Florida Says: All Aboard Brightline!

The Fort Lauderdale station of Brightline, Florida's newest high-speed passenger rail. Elizabeth
The Fort Lauderdale station of Brightline, Florida’s newest high-speed passenger rail. Katherine Sautter photos.

New Express Train Service Stops Debut in Florida Connecting Miami to Disney World and Orlando

By Katherine Sautter

Entrance to the Palm Beach parking garage for Brightline.
Entrance to the Palm Beach parking garage for Brightline.

The Brightline express trains are really something great to come to South Florida. The modern trainsets, with four passenger cars and high-speed engines, don’t rattle or bump the way old railroads used to do.

It’s an exciting time to be living in Florida and watch the traffic jams on highways from the comfort of a railroad car.

Like many South Floridians, I have been following the progress of this bold new vision since its inception five short years ago and could hardly wait to be one of the first to ride. And, ride I did, on the first-day service opened to the public.

Brightline lobby in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Brightline lobby in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

It was a clear, crisp Saturday and I set out for lunch in Palm Beach. I had my sights set on shopping around City Place, then going over to the newly opened RH (Restoration Hardware) flagship store to get some design inspiration and dine in their rooftop restaurant.

Purchased Tickets online

After some trouble when the website first launched on Thursday, I was able to purchase my ticket online and intended to go up in regular class, a ten-dollar fare, and come back in first class which they call Select, a fifteen-dollar fare; but I ended up with Select in both directions, oh well! Too bad!

The spacious and airy Brightline lobby in Palm Beach, resembles a doctor's office more than a train station.
The spacious and airy Brightline lobby in Palm Beach resembles a doctor’s office more than a train station.

In either case, you are prompted to select your seat from seating configurations that differ from the single-seat window, to two across, to two across facing each other with a table in between; so, something for everyone. The service now partners with third party train booking sites like Wanderu so you can compare rates to get the best deal.

The station itself is well marked, well thought out, and an example of the current architectural design trend with sleek glass and oblique angles. The semi-circular drive in front allows for easy drop off and pick up.

Inside there are big screen monitors overhead displaying detailed train schedules and status, self-serve ticketing machines, as well as attendants behind a counter to assist.

At the machines, I could turn my email confirmation into a paper ticket to be scanned for entry deeper into the station.

New Brightline Stations

In the past, Brightline only stopped in Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. Now, this rail takes passengers all the way to Tampa, Orlando International Airport, and Walt Disney World. These new stops are game-changing for Brightline Florida as vacationers now have even more incentive to use their services to reach Florida’s top tourist attraction.

The new stops are rolling out in three phases and the train’s speed will slowly increase from 65 mph to 125 mph throughout the shifts. Different journeys will also be offered over time and Florida visitors will soon be able to travel all the way to Tampa.

Check Your Luggage

You can buy hot and cold food for the train journey on Brightline.
You can buy hot and cold food for the train journey.

Similar to the airlines, you can check your luggage and carry on small pieces. Dogs up to seventy pounds have a designated compartment in which they can travel in carriers, either provided by their owner or supplied by Brightline.

Small dogs can ride in carriers under the seat. Each train is equipped with bike racks. These trains are the first fully ADA-accessible trains in the country.

I ascend the steep glistening escalator to be greeted by Brightline attendants who show me how to scan my ticket for further entry.

Uniformed security personnel observe all entrants, but are not invasive like TSA. The waiting area’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows run parallel to the tracks so you can watch all the action.

water bottle filler
water bottle filler

There is a children’s play area, multiple seating areas for both working and lounging, charging stations, televisions and train status monitors throughout.

There is a sundry shop, a bar serving Illy coffee drinks, alcohol after 3 pm and take away dining options that really look enticing.

The restroom facilities are by Dyson featuring totally touchless systems and a water fountain specifically outfitted to refill your water bottle or thermos.

There’s even a separate lounge for Select passengers at one end enclosed by glass on three sides, which gives you a slight sensation of floating and a great view of the trains coming and going.

A Sleek Design

Locomotive 103 propels the sleek trainset Brightline is now operating in Florida.
Locomotive 103 propels the sleek trainset Brightline is now operating in Florida.

You can hear the loud blast of the horn and watch as the train pulls into the station. Its cutting-edge design is sleek and powerful underneath the brightly colored exterior making it look a bit like a highspeed monorail.

The locomotives are powered by Florida Power and Light clean biodiesel and have diesel-electric engines making them quieter while producing lower emissions.

People make their way downstairs to scan their tickets once again and board. The trains are as sleek on the inside as they are on the outside.

No detail is overlooked, and every bit of space seems to be used to the best advantage.

Crisp bright light bounces off the light-colored upholstery of the luxuriously cushioned very wide seats. Snuggled into my seat, I could plug my devices into any of three personal outlets or a USB.

City Place adjacent to the station
City Place adjacent to the station

Free high-speed Wi-Fi keeps you connected throughout your journey.

Only the sound of the whistle alerting of our departure gave me a clue we were on our way, so smooth was the initiation of our trip. It really is more like the monorail ride experience than any train I have traveled.

I know many extoll the virtues of train travel in Europe and I am one of them: easy, convenient, carefree travel; however, this is, as Emeril says, “kicking it up a notch” or maybe a few as far as the station and onboard experience are concerned.

Like a Voyeur

The scenery glides past revealing parts of our counties I haven’t seen in ages. Some of the warehouse districts that have been urbanized are the most interesting to me as I almost feel like a voyeur observing the creative uses of the structures and imaginative graffiti that decorates large swaths of them.

An attendant pushes a cart down the center aisle offering beverages and snacks, the same premium offerings we saw in the station. Before I know it, thirty-five minutes have glided by and we are pulling into the Palm Beach station.

SkyBike Rental outside Palm Beach Station
SkyBike Rental outside Palm Beach Station

I immediately notice the SkyBike rental out front because I thought it would be a lovely way to cruise around the island. The Palm Trolley and Palm Tram stop here and there is an Avis rental car desk, as well.

This station is designed and outfitted very much like the Fort Lauderdale station including the adjacent large parking garage. It’s such a lovely day I decide to walk the short hop over to City Place to shop around.

Kravis Center

The impressive Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is across the street and I make a mental note that its performances are now easily within my reach. I enjoy looking into lots of fun boutiques, shops, and restaurants.

Then I make my way across Okeechobee Boulevard to the median where the iconic 80,000 square-foot building has been constructed on four levels to serve as the RH flagship store.

Lunch on board the train.
Lunch at RH Rooftop restaurant, near the train station.

The garden area on the ground floor by which I enter is so intimate and perfectly detailed it makes me wonder if I am in a private home.

Will the butler be out to serve the aperitifs soon? I make my way up a wide winding staircase towards the Rooftop Restaurant all the while forcing myself not to be seduced into the showroom, but to stick to the task of putting my name on the list, which has a 45-minute wait at 12:15.

Hungry Patrons Waiting

The place is crowded with hungry patrons waiting for their turn. Some sip champagne, and others sit in deep luxurious chairs chatting with cups of coffee on marble tables beside them.

I am free to enjoy the luxe gallery for forty-five minutes until I receive a text that my table awaits. The massive, well-lit with large mullioned windows lends itself to display the furnishings to best advantage.

Screen Shot 2018 01 31 at 5.09.23 PM

The floors are divided into styles making it easier to browse whatever is most pertinent to you. There is a large design atelier busy with designers collaborating with their clients.

The text alert comes and I am led to the prime location of a table for two in front of the beautiful large trickling fountain in the center of the soaring atrium. With its vaulted glass ceiling and massive olive trees in decorative pots, you definitely have the feeling of dining al fresco.

Chicago restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff oversees this aspect of the experience and it’s nothing short of delightful. The menu was creative and fun, the food was delicious. The service was a little spotty, but it was very crowded and all the staff was professional and congenial, if not prompt.

Time escaped me and I hurried back to the train home. Just for fun, I jumped on the West Palm Beach Trolley System to be delivered in front of the station with lots of time to spare.

As I waited in the Select lounge, I encountered a friend, also a second-generation Fort Lauderdale native. She had been following the evolution of Virgin Trains USA as well and had the same idea as I for a fun Saturday outing.

Beverage Cart Comes Through

Pet Relief Station
Pet Relief Station

Once on board, the beverage cart attendant offered us wine and prosecco. We offered a toast to a great new asset for our fair city and to all the great adventures to come!

As we walked to our cars, we decided to get some other friends together to visit the Norton Art Museum in Palm Beach and then the Frost Museum in Miami as soon as the Miami leg opens this spring.

Brightline is shrinking our tri-county area and putting rich opportunities in easy reach. Traffic and parking have become major impediments to enjoying the activities and amenities in our neighboring counties, but with Virgin Trains that’s a thing of the past.

Take the Train: Rail Passes Around the World

Katherine SautterKatherine Sautter is a lover of life, learning, travel, art, and literature. She is also the author of the children’s book, The Dogs of Chateau de Grandeir?t=gc0a7 20&l=am2&o=1&a=1606960555, and lives in South Florida.

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