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Brightline Aventura, Boca stations to open next week. And what about Orlando?

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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All Aboard!

Brightline announced that its long-awaited service to Aventura and Boca Raton will start next week, on Wednesday, Dec. 21, when the new stations will open.

In Initial schedules, the high-speed train will make stops at these stations most frequently during the morning and evening rush hour, about once an hour. For weekend and non-peak times the train will usually run every other hour. For more detailed  schedule information, visit www.gobrightline.com.                                                                                               

Brightline’s nonstop service from downtown Miami to Aventura should take 15-17 minutes, and Miami to Boca,  with two stops along the way, will take about 51 minutes. Tickets start at $10.

The new Aventura Brightline station includes a platform for a proposed affordable commuter rail service and a 131-foot long bridge that will connect the train station with a train platform on the east side of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. A second bridge that will hover above Biscayne Boulevard and toward Aventura Mall will be built sometime in the future, the South Florida Business Journal reported. A free shuttle service to Aventura Mall is planned in the meantime.

Both Aventura and the Boca Raton stations will have features, style and amenities found in the other existing stations – in downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach — including lounges, access to public transport and soon Brightline+ services for transportation to and from the station up to 5 miles.

The new stations will also help better connect the tech ecosystem in South Florida, especially for Boca Raton, which has a decades-long history of tech and more recently a lot of startup activity.

OK, what about Orlando?

Brightline’s train service linking Miami with Orlando could come online by next fall, the company announced at a meeting of the Central Florida Expressway authority Dec. 8.

According to a presentation, 86% of the rail construction project to Orlando is now complete. Substantial completion is expected in mid-2023, followed by testing.

Travel time between Miami and Orlando is expected at 3 hours and 15 minutes, with trains reaching speeds up to 125 miles per hour on a stretch between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport.

Brightline is targeting late summer or early fall for the start of service. The company is already working with the Federal Rail Administration, which needs to provide safety certification.

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Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg and email her at [email protected]

Nancy Dahlberg
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