very well. I hope that my home state of Washington will adopt the same approach, with the same success along the Cascade line.
From what I could see in this video, Brightline is on the right track (pun intended). From a technical perspective, I note that the roadbed is well manicured and that concrete ties have been used on the road segments that were shown. If this is the case over an extended potion or all of the line, it is most likely that the whole track structure has been rebuilt to high standards, although I could not confirm this by personal visual assessment. Equally important for good passenger service are external related factors that are peripheral to the issue of rail travel proper, such as welcoming and properly thought-through amenities that contribute to make the whole experience of rail travel memorable and worthy to be repeated. In fact, this is the best type of marketing that one can hope for in any business. The issue of speed is of secondary importance, as there is more to railway passenger service than peak speed considerations, particularly in situations of short distances such as in this case. In particular, it is notable that the Brightline experience is effectively complemented by services such as a passenger car shuttle in West Palm Beach. Such ancillary services are essential to a quality travel experience and are reflected in the long proven expression that "Getting there is half the fun". From an operating economics perspective, Brightline is doing exactly what has to be done to ensure a successful operation by working proactively with the FEC freight hauler. This is something that is seldom done these days in North America, as freight railways all too often invoke their supposedly high freight traffic levels in order to justify their priorities and actions. This however is a massive fallacy perpetuated generally in ignorance of the fact that railways could at one time, with proper management and planning, operate at high levels of freight and passenger traffics, often with less capable communication and control tolls that are currently available. The wartime era is illustrative of such a period where high freight and passenger traffics were co-existing. It is recognized that this was an extreme situation where a high level of maintenance was deferred and I am not advocating that this is what should be done here. It is indeed gratifying to see a revival of the cooperation between the freight and passenger divisions, such as has been the case of all pre-merger great railway operations, such as the New York Central, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, ... just to name a few. I thank the Editor of "Simply Railway" for posting - there may well be hope for Rail Travel in North America. 2021/12/26. Ontario, Canada.
The sad thing is that the media constantly bashes brightline. There were quite a few communities who were against the Orlando extension just because they don’t want their beauty sleep interrupted by a train passing by in like 5 seconds. Locals want all of these stupid quiet zones yet numerous people are getting struck by brightline trains because of these quiet zones. The media then blames brightline for being “dangerous and deadly”. Florida can be such an embarrassment at times. We need more higher speed rail like brightline in the future. There is a planned higher speed rail route up in Minnesota known as the Northern Lights express. It will be running on a few different freight lines, but tracks will receive upgrades so that trains can run faster. I believe it will be using the same chargers as brightline. Looks really promising
I hope that California High Speed rail finishes atleast Bakersfield to Merced, and finally move inward to SF and LA. Also hoping Texas high speed rail and Brightline west start getting into action.
11:30 that is true but when you introduce faster trains into the mix it creates a problem. However on this section I believe the speed is 79mph while the 125mph sections will be segregated from other traffic. It also depends on how fast the freight trains can go. I think Brightline has done something brave by using trains that are based on European designs and seems like that was a good decision.
Most American railroad freight cars are built for a top speed of 79mph. Why should a freight railroad upgrades tracks for higher speeds when their rolling stock won't go that fast safely?
@@ronclark9724 Fair enough. And imagine the disruption of the upgrades to higher speeds. I'd say 90-100mph is possible but whether that will produce any good time savings remains to be known. The faster sections I believe will be dedicated to Brightline trains
When this railroad is extended to tampa, i will be making more trips to the orlando theme parks. For anyone who hasn't driven on I-4, the return trip to Tampa from Orlando is backed up bumper to bumper starting in the afternoon until late at night and normal east bound traffic is basically a Mad Max movie. My biggest wish is that the service serves the west coast cities like Sarasota, Ft Myers, Naples to make the corridor one nice loop connecting most of Florida's metro areas. The Miami to Orlando airport is a huge start however, the planned expansion to Tampa will pay for itself in due time if the disney world connection is a ago. For anyone curious as to why we have Brightline is because then Governor Rick Scott nixed Obama's plan for high speed rail that would have brought TGV/Shinkansen level high speed rail to the areas Brightline is planning to serve. He got with his buddies in the Florida East Coast Railway and other corporate stooges to come up with their own service and thus brightline was born. His excuse was that Florida couldn't afford such a service.
Great video! I have done this route a few times prior to Covid...Was awesome, clean, on-time, efficient, professional. I wish they would make definite plans to Tampa and then think about Sarasota, Fort Myers & Naples too!
I am from the northeast corridor region and I hope one day the rail services ran by Amtrak will be as good as this with real ridership. For now I’m looking forward to studying abroad in Europe and riding high speed rail and sleeper trains for the first time there :)
You know what's funny though, Florida used to have passenger rail that went down the coast all the way to the Florida Keys if I'm recalling the Aerial America video I saw correctly. They got rid of the train and built a highway instead. If only we just learned how to appreciate our historical transit, we wouldn't be in such bad shape like we are now.
Oh my, Glad to have you back in the USA, Thibault. Great train, great service, wonderful report. You do beat all, young man. Look forward to your next report.
For those interested in track-laying, the Virtual Railfan live-feed camera in Cocoa, Florida overlooks the new Brightline right-of-way to Orlando and recently they have been laying concrete ties and (just within the last few days) the rails. The concrete tie-laying process is really nifty; looks like an accordion when it deploys from the crane.
Wow. Nice! And, a driver to take you to your destination within 5 miles? I've never seen that before. Seems like a decent cost for all that's included. Thanks for the ride! Greetings from Cambodia.
It is wonderful to see the USA getting back to quality passenger rail service again. As a European I am very impressed. The hourly schedule all day is particularly impressive.
Amtrak is receiving a bunch of the same coaches. They won't be used on long-distance services but they might eventually be used on the Capital Corridor. Currently the only California route using them is the San Joaquins.
Those coaches are coming to all Amtrak corridor services save for Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner. These coaches are also coming to VIA corridor services.
@@IndustrialParrot2816 the brightline locomotives are SCB40 which are from the Charger series which includes the ALC42 for Amtrak, SC42 for VIA and SC44 for Amtrak Midwest, Amtrak California, Amtrak Cascades, Coaster, ACE and MARC.
Really great video. I'm so happy that you gave a review on the Brightline train. My husband and I have been watching the progression on the Brightline train system. It looks like it is truly awesome! Thanks for your reviews. We will be looking forward to seeing your next video. Stay safe and healthy.
The station and customer service look amazing. You can tell that Brightline put a lot of effort into this, therefore I hope more people will start using trains instead of cars in the us
Although I don't really plan to go to California, I really can't wait until Brightline West opens between Vegas and LA. I will definitely take a trip when they open!
@@dustinevaro9769 They haven't even started yet, take the California High Speed Rail as an Example. They will spend almost 15 years of construction just for Bakersfield-Merced.
I can’t wait to ride from Tampa to Orlando for White Castle and be back home to enjoy it still warm. The sky’s the limit for Brightline. I can imagine going tampa to st Augustine and Jacksonville all on their parents row!
The next phase of an almost high speed rail project would be Amtrak rebuilding the Lackawanna Cut Off in NJ. Only one grade crossing. Trai s used to hit 70 mph in 1940.
That car service is just the touch needed to make a train service work in the US. Do you plan on doing any of the day to day train lines in the US? Check out the South Shore Line in Indiana and Illinois. I use it to get from Ohare airport to Indiana along with the CTA Blue Line. It includes a nice walk in downtown Chicago. It also runs all the way to and from downtown Chicago to the airport in South Bend Indiana. One day I'll fly into South Bend from Arizona and then use the South Shore Line to Hammond Indiana.
I live in Orlando and can't wait for this to be finished. I dont like driving in South Florida so this makes a much better way to travel than taking the Turnpike or I-95.
@jman1948 I'm in Orlando now but I'm from Miami and I share your enthusiasm! Driving to Miami especially on I-95 is a complete NIGHTMARE now! Last time I drove down there (and I do frequently) it took me 5 & 1/2 Hours stuck behind some accident in Broward County. This will be a game changer between the two cities once BrightLine is completed in Orlando next year!
Great review. FYI, the location of the Miami station was the original site of the old Flagler Station for Seaboard, home of the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, I took the Silver Meteor to NYC in 1960, as a 6-year old.
Wow I'm happy for the US, I hope they build more of these all over the country. Also that lounge and especially the touch-free shop look really cool. Very futuristic!
Tri-rail and Metrorail have a lock on MIA. The platforms were mistakenly built too short for Amtrak, and Brightline does not plan to go there since it's on the inland route and BL is coastal.
I was wondering when you'd get around to Brightline. I have so much hope for this company. Private, and choosing routes based on actual transportation needs, not politics. If they can actually complete a LA to Las Vegas line as planned, that will be fantastic. No where is there such pent up demand that is currently served by nothing but overcrowded freeways as LA to Vegas.
The gov has also spend BIG $$$$ over the last 30+ years STUDYING the in pack to it. Every 5 to 10yr they say that one is going in but have to do yet another in pack They now, last I heard want to put the train from Vegas to Barstow. ??
@@thickernell Unfortunately that mountain pass to enter into the LA area is busy. So busy today the railroads have difficulty emptying LA's sea port... California with their strict labor and pollution laws leave most of America's independent truckers OUT of California. And you wonder why your Christmas presents will arrive very late?
Wow, that last part blew my mind. Amazing customer service, removing the hassle (and increased emissions) of needing to get a taxi to your hotel. That will also incentivise customers to find hotels within 5mi of brightline stations, which is lucrative for those operators. So well thought-out. We could only dream of having a similar service here in Australia.
Alright Amtrak Cascades. Its time to learn from Bright Line and have good service. I really hope Bright Line West is as high quality if not better since it'll be electric and higher speed. Can't wait to check it out in a few years.
This was great! Definitely a rail journey I’ll consider taking when in Miami. Hopefully, Brightline can become an example/standard for smaller local/regional service nationwide. Cheers!🚅💺✨
Unfortunately there aren't many areas in the US with the population density like South Florida without Amtrak regional or state subsidized passenger rail services. Appears Texas Central will eventually build to the large metros in Texas with even higher speed trains. Amtrak basically SUCKS in comparison to private passenger rail operations... Nothing new here... Governments build boondoggles, private companies don't...
@@ronclark9724 Railroads, like highways: Build it right, they will come! Even so, AMTRAK was growing ridership before COVID, and is on the rebound today.
@@ronclark9724 Amtrak kept running during COVID. Brightline shut down for a year and a half. Brightline isn't reliable as public transportation. They will just shut down things whenever things aren't going their way with no accountability.
@@JBS319 *ahem* Everything shut down during the pandemic, whether that be malls, airlines or railways. They did so to contain the pandemic. Amtrak didn't shut down because: 1) They weren't getting many passengers on most of their trains, making cleanliness and virus problems less 2) They managed to organize and prevent the spread of COVID
Brightline is really a game changer! I would love to take this train if I ever visit America someday. They have the best railway company for me in America. I've seen positive reviews about Brightline. I can see the future success in this railway company. So kudos to Brightline for this amazing company
What a really great review! one thing I recently learned is how close the Miami Brightline station is to several walkable locations ….ie, the Bayside Marketplace. It’s a really great venue with restaurants, etc. -a huge place. I’d been there several years ago. Thanks again for the wonderful review of Brightline. Once the Orlando section opens, you’ll have to return for another review 🤗 -then, too, once the Tampa extension is completed. 😎🌴
As an American who has long resided in the train paradise of Japan, great to see the U.S. finally getting a quality train. I hope Brightline proves successful, expands rapidly all over the country, stimulates competitors and ultimately develops some lower cost fare more accessible to the average person. It would be fantastic, and I think a great economic stimulus, for the U.S. to develop a great system
I just wish people complaining about speeds understood that this is going through a densely-populated metro area. The Miami metro area expands northward, not outward, and everything between Miami and WPB is residential or commercial. A high speed rail system here would be like having a TGV train that just runs through Paris at 200mph. It renders it pointless.
Great video as always. Nice train and nice station for once. I am a big Amtrak rider and the stations in various towns are downright awful. Looking forward to future reviews. BTW, i finally rode the Southwest chief from Chicago to Kansas City and from KC to Albuquerque. You were right in the mixed review you gave it earlier on. I thought the views would be better and as always the Amtrak staff is hit or miss. They did bring back the in car dinner which is quite delicious now. Next stop for me in the US - the Empire Builder. Take care and keep up the good work. Cheers.
It looks like a great service! Really incongruous that Florida has the best intercity train in the Americas. I'm looking forward to the introduction of this rolling stock on Via Rail (sometime in the coming year). The one thing I don't like is the airportification of railway stations. I want to be able to get to a train without looping through waiting areas, baggage claims, and security checks.
this... I can't stand the "Priority boarding", its not really boarding but priority getting onto the platform. The different ticket class holders board different cars. Just reeks of classism. But hey, this is USA and not Europe.
Via Rail Canada ordered these exact same trains as well.. they’re currently testing the first set on the network, service will probably start next year (2022) between Toronto and Montreal.. so hopefully you get to check it out one day.
Awesome review! Brightline is my favorite transportation service available today, and being based in Florida, extremely convenient for me! Edit: last time I was on board the train was completely full! I can see why they are expanding to 7-coach trainsets.
You're welcome. The red set on track one in Miami is the original pre-Venture set coupled to the new Venture set delivered a couple of months ago, the first production Venture coaches placed in service. Again, Brightline leads the way.
Chicago to NYC and Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul would be great routes for high speed rail! For a lot of the US, the distances involved make airplanes much more compelling than high speed rail. Chicago to NYC is about the maximum, I think, where a train could travel it in 3.5-4 hours VS. 2 hours for flying, but with more convenient end points.
This is certainly what we need in 🇨🇦 in the province of Ontario instead of the slow and unreliable VIA rail business between major business. Lets open it up to the competition now !!!!
I love the concept of the bright line system, but I hate the security checks and the faregates, if your train departs in a minute and you just arrive at the train station, you know how long it takes to get from the entrance to the platform, a lot of other major USA stations take like 30 seconds to a minute or 2 at most to get to the train platform. And for the contactless shop, it’s super inconvenient for teens the ages of 14-18 that don’t have a credit or debit card, if you have cash, then you are out of luck
It would be great if this intercity railway expanded to cover the entirety of the east coast including all major east coast cities (ie. Atlanta, Boston, New York, DC, Charlotte, etc.)
Here’s my only nitpick… one thing I never understood about brightline Florida is why they never electrified their track and rolling stock… it seems counter intuitive, especially if your trying to tout a greener/modern approach to transportation. It would’ve also been nice to see true high-speed (240kmh) capable rolling stock and less level crossings. Luckily, they seem to be getting this right with their brightline west project.
Brightline uses rail owned by FEC. Probably not cost-efficient for FEC to electrify, plus it takes years and a lot of money to electrify even if done right (see CalTrain for an example of how not to do it).
@@mikeschumacher it doesn't take years, you can have all the construction done in under a year, and over half their track could have been built with it from the start. running the cable, putting the in the foundation makes it quick to do when they decide to. its not expensive to add it across the whole line, given all the work they are doing right now. much of the line is getting dual tracked
@@gdrriley420 only took 2 years in my city to do, and they only had to actually shut the track for 7 months. Not to mention it included having to lower the floor of tunnels to fit the catenary, and replacing the track from jointed to welded rail, and wood sleepers to concrete ones. American railways overall have an inexplicable aversion to electric locomotives. MARC just retired their HHP-8 electrics, and instead of replacing them with new electric locomotives, they bought diesel ones. Which now means MARC is running a diesel service on a fully electrified line.
@@sergiofreitas9368 they've got so much track work with adding double tracks they wouldn't need to shut it down any more than then have already planned. and most of the line has already or planned to have those changes. that line doesn't have any tunnels its just bridges that move. We can not do things for the long term politically here. which means a train that saves money in the long run doesn't work. MARC like most NEC ops is special and does things in the most backwards way they can. everything I see says the kept the HHP-8 after refurbishment in 2018 and bought some chargers to replace older units, would have liked to see them buy out amtraks fleet from the leaser yeah but the HHP-8 has issues and they likely didn't have fund to buy used and repair, it was for new locos only.
@@gdrriley420 the track has a lot of road crossing iinm. If you wanted to electrifying it, there's a lot of civil engineering projects needs to be done on these crossings
I'm really glad that something like this is finally happening in North America. I'm just sad that it's being done by a private company. That means only profitable routes will be able to experience this. And this private model will never be able to shift us away from car based travel like we would see with a fully nationalised rail company like Amtrak if it was treated the same way as SNCF.
Ahem, as someone living in France let me tell you that SNCF has over 50 billion usd debt. On the other hand, taking the train is much more common compared to the US, I'll give you that. Good thing is competition is coming in France soon.
Why? Let private companies offer service on routes where it makes financial sense so that the government can focus more resources on routes that are less commercially viable. It’s not some either/or choice that needs to be made
I really hope they look into electrifying the line. It could definitely be done easily with more efficient and quicker runs! I take that back, since FEC runs double stack intermodal it would be a lot more expensive for brightline to make their own private right of way. Although I suppose if they were to do that, they could look into making a “Florida High Speed Rail.”
8:05 are they really required to keep the bell ringing even if they're grade seperated, well above all other traffic and without any chance of them hitting cars at crossings?
Only downside is the price. I wonder if in a few years they will go the TGV route and offer a separate all 2nd class service for the budget traveller. You're not going to get people out of their cars at these prices. Especially not in car centric America.
@@ncard00 The 2nd class fares aren’t cheap either. There is a competing government train called TriRail that runs on parallel tracks that has more stops, but is MUCH cheaper. It’s much more used.
@Paseos por Madrid I know this isn't high speed, and I think he was referring to the possibility of offering a lower cost product with single 2nd class configuration, basically what Ouigo did. Of course it's not an exact copy but you get the idea.
If they are able to make that ORL to WDW connection, that would give me added incentive to fly instead of drive (tho with the exceptions of Atlanta and Nashville I enjoy road tripping with my wife). And add a Cocoa Beach connection for NASA visits and I will be a very happy tourist!
There are two main problems withe area, 1) the EXTREMELY low level of differention making the planning and development of any public transport difficult, there no big centres, it's a continuos mixed spawal and 2) the numberr of grade crossings, it simply can't go faster.
Excellent, I had no idea about this Miami train and it looks very interesting, even with an electric vehicle approach. All really great! Thank you very much for sharing it, greetings from Chile!
I love how some Americans call this service "high speed". It's not even an average of 100kph. Still faster than most other trains in America, I suppose, depressingly.
I think the reason is it was promised that it will average speeds of over 160kph (which still isn’t high speed I know, but for for the US that’s pretty good), but now they’re saying it’ll be several years before the trains will reach those speeds on the current segment that’s open. That being said, the extension to Orlando which opens next year will allegedly allow speeds of up to 200kph, which again isn’t true high speed but is good for American standards of rail speeds
This goes through a metro area. It would make no sense to go faster. God it’s so annoying when people don’t understand this. There’s no train that runs through the London metro or Paris metro area at 180mph+. It would render it useless.
@@johanfalk2875 Japan manages 250kph service in heavily urbanized areas. It only slows down to conventional speeds right in urban cores, but once you get out of e.g. central Tokyo it speeds up to HSR speeds immediately. Like only the last 30km are at conventional speeds. e.g. in Sendai, a city 3.5 times the population of Miami and 2.5 times more densely populated, it hits 320kmh right up to where it has to brake to pull into the station.
@@NozomuYume That’s awesome. My point is that it wouldn’t make sense to go anywhere near that fast through the Miami metro area. It’s only 70 miles between Miami and WPB and there’s over a dozen cities in between, some where Brightline is planning to add more stations. Not to mention this isn’t on a dedicated line that doesn’t cross through roads. Japan’s high speed trains are on dedicated, electrified lines and there’s also other multiple services for shorter distances. In SoFla the only rail options going north-south are this and the Tri-Rail. Amtrak too but it would be odd taking Amtrak for such a short distance on a regular.
Thank you for this review. To date I had only heard of some of the construction problems they have had. I am thrilled to see that the finished product is so good. You are quite right, rail here is not anywhere close to European standards. Finally we have someone that has solved the problem.
Brightline seems so well thought out, unfortunately I've very skeptical of their Brightline West train to Las Vegas... Victorville to a station miles from the Strip??? I get that Victorville is interim until they can use tracks into LAUS (but until then will be a joke) but the Las Vegas terminal HAS to be in the heart of the Strip directly under a massive hotel-casino resort.
Vegas already had a station with that exact setup, but the platforms have been removed. Converting a parking lot next door to a garage would allow one parking lot to be repurposed for a new station.
Everyone SHOULD be excited by Brightline. It's new and has the potential to carry lots of passengers. I wish them luck. But let's not get carried away here. It's not like other high speed rail lines in France and Japan and elsewhere which have elevated tracks in congested areas. There are numerous grade crossings, and because of that, communities south of West Palm Beach complained and got the speed restricted. Even north to Orlando, the high speed will be around 125 mph. Someday let's hope America gets true high speed passenger service.
The private sector is the way forward for US train services. Share this video with everyone you know! Also, please do more trip reports in Denmark once the new Talgo wagons and Coradia Stream trainsets arrive in 2023-2024 :)
Yeah I've been riding Brightline frequently and it's Seriously good. Like i don't know what to say but honestly they nailed it on their service. Honestly i can't wait for the Orlando expansion to be completed, probably around 80% completed now. They recently got the green light to have an expansion to Tampa, and along the way, at Disney Springs. There is a few issues though, and that is the 2 groups of people. A group wants to have the line go straight to Disney Springs, and the other wants a 2nd stop on International Drive which connect tourisms to other cities. We're not sure which route they will make to Disney Springs but it's something we want. There's also possible plans for Jacksonville and Atlanta Georgia. I'm not sure if you know but Brightline bought out a project in California and they will work there as well.
From a railfan and sustainability perspective, the only gripe I have is that it's not electrified! Although I do understand they've had to share an existing freight corridor, as is the norm in the US, and electrification while keeping the necessary clearances for double-stack containers would be a significant investment. It makes it a bit ironic, though, when the cars used for the last-mile service are electric but the trains themselves aren't...
I was surprised to see that Brightline had the smarts to elevate the track in downtown Miami. Too bad they did not have the smarts to elevate the entire line up to and beyond West Palm Beach. Had the line been elevated, they could have offered 125 mph service from Miami to Orlando. It also amazes me that Brightline is going to start adding more stops (Aventura and Boca Raton) which will slow the service down. But they don' t offer a stop at Ft Lauderdale International Airport (where the rail line passes right in front of the airport terminals) which could offer them more opportunities for guaranteed additional revenue.
sorry for wall of text, and none of this is meant to be condescending/hostile. my family vacations down in florida. we often stay at my grandmother's apartment, from which you can see the tracks. I have also ridden on the brightline back in 2018. and I can say, without a doubt, that it would be next to impossible to elevate the tracks, even if they were legally allowed to. as thibault (think I spelled that right) mentioned, the tracks are owned by the Florida East Coast railway, or FEC. they still have customers to reach, all of which are at ground level, and while a short passenger train can manage the short grades that come with this kind of elevation, a fully-loaded 2-mile-long double-stack container train heading north out of the Port of Miami would never get up; therefore, the FEC would never agree. next, there's the location. all along the tracks there are business, roads, houses, just feet away from the ROW. the amount of construction required for elevating the line would require demolishing homes and businesses just to make enough room for a crane. that leads me to the next reason elevation wouldn't be possible: NIMBYs, or alternatively, BANANAs. NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard, while BANANA means Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. these acronyms describe people who are vehemently opposed to any kind of large-scale contruction, including power plants, highway expansions, railroad improvements, etc. the area around the Brightline route is full of NIMBYs, and they were already up in arms after there were a series of level crossing accidents, some fatal, in the months following Brightline's inaugural run. none of said accidents were Brightline's fault. if Brightline announced plans to elevate the track, NIMBYs would start foaming at the mouth. The new BrightRed trainsets are probably going to be express runs from Orlando International-Miami, while the current trains are a bit more commuter-focused. there is no space for a station at Ft Lauderdale Intl, unless they put one under a taxiway, which the FAA would never allow.
@@redneckdolan My idea would be to place the elevated line entirely over the existing FEC line. That way the FEC could still run their freights without the interference of Brightline and have access to their sidings. It would also make it possible to electrify the Brightline section if Brightline was so inclined. I was under the impression that the FEC owns Brightline thorough another shell company before and since the merger with Virgin Trains collapsed. So I don't see a conflict between the two (assuming I am correct about the shell company). There will always be NIMBY's and BANANA'S (like that term), but I would hope that the locals would see that the benefits outweigh the temporary minuses. Having lived near the FEC in Ft. Lauderdale from 1979 to 2000, I know I would be all for it.
Those are some pricey NIMBY areas to try to elevate through. There'd be oppo in the working class nbhds in Miami too, I'd wager. I agree, it would be for the best, it's just I think BL is all steam ahead to Orlando.
If more people that run and operate Amtrak used some funds to improve the stations that serve Amtrak and have secure parking, improve trackage and speed, more rail travelers will utilize Amtrak. The public wants comfort and speed. I.E. European and Asian countries realized this years ago. Max Kudos to Brightline for forging ahead.
I still think that the USA will never have proper train service. They treat it too much like air travel. And the motor industry is rooting too much in cars. They would be great for train services, even better than europe in some parts (like overnight). But yeah its great to see at least (some) improvement. I also like the FLIRTs in (texas i think?). And the lounge/train look like nice spots to hang out, although i dont like public music speakers.
Plough enough money into the railways as they did with the highways and they probably would, especiall around certain areas of the country. Whether they will do that or not is sort of the question.
@@tc3693 neither of which are funded enough to give the degree of certainty required to complete proper integrated public transport networks as was done for the highways.
That`s how you should try to get ppl away from driving cars. Offer them a nice alternative instead of just making car driving more inconvenient by taxes or getting rid of parking spots.
That's the power of private investment at its finest, unhindered by project delays and political deadlock like Amtrak has been for 50 years. The extent of perfection which the privately operated Brightline has over the federally owned Amtrak is truly remarkable, and should be the standard for all passenger rail services in the nation.
Are you nuts?! Brightline relied on government to build all of the stations and upgrade grade crossings, is operating on a freight track, and it’s a commuter train, not an intercity service like Amtrak. They’re not comparable.
@@Maunico0809 Miami to Orlando doesn’t exist. It might, one day, but so far it does’t. Brightline has been operating as a commuter system for years. Once it becomes an inter-city line, we will be able to see how it works and compare it to Amtrak’s regional services. Until then, it’s only a commuter line in S. Florida.
What a difference a year makes as far as ridership is concerned. Some trains are now sold out, especially in the morning and afternoon weekdays. On weekends the fare is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The train is then packed with families.
You realize they have never charged full fare due to the failure of their business case, right? The fares are subsidized as part of a real estate play that won't hold up. Brightline should be owned by a public agency and run as public transit.
I see a lot of folks pointing out the lack of ridership.
Don't forget that this video was recorded on a Wednesday at 10:00am. Ridership is way more important during rush hours and week end.
And don't forget that Brightline is fairly new and unknown by many Floridans
I've seen it pretty crowded late nights. People just see no people and forget that peak and off peak times exist.
Yeah, they were shut down because of Covid and are just starting up again, but before Covid they actually had decent ridership. They added the taxi service to help people get back in the groove of Brightline after being over a year out.
The lack of ridership is apparent in statistics as well. Ridership on the TriRail service that runs a parallel line is much greater. This is because it’s far cheaper and for commuters to Miami, the biggest market for this service, that’s a bog consideration. This is a luxury service for rich, white people, nothing more. The same rich, white people prefer to drive their luxury cars.
@@afcgeo882 It’s rather interesting that a service you claim is for “rich white people” had several black and Latino people riding it. You see it throughout the video. Maybe it says more about you that you think I can’t afford a $22 ride.
I can’t wait to see the Orlando station by this summer
For people who are complaining about the speed of this train please know that the area it’s currently servicing is one gigantic urban sprawl with no practical way to have this thing safely hit anywhere near top speed. Once the Cocoa to Orlando route opens it’ll hit a top speed of 125 MPH, not record breaking but not slow either.
These people have no understanding that the Miami metro area expands south to north, not outward and this is all densely populated. It’s like complaining that a train isn’t doing 180mph while crossing through London.
@@johanfalk2875
Still, an average speed of 60mph is a bit pants, especially considering that this isn't supposed to be a regional service. The Rhein Ruhr area in Germany is also a massive metropolitan area, but even then most lines passing through allow for speeds of up to 100 mph.
Yes but true upgrades like supressing some level crossings along the route could have allowed to increse speed beyond 80mph by eliminating any risks of hiting a vehicule. It's a shame because the alignement of this section (like the new one in construction) could allow to reach the top speed (realisticly maybe 100mph).
It kinda reminds me of what the Intercity 125 HST trains did back in the 70s for the UK's railways. I like it that the trains are in effect based on the HST. While it may not look like it, many trains owe their legacy to the Railway Technical Centre in Derby where the yaw damper was developed to stabilise the hunting problem. Most, if not all new trains have yaw dampers.
@@ironmantrains
Modern yaw dampers are however generally based on a Fiat design, and these days there are several different ways of achieving the same effect.
Every time I see a review on Brightline, I'm amazed by how everything seems neat and well put together. I really hope that with the new extension, more and more people will use it to make the entire project profitable and thus sustainable, and to show to the rest of the US that train IS an interesting option if you need to travel.
Right now all it is showing is that passenger rail is unprofitable, which shouldn't be a surprise, passenger rail has never been profitable in North America.
@@TheOwenMajor Private companies beg to differ.
@@Adumzzinthehouse And I'm happy to see private companies try,
Brightline is currently a massive disappointment financially.
But hey, private money is private, I don't care how people spend it.
The Swiss example showed that the offer is generating demand…
@@TheOwenMajor Brightline trains were supposed to be used a lot by tourists to go around Florida. I think with the extension to Orlando and hopefully the return of tourists, we will see that it can be very profitable.
A thing to consider is Tri Rail has stations relatively close to these and are much cheaper so a lot of people use that service rather than brightline. Brightline basically markets itself as a premium service/car alternative rather than a full on commuter rail IMO which is fine because it gets a certain market to use rail that would otherwise never consider doing so.
Very true. Plus, it's best feature is getting to Orlando, which isn't open yet, so it's hard to judge its full value based on what's currently there
@@evanb.529 Baby steps...
True but as many others also pointed out, they're going to Orlando soon, and this is first and foremost an express train, City to city rather than a slow regional service like Trirail mainly serving commuters and locals and other trips in the regional area.
It's basically a starter line until the Orlando and Tampa extensions are in service.
Brightline is an express version of trirail
Great Video. Just a clarification that it is the first private railroad since the creation of Amtrak. Prior to Amtrak, all passenger railroads in the US were private.
The truth is Amtrak was created after PennCentral went bankrupt, never mind carrying more passengers than the airline shuttles on the northeast corridor. The main reason why PennCentral went bankrupt, and why many of the other railroads ceased passenger trains, is that the USPS, yes US MAIL, chose to FLY and TRUCK the mail during the 1960s, and terminated the railroads mail contracts. No longer do passenger trains in America have a dozen or more mail cars on the consists... A five hour flight or a five day train journey, the USPS chose the five hour flight...
@@ronclark9724 Which means that inter-city passenger service was never profitable.
@@michaelsommers2356 Correct. It never was. It was a loss-leader for profitable sales of real estate and enhancing company prestige.
@@colormedubious4747 so it increased real estate profits that offset operating loses
@@qjtvaddict Yes, thus the term "loss-leader." That's also how the streetcar suburbs came to exist.
I just wish Brightline had been more grade separated without level crossings and with less interference from their freight services. Brightline suffers from too many dolts on the road (this is Florida, afterall) who think they can get underneath the crossing gates in time.
Very true, part of the problem of having to share the rails with freight is having to share the rails they run on, too. Luckily the extension to Orlando is all grade separated, which is a huge plus.
There will also be issues building underpasses below ground level, as Florida is just above sea level and the next hurricane that comes through will wreck it.
The problem is Florida East Coast is a freight railroad servicing industries and warehouses on this route on both sides of the tracks. Maybe a elevated track could have been built if the industries and warehouses were located on one side, but alas that is NOT the case.
@@ronclark9724 These tracks ARE NOT OWNED BY ANY US ENTITY.
They are owned by Grupo de Mexico which has not renewed Briteline's right of way on what is 100% Foriegn tracks and property de Mexico.
@@vindictivegrind9370 Tunnels have been successfully built in South Florida. Grade separation is a matter of cost and sometimes opposition to elevated structures. BL is already spending a boatload on money on bridges and double-tracking, and made its decisions how to spend it. More grade separation would have been my preference for sure, but getting the Orlando route going may be the only thing to keep the company viable. BL will be a better service than Amtrak in that market.
Thank you for this trip! As an American, its amazing to see this concept expanding so significantly. It CAN work when done correct.
I'm pleased how clean everything is. The station, the lounge and platform, the train inside and outside, the surroundings. Brightline is operating for almost four years but still looks good as new. That's an ongoing effort and shows how well organized they are.
New facilities that aren't over a hundred years in age appear young...
@@ronclark9724 Also I guess having shut down the system for an extended period during the pandemic helps, I guess. That really gives you time to polish everything to squeaky perfection. I just hope they can maintain that standard through decades of operation. Because it is an asset that clearly impresses riders.
It only ran for a year and a half at most. it closed because of the pandemic for 2 years. I know because I'm an employee.
Brightline uses biofuel instead of diesel fuel. AFAIK, it's sourced from used restaurant cooking oil. The local Tri-Rail commuter rail, as well as Amtrak long distance trains, run on parallel tracks about a half mile west of the Brightline tracks, servicing between Miami & W. Palm. The Orlando area has a local commuter line "Sun Rail". Sun Rail runs on tracks purchased from CSX. Amtrak uses those same Sun Rail (former CSX) tracks while in the vicinity of Orlando.
Cool info!
BL is buying a certain amount of 5% blended biodiesel. It's not mentioned on the BL website, but was reported in the press in 2017. The green bonds BL floated and sold will require it to report the amount used. The biofeul component of the blend is unlikely to be mostly waste cooking oil. See the Wikipedia article on biofuel. Other actual and potential sources are fat from slaughterhouses, oilseed crops grown for fuel, algae, salt grass, and sewage. (Waste restaurant oil is in pretty high demand to feed animals.) These require differing amounts of energy to produce as well. It's not like this is an electric train running on renewables, just to keep things in perspective.
Interesting that both Brightline and FEC use alternative fuel
@@techtutorvideos they can just add more lines and build a local monorail system for Orlando
Electric is better though, I'm glad big parts of Europe are using electricity instead of other fuels (also less pollution of course)
Brightline is my hometown rail service, as I live in West Palm Beach. I absolutely love it and use it every time I go to Fort Lauderdale or Miami. In fact, I rode Brightline this past Sunday, and the train was quite full! I can't wait for Orlando to open, and then hopefully Disney and Tampa!! It sure beats driving in Florida!!
The biggest reason you don't see conflicts between Brightline and freight, despite them using the same tracks, is because Brightline's parent company owned the railway until 2016. Hopefully there wont be any issues between Brightline and FECR's new owners into the future.
This whole problem of freight interference is overblown. Freight railroads regularly ran their own passenger trains with excellent on-time performance. It all boils down to nothing more than money.
Amtrak trains need more capacity than literally any individual freight train, even fast intermodals, because of the station stops, much faster acceleration, and the fact their timetable speeds are higher than even the fastest freights, which top out around 70MPH. When the cargo of a single high-priority freight train can be worth up to millions of dollars, and a single Amtrak train uses more capacity than several freight trains combined, hosting Amtrak costs the freight railroads millions of dollars in lost potential cargo revenue. Under the terms of the 1971 agreement that formed it, Amtrak also pays the host railroad next to nothing to offset this opportunity cost. Of course freight railroads aren't too concerned with ensuring Amtrak runs on time, they get no incentive for good OTP, and they only lose more money by delaying their freight trains so Amtrak can pass, especially when the Amtrak train itself is delayed by problems.
FEC and Brightline don't have that problem because Brightline pays market capacity rates to FEC. The two companies also both outsourced train dispatching to a shell firm they own 50% of, so in theory there should be no conflict of interest among the dispatchers either.
@@GintaPPE1000 As the original poster stated, the issue that other passenger railways face is not specifically "freight vs passenger" the issue is "passenger vs track owner who also runs their own trains and always gives them priority over passenger". The key issues is the management structure, which is why passenger rail worked fine when it was run by the same companies who owned the railways.
Amtrak has made terrible engineering mistakes, you can't blame the freight railroads for a too fat Acela, Surfliner cars that bow in the middle or brand new diner cars that are illegal and can't be used.
@@tonyburzio4107 What? A some of those are false and B they don't even make their equipment.
Welcome to Florida! I'm so excited to see you review Brightline.
I want so desperately for this to thrive. Locals have been resistant to this new service. We have a long way to go to educate the public on train safety and breaking the stranglehold of the American car industry.
I cannot wait for the Orlando expansion to complete!
Brightline is NOT a railroad company, they are a land development company with transit between their projects.
@@tonyburzio4107 ????
Fun Fact (if not already mentioned): The Siemens Venture trainsets are North Americanized versions of the RailJet trainsets operating in Austria, Hungary and Czechia.
Train sets un-Nazi-ized.
@@casmatori dude.. no
@@casmatori What a ridiculous comment. It's 2021 dude, come on!
Siemens is a Nazi company
@@basstrip73 dont feed the trolls/idiots...
Siemens builds really good rolling stock! I’m impressed with the accessories and adjustments for passengers. This gives me hope for the future of rail travel in the US.
Actually, Siemens locomotives have had a lot of problems with reliability.
@@tonyburzio4107 Don't see the problem, to be honest. Over 1000 Siemens Vectron are already sold in Europe with more to come. The PKK (polish state railway) just ordered some too. If they weren't reliable, they wouldn't sell so good.
So basically they reached a European standard, apart from this train still running on diesel; The station indeed has a bit of an airport terminal flair, but apart from that you pointed out some similarities already; I also like how Brightline thought about the coverage of the trip to and from the stations, which otherwise might be difficult with missing or poor local public transportation networks.
Coomer
@@east_carolina_rail_photos ?
Calling this “catch up” does Brightline a massive disservice. Track, signaling, and stations are is the number one, two, and three expenses for a railroad, and European train operators don’t pay for any of it.
That is by far and away the biggest reason why private operators in Europe can offer the level of service they do without bleeding huge money. And even then, European passenger operations struggle to make money, with many networks being either partially or entirely-run by government agencies funded by public subsidy.
Brightline had none of that political or economic support, especially on startup. Far from only matching European operators, they’re already better by actually having a plan to be fully-self-sufficient.
Honestly I hate the airport terminal vibe. I'd much prefer to be able to just go up directly to the train platform without any annoying gates or security checks.
@@squelchedotter I have mixed feelings about it. At Central Stations on this side of the pond it's very normal to find lots of offers besides the plain train-related stuff. You can take the direct route from the entrance to the platform, no check-in or similar required, but you can also turn left or tight and get sth at the bakery, grocery store, kebap shop, newsdealer, fastfood chain, even hair salon, restaurant, travell agency etc might be right there.
At medium sized stations like e.g. in county towns the offers are rather limited, but there will still usually be a newsdealer and a small kiosk.
However none of them have an airport terminal vibe, it always feels like a train station. Might be also due to the fact that rail travell is sth so very normal here, and that masses of people will go through the stations, while there aren't that many passengers on US trains
To think that there is thriving private intercity passenger line in US is an amzing feat. Kudos to Brightline for making this happens 👍
It’s not thriving. It’s losing money like crazy.
@@afcgeo882, provide evidence with _creditable_ links, or STFU.
@@afcgeo882 I use this service all the time. I can tell you for sure they aren't loosing any money at all
@@afcgeo882 Not really, it will be busier than ever once the Orlando stretch is done.
@@Adumzzinthehouse Which part of your brain knows the future?
Excellent video. Finally a company in the US Gets how A lot of Europe do railways! Great to see. I think in 10-15 years Brightline will be running a lot more services in the US.
In 10-15 years, Brightline will be operating in Florida. And that's it.
@@JBS319 no they are already working on the route form LA to Vegas. Brightline has a huge future ahead of them in the rail world in America.
@@JBS319 You don't want trains, do you?
It's just a mindset change for the Americans, they gotta stop polluting like crazy with those giant cars.
Sorry, but trains pollute more than cars at the moment. Cars have gotten a LOT better, and the switch to electric will be more profound.
@@tonyburzio4107 not per passenger they don’t.
Hope this starts a trend in the US! I can't wait to ride BL next month when I'm in Florida! Great review as always. Happy holidays! Cheers!
That trend won't happen until the link between the 3 major cities in Florida is complete. When thats done and if it attracts the ridership needed. I think it'll do great
My hope is that, with the new Siemens trains and the Infrastructure Bill, Amtrak can bring this level of service to many city pairs across the country. Perhaps a public-private partnership between Amtrak and Brightline could bring along good things.
Amtrak is currently discontinuing service with the money they have been given.
@@tonyburzio4107 Penn station tunnel is sadly more important for Amtrak than the rest of the country or a separate, passageway on land so that when the station tunnels fail, trains can just divert to grand central or skip penn station entirely
Even worse, the old tunnel will be kept and also used, being repaired for a pittance ($125 million), so we are doubly suckers.
I live in Michigan and we get Siemens venture and 110 mph on the Wolverine. I have taken it from Nile’s to Detroit and it gave me a piece of Europe in rural Michigan! This does depend on if your state pays for it. Michigan and Illinois get this fast and nice trains because they have put tax payer money toward it. (Unlike places Texas, Indiana, Florida, the list goes on)
@@dominic8054 Michigan has treated the Wolverene very well. I hope that my home state of Washington will adopt the same approach, with the same success along the Cascade line.
From what I could see in this video, Brightline is on the right track (pun intended). From a technical perspective, I note that the roadbed is well manicured and that concrete ties have been used on the road segments that were shown. If this is the case over an extended potion or all of the line, it is most likely that the whole track structure has been rebuilt to high standards, although I could not confirm this by personal visual assessment.
Equally important for good passenger service are external related factors that are peripheral to the issue of rail travel proper, such as welcoming and properly thought-through amenities that contribute to make the whole experience of rail travel memorable and worthy to be repeated. In fact, this is the best type of marketing that one can hope for in any business.
The issue of speed is of secondary importance, as there is more to railway passenger service than peak speed considerations, particularly in situations of short distances such as in this case. In particular, it is notable that the Brightline experience is effectively complemented by services such as a passenger car shuttle in West Palm Beach.
Such ancillary services are essential to a quality travel experience and are reflected in the long proven expression that "Getting there is half the fun".
From an operating economics perspective, Brightline is doing exactly what has to be done to ensure a successful operation by working proactively with the FEC freight hauler. This is something that is seldom done these days in North America, as freight railways all too often invoke their supposedly high freight traffic levels in order to justify their priorities and actions.
This however is a massive fallacy perpetuated generally in ignorance of the fact that railways could at one time, with proper management and planning, operate at high levels of freight and passenger traffics, often with less capable communication and control tolls that are currently available. The wartime era is illustrative of such a period where high freight and passenger traffics were co-existing. It is recognized that this was an extreme situation where a high level of maintenance was deferred and I am not advocating that this is what should be done here.
It is indeed gratifying to see a revival of the cooperation between the freight and passenger divisions, such as has been the case of all pre-merger great railway operations, such as the New York Central, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, ... just to name a few.
I thank the Editor of "Simply Railway" for posting - there may well be hope for Rail Travel in North America. 2021/12/26. Ontario, Canada.
The sad thing is that the media constantly bashes brightline. There were quite a few communities who were against the Orlando extension just because they don’t want their beauty sleep interrupted by a train passing by in like 5 seconds. Locals want all of these stupid quiet zones yet numerous people are getting struck by brightline trains because of these quiet zones. The media then blames brightline for being “dangerous and deadly”. Florida can be such an embarrassment at times. We need more higher speed rail like brightline in the future. There is a planned higher speed rail route up in Minnesota known as the Northern Lights express. It will be running on a few different freight lines, but tracks will receive upgrades so that trains can run faster. I believe it will be using the same chargers as brightline. Looks really promising
I hope that California High Speed rail finishes atleast Bakersfield to Merced, and finally move inward to SF and LA. Also hoping Texas high speed rail and Brightline west start getting into action.
11:30 that is true but when you introduce faster trains into the mix it creates a problem. However on this section I believe the speed is 79mph while the 125mph sections will be segregated from other traffic. It also depends on how fast the freight trains can go. I think Brightline has done something brave by using trains that are based on European designs and seems like that was a good decision.
Indeed, seeing a modern European train rolling in the US is always a positive surprise!
Most American railroad freight cars are built for a top speed of 79mph. Why should a freight railroad upgrades tracks for higher speeds when their rolling stock won't go that fast safely?
Amtrak had been planning to use these coaches as well
@@ronclark9724 Fair enough. And imagine the disruption of the upgrades to higher speeds. I'd say 90-100mph is possible but whether that will produce any good time savings remains to be known. The faster sections I believe will be dedicated to Brightline trains
@@osasunaitor Sure is, but Amtrak has chosen the exact same type of trainset to replace ageing Amfleets. So did ViaRail up north, in Canada.
When this railroad is extended to tampa, i will be making more trips to the orlando theme parks. For anyone who hasn't driven on I-4, the return trip to Tampa from Orlando is backed up bumper to bumper starting in the afternoon until late at night and normal east bound traffic is basically a Mad Max movie. My biggest wish is that the service serves the west coast cities like Sarasota, Ft Myers, Naples to make the corridor one nice loop connecting most of Florida's metro areas. The Miami to Orlando airport is a huge start however, the planned expansion to Tampa will pay for itself in due time if the disney world connection is a ago. For anyone curious as to why we have Brightline is because then Governor Rick Scott nixed Obama's plan for high speed rail that would have brought TGV/Shinkansen level high speed rail to the areas Brightline is planning to serve. He got with his buddies in the Florida East Coast Railway and other corporate stooges to come up with their own service and thus brightline was born. His excuse was that Florida couldn't afford such a service.
Great video! I have done this route a few times prior to Covid...Was awesome, clean, on-time, efficient, professional. I wish they would make definite plans to Tampa and then think about Sarasota, Fort Myers & Naples too!
I am from the northeast corridor region and I hope one day the rail services ran by Amtrak will be as good as this with real ridership. For now I’m looking forward to studying abroad in Europe and riding high speed rail and sleeper trains for the first time there :)
well amtrak cascades has pretty good ridership though sound transit is trying to nab some
You know what's funny though, Florida used to have passenger rail that went down the coast all the way to the Florida Keys if I'm recalling the Aerial America video I saw correctly. They got rid of the train and built a highway instead. If only we just learned how to appreciate our historical transit, we wouldn't be in such bad shape like we are now.
Oh my, Glad to have you back in the USA, Thibault. Great train, great service, wonderful report. You do beat all, young man. Look forward to your next report.
This one looks good I hope they re gonna be efficient and affordable all over the states
For those interested in track-laying, the Virtual Railfan live-feed camera in Cocoa, Florida overlooks the new Brightline right-of-way to Orlando and recently they have been laying concrete ties and (just within the last few days) the rails. The concrete tie-laying process is really nifty; looks like an accordion when it deploys from the crane.
See also, Roaming Railfan on YT, for construction.
Wow. Nice! And, a driver to take you to your destination within 5 miles? I've never seen that before. Seems like a decent cost for all that's included. Thanks for the ride! Greetings from Cambodia.
Absolutely stunning, maybe trains in North America will finally start getting some attention and love! Great video :)
Brightline is basically nothing in the big picture of transportation in the United States. Amtrak expansion is the best chance to push rail travel.
It is wonderful to see the USA getting back to quality passenger rail service again. As a European I am very impressed. The hourly schedule all day is particularly impressive.
Wow, what beautiful coaches. I'd love to see Amtrak do that on the Coast Starlight and the Zephyr as well as the Capital Corridor.
Amtrak is receiving a bunch of the same coaches. They won't be used on long-distance services but they might eventually be used on the Capital Corridor. Currently the only California route using them is the San Joaquins.
Those coaches are coming to all Amtrak corridor services save for Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner. These coaches are also coming to VIA corridor services.
amtrak midwest is using them and the locomotives are similar to the ALC-42s going into service on the empire builder and the california zephyr
@@IndustrialParrot2816 the brightline locomotives are SCB40 which are from the Charger series which includes the ALC42 for Amtrak, SC42 for VIA and SC44 for Amtrak Midwest, Amtrak California, Amtrak Cascades, Coaster, ACE and MARC.
That last leg transport for premium ticket is great. I think more companies needs to do this.
Really great video. I'm so happy that you gave a review on the Brightline train. My husband and I have been watching the progression on the Brightline train system. It looks like it is truly awesome! Thanks for your reviews. We will be looking forward to seeing your next video. Stay safe and healthy.
The station and customer service look amazing. You can tell that Brightline put a lot of effort into this, therefore I hope more people will start using trains instead of cars in the us
Although I don't really plan to go to California, I really can't wait until Brightline West opens between Vegas and LA. I will definitely take a trip when they open!
@Vivi 2.0 Brightline West is a line between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California. Hopefully opening in 2024
@@dustinevaro9769 They haven't even started yet, take the California High Speed Rail as an Example. They will spend almost 15 years of construction just for Bakersfield-Merced.
I can’t wait to ride from Tampa to Orlando for White Castle and be back home to enjoy it still warm. The sky’s the limit for Brightline. I can imagine going tampa to st Augustine and Jacksonville all on their parents row!
The Brightline cap is nice, but I also appreciate the Royals cap! I'm really looking forward to riding Brightline one day.
The next phase of an almost high speed rail project would be Amtrak rebuilding the Lackawanna Cut Off in NJ. Only one grade crossing. Trai s used to hit 70 mph in 1940.
That car service is just the touch needed to make a train service work in the US. Do you plan on doing any of the day to day train lines in the US? Check out the South Shore Line in Indiana and Illinois. I use it to get from Ohare airport to Indiana along with the CTA Blue Line. It includes a nice walk in downtown Chicago. It also runs all the way to and from downtown Chicago to the airport in South Bend Indiana. One day I'll fly into South Bend from Arizona and then use the South Shore Line to Hammond Indiana.
I live in Orlando and can't wait for this to be finished. I dont like driving in South Florida so this makes a much better way to travel than taking the Turnpike or I-95.
@jman1948 I'm in Orlando now but I'm from Miami and I share your enthusiasm! Driving to Miami especially on I-95 is a complete NIGHTMARE now! Last time I drove down there (and I do frequently) it took me 5 & 1/2 Hours stuck behind some accident in Broward County. This will be a game changer between the two cities once BrightLine is completed in Orlando next year!
@@xoxxobob61 the problem is you took I-95. Gotta take the Turnpike all the way down its worth the extra $$$
Great review. FYI, the location of the Miami station was the original site of the old Flagler Station for Seaboard, home of the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, I took the Silver Meteor to NYC in 1960, as a 6-year old.
We always called these monorails. With no horn though. Pretty cool. Love the horn. 👍
Wow I'm happy for the US, I hope they build more of these all over the country. Also that lounge and especially the touch-free shop look really cool. Very futuristic!
I've often taken train from Miami to WPB, Tri-rail, though not recently. Conveniently located just next to MIA.
Tri-rail and Metrorail have a lock on MIA. The platforms were mistakenly built too short for Amtrak, and Brightline does not plan to go there since it's on the inland route and BL is coastal.
I was wondering when you'd get around to Brightline. I have so much hope for this company. Private, and choosing routes based on actual transportation needs, not politics. If they can actually complete a LA to Las Vegas line as planned, that will be fantastic. No where is there such pent up demand that is currently served by nothing but overcrowded freeways as LA to Vegas.
The gov has also spend BIG $$$$ over the last 30+ years STUDYING the in pack to it. Every 5 to 10yr they say that one is going in but have to do yet another in pack
They now, last I heard want to put the train from Vegas to Barstow. ??
@@leed119 yeah, as I understand it terminate at the outer eastern metro LA area, not downtown or Union Station.
@@thickernell Unfortunately that mountain pass to enter into the LA area is busy. So busy today the railroads have difficulty emptying LA's sea port... California with their strict labor and pollution laws leave most of America's independent truckers OUT of California. And you wonder why your Christmas presents will arrive very late?
@@thickernell I think the plan is to eventually tie into CHSR, if and when that is completed to LA
@@ronclark9724 Why don't they use trains instead of trucks?
Wow, that last part blew my mind. Amazing customer service, removing the hassle (and increased emissions) of needing to get a taxi to your hotel. That will also incentivise customers to find hotels within 5mi of brightline stations, which is lucrative for those operators. So well thought-out. We could only dream of having a similar service here in Australia.
Alright Amtrak Cascades. Its time to learn from Bright Line and have good service. I really hope Bright Line West is as high quality if not better since it'll be electric and higher speed. Can't wait to check it out in a few years.
Cascades will have the same coaches (but also with cafe cars) in a few years. Cascades already has the same locomotives.
It's all clean and new, so it makes a good impression.
This was great! Definitely a rail journey I’ll consider taking when in Miami. Hopefully, Brightline can become an example/standard for smaller local/regional service nationwide. Cheers!🚅💺✨
Unfortunately there aren't many areas in the US with the population density like South Florida without Amtrak regional or state subsidized passenger rail services. Appears Texas Central will eventually build to the large metros in Texas with even higher speed trains. Amtrak basically SUCKS in comparison to private passenger rail operations... Nothing new here... Governments build boondoggles, private companies don't...
@@ronclark9724 Railroads, like highways: Build it right, they will come! Even so, AMTRAK was growing ridership before COVID, and is on the rebound today.
@@ronclark9724 Amtrak kept running during COVID. Brightline shut down for a year and a half. Brightline isn't reliable as public transportation. They will just shut down things whenever things aren't going their way with no accountability.
@@JBS319 *ahem*
Everything shut down during the pandemic, whether that be malls, airlines or railways.
They did so to contain the pandemic. Amtrak didn't shut down because:
1) They weren't getting many passengers on most of their trains, making cleanliness and virus problems less
2) They managed to organize and prevent the spread of COVID
Brightline is really a game changer! I would love to take this train if I ever visit America someday. They have the best railway company for me in America. I've seen positive reviews about Brightline. I can see the future success in this railway company. So kudos to Brightline for this amazing company
What a really great review! one thing I recently learned is how close the Miami Brightline station is to several walkable locations ….ie, the Bayside Marketplace. It’s a really great venue with restaurants, etc. -a huge place. I’d been there several years ago. Thanks again for the wonderful review of Brightline. Once the Orlando section opens, you’ll have to return for another review 🤗 -then, too, once the Tampa extension is completed. 😎🌴
BL also plans to head south to Port Miami, which is wall-to-wall cruise ships.
As an American who has long resided in the train paradise of Japan, great to see the U.S. finally getting a quality train. I hope Brightline proves successful, expands rapidly all over the country, stimulates competitors and ultimately develops some lower cost fare more accessible to the average person. It would be fantastic, and I think a great economic stimulus, for the U.S. to develop a great system
I just wish people complaining about speeds understood that this is going through a densely-populated metro area. The Miami metro area expands northward, not outward, and everything between Miami and WPB is residential or commercial. A high speed rail system here would be like having a TGV train that just runs through Paris at 200mph. It renders it pointless.
Great video as always. Nice train and nice station for once. I am a big Amtrak rider and the stations in various towns are downright awful. Looking forward to future reviews. BTW, i finally rode the Southwest chief from Chicago to Kansas City and from KC to Albuquerque. You were right in the mixed review you gave it earlier on. I thought the views would be better and as always the Amtrak staff is hit or miss. They did bring back the in car dinner which is quite delicious now. Next stop for me in the US - the Empire Builder. Take care and keep up the good work. Cheers.
It looks like a great service! Really incongruous that Florida has the best intercity train in the Americas. I'm looking forward to the introduction of this rolling stock on Via Rail (sometime in the coming year).
The one thing I don't like is the airportification of railway stations. I want to be able to get to a train without looping through waiting areas, baggage claims, and security checks.
this... I can't stand the "Priority boarding", its not really boarding but priority getting onto the platform. The different ticket class holders board different cars. Just reeks of classism. But hey, this is USA and not Europe.
Via Rail Canada ordered these exact same trains as well.. they’re currently testing the first set on the network, service will probably start next year (2022) between Toronto and Montreal.. so hopefully you get to check it out one day.
Awesome review! Brightline is my favorite transportation service available today, and being based in Florida, extremely convenient for me!
Edit: last time I was on board the train was completely full! I can see why they are expanding to 7-coach trainsets.
7-coach expansion seems to have been canceled. The new trains are being delivered in 4-car sets
You're welcome. The red set on track one in Miami is the original pre-Venture set coupled to the new Venture set delivered a couple of months ago, the first production Venture coaches placed in service. Again, Brightline leads the way.
Chicago to NYC and Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul would be great routes for high speed rail! For a lot of the US, the distances involved make airplanes much more compelling than high speed rail. Chicago to NYC is about the maximum, I think, where a train could travel it in 3.5-4 hours VS. 2 hours for flying, but with more convenient end points.
Problem is you loose at least2 hours at the Airport before flying because of security etc. Environmental spoken HST is much better for the earth...
This is certainly what we need in 🇨🇦 in the province of Ontario instead of the slow and unreliable VIA rail business between major business. Lets open it up to the competition now !!!!
I love the concept of the bright line system, but I hate the security checks and the faregates, if your train departs in a minute and you just arrive at the train station, you know how long it takes to get from the entrance to the platform, a lot of other major USA stations take like 30 seconds to a minute or 2 at most to get to the train platform. And for the contactless shop, it’s super inconvenient for teens the ages of 14-18 that don’t have a credit or debit card, if you have cash, then you are out of luck
They won't let you in like 10 minutes prior.
@@Qazwsxedc165 Which is a major issue for a commuter train.
Security is really important though, especially in open carry states
@@tc3693 Tell that to pretty much every commuter rail in the country.
@@tc3693 Florida isn’t an open carry state. Also, if it was open carry, how would security help?
Can't wait for the VIA rail venture/charger sets. Going to be awesome ripping along lake Ontario in some of these.
Still, Amtrak could certainly learn more than a few things from Brightline.
Honestly, I initially thought the price was steep for the distance, but it’s not bad when you add in all the premium benefits.
It would be great if this intercity railway expanded to cover the entirety of the east coast including all major east coast cities (ie. Atlanta, Boston, New York, DC, Charlotte, etc.)
Charlotte to Atlanta would be huge because going into Atlanta via I-85 is a nightmare.
Amtrak covered DC-Boston but the others are good ideas.
Wow! Would love this kind of service in Minnesota - I would use it all the time!
Here’s my only nitpick… one thing I never understood about brightline Florida is why they never electrified their track and rolling stock… it seems counter intuitive, especially if your trying to tout a greener/modern approach to transportation. It would’ve also been nice to see true high-speed (240kmh) capable rolling stock and less level crossings. Luckily, they seem to be getting this right with their brightline west project.
Brightline uses rail owned by FEC. Probably not cost-efficient for FEC to electrify, plus it takes years and a lot of money to electrify even if done right (see CalTrain for an example of how not to do it).
@@mikeschumacher it doesn't take years, you can have all the construction done in under a year, and over half their track could have been built with it from the start. running the cable, putting the in the foundation makes it quick to do when they decide to.
its not expensive to add it across the whole line, given all the work they are doing right now. much of the line is getting dual tracked
@@gdrriley420 only took 2 years in my city to do, and they only had to actually shut the track for 7 months.
Not to mention it included having to lower the floor of tunnels to fit the catenary, and replacing the track from jointed to welded rail, and wood sleepers to concrete ones.
American railways overall have an inexplicable aversion to electric locomotives. MARC just retired their HHP-8 electrics, and instead of replacing them with new electric locomotives, they bought diesel ones.
Which now means MARC is running a diesel service on a fully electrified line.
@@sergiofreitas9368 they've got so much track work with adding double tracks they wouldn't need to shut it down any more than then have already planned. and most of the line has already or planned to have those changes. that line doesn't have any tunnels its just bridges that move.
We can not do things for the long term politically here. which means a train that saves money in the long run doesn't work. MARC like most NEC ops is special and does things in the most backwards way they can.
everything I see says the kept the HHP-8 after refurbishment in 2018 and bought some chargers to replace older units, would have liked to see them buy out amtraks fleet from the leaser yeah but the HHP-8 has issues and they likely didn't have fund to buy used and repair, it was for new locos only.
@@gdrriley420 the track has a lot of road crossing iinm. If you wanted to electrifying it, there's a lot of civil engineering projects needs to be done on these crossings
...will be traveling down to Orlando weekend of 17dec...will update you on construction.
I'm really glad that something like this is finally happening in North America. I'm just sad that it's being done by a private company. That means only profitable routes will be able to experience this. And this private model will never be able to shift us away from car based travel like we would see with a fully nationalised rail company like Amtrak if it was treated the same way as SNCF.
Ahem, as someone living in France let me tell you that SNCF has over 50 billion usd debt. On the other hand, taking the train is much more common compared to the US, I'll give you that. Good thing is competition is coming in France soon.
@@that90skid72 competition is always good, flixtrain in germany and sweedin is impressive
Why? Let private companies offer service on routes where it makes financial sense so that the government can focus more resources on routes that are less commercially viable. It’s not some either/or choice that needs to be made
@@BENCOINTERNATIONAL So let them outcompete and drive Amtrak off its profitable routes, crippling it even more than it already is?
Having ridden this myself I can't get over how great it is.
I really hope they look into electrifying the line. It could definitely be done easily with more efficient and quicker runs!
I take that back, since FEC runs double stack intermodal it would be a lot more expensive for brightline to make their own private right of way. Although I suppose if they were to do that, they could look into making a “Florida High Speed Rail.”
Nope, no electrification on this line ever. FEC needs the clearance for double-stack freight trains which won't fit under overhead lines.
@@JBS319 Its possible:) ua-cam.com/video/yNq8lP6cfL4/v-deo.html
@@JBS319 bro are they still coping with that nonesense...
In Mexico we have a similar train. Is the Puebla-Cholula Express and Is a mix of a tram with a high-speed railway.
8:05 are they really required to keep the bell ringing even if they're grade seperated, well above all other traffic and without any chance of them hitting cars at crossings?
The bell is used as a “quiet horn” to warn people that the train is departing or entering the station
@@No-le9qf thanks, still seems odd to me but well, different country, different regulations and habbits
Also a key reminder, it wasn't running for awhile due to covid as well
Only downside is the price. I wonder if in a few years they will go the TGV route and offer a separate all 2nd class service for the budget traveller. You're not going to get people out of their cars at these prices. Especially not in car centric America.
The price shown was for premium class, 2nd class is cheaper :)
@@ncard00 The 2nd class fares aren’t cheap either. There is a competing government train called TriRail that runs on parallel tracks that has more stops, but is MUCH cheaper. It’s much more used.
@Paseos por Madrid well, because SNCF/TGV were the first to offer a low-cost high-speed alternative with their Ouigo trains.
@Paseos por Madrid I know this isn't high speed, and I think he was referring to the possibility of offering a lower cost product with single 2nd class configuration, basically what Ouigo did. Of course it's not an exact copy but you get the idea.
Wow. I was skeptical before watching this, but I'm completely sold on Brightline. Thanks for putting this up.
If they are able to make that ORL to WDW connection, that would give me added incentive to fly instead of drive (tho with the exceptions of Atlanta and Nashville I enjoy road tripping with my wife). And add a Cocoa Beach connection for NASA visits and I will be a very happy tourist!
Would be cool in the future once concept is proven, brightline extend and run high speed rail up to Atlanta
There are two main problems withe area, 1) the EXTREMELY low level of differention making the planning and development of any public transport difficult, there no big centres, it's a continuos mixed spawal and 2) the numberr of grade crossings, it simply can't go faster.
Excellent, I had no idea about this Miami train and it looks very interesting, even with an electric vehicle approach. All really great! Thank you very much for sharing it, greetings from Chile!
I love how some Americans call this service "high speed". It's not even an average of 100kph. Still faster than most other trains in America, I suppose, depressingly.
I think the reason is it was promised that it will average speeds of over 160kph (which still isn’t high speed I know, but for for the US that’s pretty good), but now they’re saying it’ll be several years before the trains will reach those speeds on the current segment that’s open. That being said, the extension to Orlando which opens next year will allegedly allow speeds of up to 200kph, which again isn’t true high speed but is good for American standards of rail speeds
This goes through a metro area. It would make no sense to go faster. God it’s so annoying when people don’t understand this. There’s no train that runs through the London metro or Paris metro area at 180mph+. It would render it useless.
@@johanfalk2875 Japan manages 250kph service in heavily urbanized areas. It only slows down to conventional speeds right in urban cores, but once you get out of e.g. central Tokyo it speeds up to HSR speeds immediately. Like only the last 30km are at conventional speeds. e.g. in Sendai, a city 3.5 times the population of Miami and 2.5 times more densely populated, it hits 320kmh right up to where it has to brake to pull into the station.
@@NozomuYume That’s awesome. My point is that it wouldn’t make sense to go anywhere near that fast through the Miami metro area. It’s only 70 miles between Miami and WPB and there’s over a dozen cities in between, some where Brightline is planning to add more stations. Not to mention this isn’t on a dedicated line that doesn’t cross through roads. Japan’s high speed trains are on dedicated, electrified lines and there’s also other multiple services for shorter distances. In SoFla the only rail options going north-south are this and the Tri-Rail. Amtrak too but it would be odd taking Amtrak for such a short distance on a regular.
We don’t call it “high speed.” The company does.
Thank you for this review. To date I had only heard of some of the construction problems they have had. I am thrilled to see that the finished product is so good. You are quite right, rail here is not anywhere close to European standards. Finally we have someone that has solved the problem.
Brightline seems so well thought out, unfortunately I've very skeptical of their Brightline West train to Las Vegas... Victorville to a station miles from the Strip??? I get that Victorville is interim until they can use tracks into LAUS (but until then will be a joke) but the Las Vegas terminal HAS to be in the heart of the Strip directly under a massive hotel-casino resort.
Vegas already had a station with that exact setup, but the platforms have been removed. Converting a parking lot next door to a garage would allow one parking lot to be repurposed for a new station.
Everyone SHOULD be excited by Brightline. It's new and has the potential to carry lots of passengers. I wish them luck. But let's not get carried away here. It's not like other high speed rail lines in France and Japan and elsewhere which have elevated tracks in congested areas. There are numerous grade crossings, and because of that, communities south of West Palm Beach complained and got the speed restricted. Even north to Orlando, the high speed will be around 125 mph. Someday let's hope America gets true high speed passenger service.
The private sector is the way forward for US train services. Share this video with everyone you know! Also, please do more trip reports in Denmark once the new Talgo wagons and Coradia Stream trainsets arrive in 2023-2024 :)
Yeah I've been riding Brightline frequently and it's Seriously good. Like i don't know what to say but honestly they nailed it on their service. Honestly i can't wait for the Orlando expansion to be completed, probably around 80% completed now. They recently got the green light to have an expansion to Tampa, and along the way, at Disney Springs. There is a few issues though, and that is the 2 groups of people. A group wants to have the line go straight to Disney Springs, and the other wants a 2nd stop on International Drive which connect tourisms to other cities. We're not sure which route they will make to Disney Springs but it's something we want. There's also possible plans for Jacksonville and Atlanta Georgia. I'm not sure if you know but Brightline bought out a project in California and they will work there as well.
From a railfan and sustainability perspective, the only gripe I have is that it's not electrified! Although I do understand they've had to share an existing freight corridor, as is the norm in the US, and electrification while keeping the necessary clearances for double-stack containers would be a significant investment.
It makes it a bit ironic, though, when the cars used for the last-mile service are electric but the trains themselves aren't...
They use biofuel I believe.
The good thing is that the new Brightline West service will be fully electrified. And yes, they do use biofuel
@@wwaxwork It's a 5% blend, and it's a certain amount of fuel, mentioned in 2017 news articles.
Great video and thanks for talking to us at beginning and end! Excellent review!
I was surprised to see that Brightline had the smarts to elevate the track in downtown Miami. Too bad they did not have the smarts to elevate the entire line up to and beyond West Palm Beach. Had the line been elevated, they could have offered 125 mph service from Miami to Orlando. It also amazes me that Brightline is going to start adding more stops (Aventura and Boca Raton) which will slow the service down. But they don' t offer a stop at Ft Lauderdale International Airport (where the rail line passes right in front of the airport terminals) which could offer them more opportunities for guaranteed additional revenue.
sorry for wall of text, and none of this is meant to be condescending/hostile.
my family vacations down in florida. we often stay at my grandmother's apartment, from which you can see the tracks. I have also ridden on the brightline back in 2018. and I can say, without a doubt, that it would be next to impossible to elevate the tracks, even if they were legally allowed to.
as thibault (think I spelled that right) mentioned, the tracks are owned by the Florida East Coast railway, or FEC. they still have customers to reach, all of which are at ground level, and while a short passenger train can manage the short grades that come with this kind of elevation, a fully-loaded 2-mile-long double-stack container train heading north out of the Port of Miami would never get up; therefore, the FEC would never agree.
next, there's the location. all along the tracks there are business, roads, houses, just feet away from the ROW. the amount of construction required for elevating the line would require demolishing homes and businesses just to make enough room for a crane.
that leads me to the next reason elevation wouldn't be possible: NIMBYs, or alternatively, BANANAs. NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard, while BANANA means Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. these acronyms describe people who are vehemently opposed to any kind of large-scale contruction, including power plants, highway expansions, railroad improvements, etc. the area around the Brightline route is full of NIMBYs, and they were already up in arms after there were a series of level crossing accidents, some fatal, in the months following Brightline's inaugural run. none of said accidents were Brightline's fault. if Brightline announced plans to elevate the track, NIMBYs would start foaming at the mouth.
The new BrightRed trainsets are probably going to be express runs from Orlando International-Miami, while the current trains are a bit more commuter-focused.
there is no space for a station at Ft Lauderdale Intl, unless they put one under a taxiway, which the FAA would never allow.
@@redneckdolan Very true. The extension to Orlando will be grade separated which is good!
@@redneckdolan My idea would be to place the elevated line entirely over the existing FEC line. That way the FEC could still run their freights without the interference of Brightline and have access to their sidings. It would also make it possible to electrify the Brightline section if Brightline was so inclined. I was under the impression that the FEC owns Brightline thorough another shell company before and since the merger with Virgin Trains collapsed. So I don't see a conflict between the two (assuming I am correct about the shell company). There will always be NIMBY's and BANANA'S (like that term), but I would hope that the locals would see that the benefits outweigh the temporary minuses. Having lived near the FEC in Ft. Lauderdale from 1979 to 2000, I know I would be all for it.
@@redneckdolan Excellent. Someone has done their homework!
Those are some pricey NIMBY areas to try to elevate through. There'd be oppo in the working class nbhds in Miami too, I'd wager. I agree, it would be for the best, it's just I think BL is all steam ahead to Orlando.
If more people that run and operate Amtrak used some funds to improve the stations that serve Amtrak and have secure parking, improve trackage and speed, more rail travelers will utilize Amtrak. The public wants comfort and speed. I.E. European and Asian countries realized this years ago.
Max Kudos to Brightline for forging ahead.
I still think that the USA will never have proper train service. They treat it too much like air travel. And the motor industry is rooting too much in cars. They would be great for train services, even better than europe in some parts (like overnight).
But yeah its great to see at least (some) improvement. I also like the FLIRTs in (texas i think?). And the lounge/train look like nice spots to hang out, although i dont like public music speakers.
Plough enough money into the railways as they did with the highways and they probably would, especiall around certain areas of the country. Whether they will do that or not is sort of the question.
Texas is building a Shinkansen and California has 220 mph high speed rail service under construction
@@tc3693 neither of which are funded enough to give the degree of certainty required to complete proper integrated public transport networks as was done for the highways.
I’m already looking forward to the expansion to Orlando!
That`s how you should try to get ppl away from driving cars.
Offer them a nice alternative instead of just making car driving more inconvenient by taxes or getting rid of parking spots.
Wow thank you so much for this review. The Brightline is a true marvel
That's the power of private investment at its finest, unhindered by project delays and political deadlock like Amtrak has been for 50 years. The extent of perfection which the privately operated Brightline has over the federally owned Amtrak is truly remarkable, and should be the standard for all passenger rail services in the nation.
Are you nuts?! Brightline relied on government to build all of the stations and upgrade grade crossings, is operating on a freight track, and it’s a commuter train, not an intercity service like Amtrak. They’re not comparable.
@@afcgeo882 So your saying Miami to Orlando isn’t intercity?
@@Maunico0809 Miami to Orlando doesn’t exist. It might, one day, but so far it does’t. Brightline has been operating as a commuter system for years. Once it becomes an inter-city line, we will be able to see how it works and compare it to Amtrak’s regional services. Until then, it’s only a commuter line in S. Florida.
What a difference a year makes as far as ridership is concerned. Some trains are now sold out, especially in the morning and afternoon weekdays. On weekends the fare is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The train is then packed with families.
You realize they have never charged full fare due to the failure of their business case, right? The fares are subsidized as part of a real estate play that won't hold up. Brightline should be owned by a public agency and run as public transit.
I love the effort and advertisement they put into this, let's hope it works!