Ridership of high-speed rail service Brightline is on the rise

Brightline saw an increase in ridership of 101% from November of 2022 to November of 2023.

The service from Miami to West Palm extended to Orlando in September. Brightline’s Katie Mitzner said the holiday traffic is only increasing as families explore Brightline as an alternative option for being on a plane or in a car.

“It really is a perfect opportunity, a perfect place for families to travel from one destination to the next and not having to be up in a car in traffic all the way from one spot to the next," Mitzner said.

Since the opening of the station in Orlando International Airport, Mitzner said the company has seen people from more than 100 different countries, utilizing the connection between South and Central Florida.

“We are seeing tremendous crowds," Mitzner said. "We saw them for the Thanksgiving holiday and we're seeing an uptick as we get closer obviously to the Christmas holiday."

With the new year quickly approaching, Mitzner said people should take advantage of the hourly train service with promotions and deals during and following the holiday season.

Above all, Mitzner said Brightline is an experience that is both fun and accommodating for all.

"It's really special to watch people get on board our trains and their reaction when they have that experience," Mitzner said. "And what we're hearing over and over again, is when our passengers step off our trains in Orlando or down in South Florida, the reaction that we're getting from folks is I'm never going to drive this again," Mitzner said.

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