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  • Brightline Expansion Opportunities

  • This is a forum for all operations, both current and planned, of Brightline, formerly All Aboard Florida and Virgin Trains USA:
    Websites: Current Brightline
    Virgin USA
    Virgin UK
This is a forum for all operations, both current and planned, of Brightline, formerly All Aboard Florida and Virgin Trains USA:
Websites: Current Brightline
Virgin USA
Virgin UK

Moderator: CRail

 #1457461  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.moderncities.com/article/20 ... her-states" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BRIGHTLINE LAUNCHES, EYES EXPANSION TO OTHER STATES
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As reported by Modern Cities in the past, the privately funded passenger rail system has already expressed its intentions for expansion into Tampa and Jacksonville. Reiterating those plans prior to last week's launch, Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group, Brightline's parent company, explained their unique opportunity to expand to Florida's remaining large cities. Expansion to Jacksonville comes with the advantage of operating on existing Florida East Coast Railway corridor already co-owned by Brightline. While service to Orlando won't likely start before 2020, an extension from Orlando to Tampa would possibly take advantage of the Interstate 4 corridor. After the opening of the Orlando segment, additional stops could be added in Brevard County, the Treasure Coast, Vero Beach and Stuart.
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Brightline is also considering taking their passenger rail concept to other regions across the country. Believing the model could be replicated between congested cities, the rail company is also looking at the possibility of links between Atlanta and Charlotte, Houston and Dallas and between Dallas and Austin.
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 #1457466  by Ridgefielder
 
It's easy to understand how they'd reach Jacksonville over the FEC. How would they cover Atlanta-Charlotte, though? Partner with Norfolk Southern or CSX? And if Norfolk Southern-- what about the Crescent?

Same question goes for the other city pairs mentioned. Seems like unless you're talking about sinking billions into ROW acquisition and track construction, you've to partner with the existing freight carriers. And I don't see how you can do that without getting in a legal tangle with Amtrak. FEC seems a unique case-- a former Class I that had already discontinued all it's passenger service by A Day.
 #1473262  by Jeff Smith
 
It's not just FECR anymore: BizJournals.com/milwaukee
Wes Edens' private passenger train could serve Chicago. What about Milwaukee?


By Rich Kirchen – Senior Reporter, Milwaukee Business Journal
a day ago
With Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens’ private passenger train line set to extend service to Miami Saturday, Edens is discussing similar projects in other regions of the country, including Chicago.

But don’t expect a Chicago-to-Milwaukee route any time soon, if ever.

Edens' Brightline “already is talking about providing similar service between Dallas and Houston, Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., Chicago and St. Louis and other regions across the United States,” according to a story in Floridatrend.com.

Edens’ spokesman did not immediately respond to a question on whether a Chicago route ultimately could include Milwaukee.

Amtrak already offers multiple trips per day on its Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago.
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 #1473265  by Jeff Smith
 
Sour grapes: TCPalm.com

Some good points, but is their coverage ever one-sided!
Brightline trains 'all over the country'? Say what?!
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Whoa, big fella.

Let's first see if the Miami-to-Orlando project gets completed.

Toward this objective, it is critical for Brightline — originally branded All Aboard Florida — to sell $1.15 billion of tax-exempt bonds for Phase 2 (West Palm Beach to Orlando). And it must do so prior to the expiration of a rapidly approaching deadline: May 31.
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Brightline was unable to sell the bonds.

In fall 2016, the company gained federal approval to offer separate allocations: $600 million for Phase 1 (Miami to West Palm Beach) and $1.15 billion for Phase 2.

Brightline successfully completed the sale of $600 million in bonds for Phase 1, according to a letter from Brightline general counsel Myles Tobin to U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations.
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The clock is ticking to sell the bonds. It remains to be seen whether Brightline can complete the current project, which was supposed to be up and running by 2016. Now, Brightline officials say trains won't be running through our region to Orlando before January 2021.

If ever.
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 #1473712  by Ridgefielder
 
Chicago-St. Louis? How? Could Brightline run on a route that also has Amtrak service, i.e. the UP (ex-Alton) through Springfield? Are any of the other former Chicago-St. Louis routes (Wabash, C&EI) still intact?
 #1473716  by CHTT1
 
Wabash route no longer exists as a continuos route. Metra's Southwest Service (leased from NS, the former Wabash) ends at Manhattan, IL.

C&EI route is intact and is now owned by UP and is host for Amtrak's Texas Eagle when the usual ChI-St Louis line is closed for track work, but the line manages to avoid all places of any population between the two terminals.

I'm not sure of the old IC route, but it may not be intact. So, the only direct route is the old GM&O owned by UP and used by Amtrak with improvements paid for by IDOT, so getting slots on that route may prove to be difficult.
 #1473718  by Anthony
 
Brightline should consider running service on the 3C corridor in Ohio. That would revive a project that would've been in place by now had KaSICK not gotten elected. It fits their corridor length criteria and there are plenty of opportunities available for their business model in cities along the corridor, especially in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.
 #1473746  by mtuandrew
 
From what I see, Brightline needs a few ingredients to succeed:
-a willing, extant railroad
-big destinations on either end
-no or infrequent Amtrak/commuter service
-lots of land to develop.

CHI hub doesn’t really have that anymore, unless you want to run CHI-Des Moines or something. For the right price (a hefty lease from NS) Atlanta to MIA via JAX could happen though.
 #1473846  by Ridgefielder
 
How about Nashville as one of the end points? It's one of the fastest-growing cities in the US. No Amtrak service whatsoever. Under 250mi to Louisville, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Indianopolis, St. Louis...
 #1490216  by Jeff Smith
 
Can't believe no one sniffed this out: Local10.com
Brightline expanding west with plans for Los Angeles-Las Vegas rail service
Service to begin in 2022


PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. - Brightline is expanding, this time west -- way west.

The Florida-based private high-speed rail system announced Tuesday that it will acquire XpressWest, a high-speed rail project connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

Brightline said in a news release that it will acquire 38 acres of land adjacent to the Las Vegas strip for the construction of a station and mixed-use development.

It will be Brightline's first corridor outside Florida and just the second privately funded intercity passenger rail system in the U.S.
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Construction is expected to begin next year, with the first phase scheduled to begin in 2022.

Brightline is expanding to Orlando, and in June announced plans to further expand into Tampa.

"There is also an opportunity to expand Brightline to Jacksonville since we have ownership of the corridor," Soule said.
 #1490222  by Jeff Smith
 
An industry publication: RailwayAge.com
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The XpressWest deal will potentially enable Brightline to link one of the most traveled routes in the country, connecting more than 22 million people living in Southern California with Las Vegas, one of the most visited cities in the U.S. Brightline quoted ridership studies as finding travelers make more than 50 million annual trips between Las Vegas and Southern California. Today those travelers are limited to traveling by air or highway; Brightline expects to make the trip in less than two hours.
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The first phase of the corridor is expected to be built on a right of way within and adjacent to Interstate 15, traversing 185 miles with no at-grade or pedestrian crossings. Construction is expected to begin in 2019 and Brightline is planning to begin initial service in 2022.

Union Pacific and BNSF maintain mainline operations in the vicinity, including from Southern California through Cajon Pass through the San Gabriel mountains to Las Vegas, among other destinatons. It’s unclear whether Brightline, which operates on sister company Florida East Coast Railway’s track in South Florida, intends to negotiate agreements for use of those lines.
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 #1490224  by Jeff Smith
 
I see you all are ahead of me LOL. I'm not going to fold in the long existing topic here, so for Las Vegas discussion, please go here: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=137&t=57196" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1490717  by Ken W2KB
 
Ridgefielder wrote:It's easy to understand how they'd reach Jacksonville over the FEC. How would they cover Atlanta-Charlotte, though? Partner with Norfolk Southern or CSX? And if Norfolk Southern-- what about the Crescent?

Same question goes for the other city pairs mentioned. Seems like unless you're talking about sinking billions into ROW acquisition and track construction, you've to partner with the existing freight carriers. And I don't see how you can do that without getting in a legal tangle with Amtrak. FEC seems a unique case-- a former Class I that had already discontinued all it's passenger service by A Day.
What do you see as a "legal tangle" with Amtrak? I don't believe that Amtrak's federal legislative authority grants it an exclusive right to operate intercity passenger service.