The First Private High Speed Rail Line in 100 Years Will Link Miami and Orlando | Hacker News Reader

The First Private High Speed Rail Line in 100 Years Will Link Miami and Orlando

themessenger.com

20 pointsdangles26 comments

The article claims are that Brightline will send 32 trains daily, supposedly taking ~30 minutes less than the drive at up to 125 miles per hour, but only during part of the trip. It will travel up to 79 mph in urban areas and 110 mph in less-populated regions. According to the article, single riders will pay $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first class, but families and groups will be able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398.

I struggle to see how this will perform better than the hour-long flight currently ~$200 (which will very likely be lower when this rail line comes into service) for business users, although the $400 fee may be attractive to some families, and have it hit their supposed 8MM annual ridership numbers when compared to airline travel.

Their current service between Miami and West Palm Beach is at a low of ~$50 round trip which is a much more reasonable amount when compared to the competing transit services and of course it's going to drive nearly 1MM riders through the first half of the year. But, I think they'll struggle with the longer route with higher costs and more competition from airlines.

We shall see.

For one off trips the advantage is you don't need to deal with airport security or feeling cramped in a cheap airline seat.

They are also offering commuter and family passes that offer wifi access and bring the price down to $6 or $14 per ride (that might not be the Orlando price specifically). The family pass let's you share it with family members as well which is nice, living near Orlando we are a popular travel destination for family (Disney World + free tickets bc my wife works for Disney).

Because you don't have to deal with flight delays, TSA, cost of travel/uber/taxi to/from the airport?

I don't really think this route is going to be business travel heavy either way. This will almost certainly be a leisure route for people/families in Miami area who want to go to Disney World/Universal Studios.

Sounds great, I’m jealous. From what I understand, the privately funded project to build high-speed rail in Texas recently melted down and the prospects look increasingly pessimistic (despite some key court wins that would have let them exercise eminent domain.)

Texas ought to be another ideal physical environment for HSR, but Southwest killed a project in the ‘90s (back when the intra-Texas market was still their bread and butter) and none of the other projects have gotten sufficient traction since then.

Since when is 125mph high-speed rail?

It's America, so lower your expectations :(

Although, the first Shinkansen model had a max speed of 130mph, so one could say 125mph is bullet train speed.

Now, that was in 1964, and the second model (1985) topped out at 137mph, and the current series (introduced decades ago) are around 180mph -- but again, expectations.

And what does a family do after arriving in Orlando without a car?

Trains are cool but this doesn't seem viable, 32 departures daily, really?

They're going to build a station at Disney

I mean how many cars are used solely to drive from the airport and then sit in a hotel parking lot for the next week only to be driven back to the airport. 50% seems a conservative number considering that resorts like Disney world have their own transit systems.

There are plenty of attractions outside of Disney or Universal. I'd guess no more than 10% of rented cars have zero activity.

Regardless... these are families who live in South Florida. Cost of driving is a tank of gas each way. Can drive right up to the hotel's front door, no Uber. Can visit both Disney and Universal. Mom or Dad can easily go to convention while kids go to parks, etc.

It's a very rare confluence when paying more and giving up the freedom of a car makes much sense.

Disney and Universal shuttles run to many major hotels in Orlando. Uber is always an option too.

Very few people stay exclusively within the Disney-verse the entire trip, for every meal. I-Drive, Sea World, Convention Center. And no, Disney does not run shuttles from Universal's hotels, nor vice versa.

The shuttles are run by the hotels themselves, and yes they run to both parks and I-Drive is right next to Universal.

Lol, International Drive is miles long, most of which is quite far from Universal. And you're claiming there is a shuttle from Disney's Contemporary to Universal? I don't think so. From a Marriott somewhere, sure, but then you aren't within the bounds of either park and will always need a shuttle.

Please tell me how many families from Miami or Ft Lauderdale you expect will voluntarily leave their car at home and take a train instead, knowing they will be reliant on hotel shuttles and Uber the whole time?

Seriously? Riding an Uber from Universal to a restaurant in I-drive would take $10-15, a paltry fee. You'll spend that much on soda for two at the theme parks.

Of course a Disney owned hotel is not going to offer complementary shuttle access to Universal. Meanwhile a Hyatt or Hilton or Gaylord or Rosen or any number of dozens of large hotel chains in the area absolutely run shuttles to both parks.

I've driven from Miami to Orlando many times, it sucks and it takes up 4 to 5 hours each way. Way more relaxing to spend it on a train. Many families will fork out for it.

Double that, because both ways. Add more, because many families require an XL Uber or a special one equipped with car seats for kids. And what if they aren't staying at a Universal hotel, a Disney hotel or something further away. You are minimizing the hassles and the issues and the cost, and the misery of being forced to adhere to shuttle schedules all day every day.

Let the free market figure it out? Uber, Lyft, etc.

Yes I imagine lots of South Florida families leaving their car back in Miami and paying extra for train tickets so they can look forward to Ubering all around town.

According to the University of Washington report, high speed rail is in competition with metro-to-metro air travel, which also involves arriving without a car. I don’t know how this particular route rates on that metric, but I do remember that it was one of the routes described in the report.

Edit: A quick web search revealed 18 flights from Miami to Orlando tomorrow. That’s presumably 36 flights including the return. 32 trains is inline with the demand, and is almost certain to be a more pleasant trip—quieter, no TSA, smoother, more space. At 30 min, it’s also more than twice as fast as flying.

Are you implying the train takes 30 minutes? Miami to Orlando is 3 and a half hours according to Brightline's online schedule.

I misread it. The article says “30 min less than driving,” but I read it as “30 min.” Airplanes take 60-90 min, not counting boarding etc.

Orlando Airport served 50 million passengers last year - who also arrived without a car. I don't see why it's suddenly a problem for train passengers.

because this train serves families from South Florida, who can easily drive door-to-door in about the same amount of time, unlike, say, a family from Chicago (which is likely to rent a car upon arriving).

This route has a higher chance of completion than the infamous SF-LA route.

it's completed. service is starting today.

Yeah, only the planning is supposedly completed.

2030 is the current but ever-so-elusive shifty goal post.

https://hsr.ca.gov/about/project-update-reports/2023-project...

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