The Surprising Success of Private Passenger Rail

Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Max Moser
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

References

[kn]

I recently took Brightline from Orlando to Miami and I loved it. It was cheaper than flying, faster than driving, and way less stressful than either. I really hope this is the beginning of more public railways in the US

[jirky]

Brightline benefitted from having to upgrade an existing right of way, not having to purchase land to make way for a new railroad alignment. I'm very glad it's succeeding so far.

[ayayaybamba]

Honestly I hope Brightline keeps stacking more stations up the Eastern Seaboard. Running a line from Orlando to Jacksonville, then to Savannah, Charleston, Atlanta, etc. would be huge just as a start. Millions would use it as an alternative to flying to go on vacation in just that area alone. Honestly the hardest thing I can see them struggling with is providing enough parking and security in the Atlanta area for people who want to get from there to say Orlando.

[squelchedotter]

The thing that I really love about this is that because they're just standard trains, it doesn't even matter if brightline fails in 10 years when the profits stop going up every year, or not. Amtrak can just take it over and the US will still be better for it.

[RL_]

As someone from California, a work colleague and I took the Brightline from Fort Lauderdale to Miami in early 2020. I'm not an avid Amtrak user by any means, so I have no threshold on comparable rates and fees, however at the time the ticket prices seemed reasonable. We even splurged a little so we could get the upgraded lounge experience. The ride on the Brightline was pleasant, not too crowded but carts weren't empty and the trip back and forth overall didn't seem too long. The upgraded lounge experience was well worth the price by far. My friend and got back to the Miami station early to ensure we wouldn't miss our train and while we waited we had all the finger foods and free drinks (alcohol too) we wanted. The lounge maybe had a total of 20 people in it at the time and it was spacious. If I ever find myself back at Fort Lauderdale and want to do another quick Miami trip, I would no doubt look forward to book with Brightline again. I wish California could figure it out to have something similar!

[HaleStormStrong]

Public transit within cities is just as important as transit between them, because people won’t want to take a train if they are going to get to the location and still need a car

[_C_FL]

As a Tampa resident, I'll exclusively use Brightline whenever I visit the Orlando theme parks. I'm very excited for this service. Hopefully they'll eventually run through Gainesville and Tallahassee to connect the major universities to the population centers.

[Marshalloredsox]

20:16 “So the time is long past to argue that we should delay good to get great.” Love that.

[dylaniscol]

The Brightline is AWESOME. As someone who has been conditioned by the LIRR, which in my opinion is just ok, it was such a pleasant experience. Will ride again

[XenonSwift]

I live in South Florida. I've taken Brightline between Miami and Orlando a couple of times now. It's fantastic. I don't have to worry about driving between the two cities and Amtrak is a lot slower. You can regularly find tickets for as low as $29 one way. They run specials all of the time. It's fast, comfortable, cost-effective and overall a better experience than driving, flying or taking Amtrak. I hope this agenda of privatized rail companies takes shape across the USA.

[evanmico]

The only challenge with these is that despite the trains between the cities being brilliant, the public transit actually within the cities beside them is woeful

[smkeddy]

Long time listener, first time caller. This brought tears to my eyes. You do such an amazing job of presenting all sides of a public, private partnership and how imperfect that model is, but how it's probably the only chance we have now of making infrastructure like this work. Just amazing. This topic needs to be explored so much more.

[maxsmodels]

I work at the Orlando airport and saw the Bright line being built. I was even able to use it one time. It is an interesting system and everybody who uses it regularly seems to like it especially compared to South Florida’s Tri-Rail. All in all I’m glad they made it and I hope it succeeds.

[JL]

I hope this success elsewhere in the country can lead to improvements in Amtrak and other government services such as Metro North, CT rail, and other services

[DigitalAlmond]

Indiana resident here, I did not realize the initial I-69 section was private! While I’m a bit miffed that the state didn’t just build that connection in the first place, I’m glad the state built it out and finished the connection. It wouldn’t be the first time the state just lets infrastructure rot.The photos in your video look like the final I-69/465 connection!! Bloomington has been isolated from Indianapolis for so long - especially for such a major university town.

[silverXnoise]

Now get tech bros to quit “disrupting” transportation with an endless series of worse trains, and we might have a faint shot at reasonably sustainable public transport.

[TheRealZura]

I really really really hope it's a success. This with the Vegas-LA line. It will be the first step to a national railway network.

[BrianLagerstrom]

EPIC VID! Fingers crossed for a high-speed CHI to STL Brightline in the 2030s

[naughtycoin]

Ive been on Bright line once so far and I LOVE it. I hope it gets more destinations here in South Florida as for drives near or over an hour not having to take to the interstate is so nice. I'm all for public transportation. Even if it is "private" the fares and everything have seemed great compared to two hours of driving with Florida drivers and etc. can't wait to see how it grows

[juannietoacuna]

I just saw a video of a couple comparing the time it takes to travel between Orlando and Miami via train and plain. If you take into consideration everything air travel involves (I.e. security lines, checking bags, etc) the train takes just one hour longer, it costs significantly less and allows the passenger to actually get work done during the trip.