The greatest achievement in domestic train travel is happening without much fanfare in south Florida. It’s high-speed travel continents like Europe and Asia have excelled at for years. If you haven’t met, say hello to the Brightline, the best way to get around by rail in the U.S.
With stops along the Atlantic Coast in cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton, and winding central towards Orlando, the Brightline covers a lot of ground and quickly at that. Rumors suggest the train will head towards the Gulf soon, stopping in and around Tampa Bay (and it will soon have a west coast presence in time for the Olympics, traveling from Las Vegas to Los Angeles).
Last month, I rode the train several times while bopping around Florida. I can say definitely that the experience was thoroughly enjoyable. It’s the kind of train travel I associate with Japan or Italy, not the Sunshine State.
The train
The trains are immaculately clean, with comfortable seats and booths setup with all the electrical inputs you could need. The west coast route is slated to have all electric trains. At the moment, the Florida trains are hybrids. The service is noteworthy, with staff seeming genuinely happy about their roles. The on-board food and drink service is deceptively good and the views throughout—whether in coach (dubbed “smart”) or premium class—are quite good. Unless you’re on a really crowded train, something I did not experience, I can’t imagine the splurge for premium to be entirely worth it…