Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 7:03 am
Good luck; especially considering the reports that Brightline (Florida) is not "making numbers".
All told, it would be more comfortable to me if East were "making numbers" before plunging into West.
To be fair to Brightline in the (south)East, they had major wrenches thrown in their plans. The Orlando segment was supposed to be done way before September 2023, but due to a certain major event that occurred in 2020, that delayed the project by a least a year or two - not to mention, Brightline shut down services for about a year due to COVID, but still had to maintain track and stations and the such. Not to mention that post-COVID, a lot of people have become wary of using public transit.
All around, COVID screwed them, like COVID screwed all transportation companies, public and private. Brightline 'East' I think will "make numbers" eventually, but it's going to be pushed back a couple of years due to the above.
As for pushing BLW so early compared to Brightline 'East,' I think BL is making a power move here - HSR in California has been long delayed despite its very high demand there, the state-ran project will be lucky to get done in any of our lifetimes, so I think BLW is a major investment to get into the game early and set a standard