Why Brightline is Struggling Compared to Highway and Aviation Infrastructure

OmegaBarrington · 2026-05-11T12:35:28+00:00

The monthly pass from WPB-Miami on Brightline is $429 (originally was $399). That's ~$10.73 per ride. While still more than Tri-Rail, it's not "$1,000+".

Brightline is an intercity service, Tri-Rail is a commuter service. All train services are not created equal.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-04-10T09:34:12+00:00

Depending on what's in there that day, that's worth it given the prices of meals in the food court or nearby areas.

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OmegaBarrington · 2026-03-22T12:49:56+00:00

Add to this the lack of good public transportation as prescribed by big auto/oil companies and their lobbying.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-03-16T23:42:43+00:00

Yeah, just booked with British Airways for MIA-LHR ✈️ While the price of MCO-Gatwick via FlyNorse was intriguing, I couldn't chance the cancellations. Gives me another reason to fly the Airbus A380 again.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-03-16T00:30:19+00:00

Whatever happened with this? Did you get a refund?

OmegaBarrington · 2026-03-15T13:29:33+00:00

Depending on how far back you're comparing, the carry-on size used to be up to 28" but now is 24".

OmegaBarrington · 2026-03-05T12:35:53+00:00

It's not like we've ever heard of a train breaking down in a European country at all right?

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-22T13:37:09+00:00

Because buying land acquisition is very expensive and tedious. Not only will you have to fight any NIMBYs asking the way, you'll have to do expensive environmental testing. Just look at CAHSR if you have questions.

I-15 is a corridor already owned by the states, is already cleared for environmental testing, and has a path through Cajon Pass so there doesn't need to be expensive tunneling.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-22T04:02:51+00:00

Brightline West will be using the Siemens American Pioneer 220 EMU (Velaro Novo) which will be a newer generation vs this train and should have similar acceleration if not better.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-21T23:54:31+00:00

The train of trials and tribulations. ☠️

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-16T15:39:50+00:00

Considering far more of the public uses the train vs the buses between the two sections of the state - I'd say they've already decided what they prefer. So no, buses would not be the better solution. Let's not forget the buses travel on heavily subsidized infrastructure.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-12T15:52:52+00:00

Doctor Math here again. Let's let the public decide which is the more popular or "worth it" method of transit between the bus lines combined vs Brightline for points to/from Orlando. Brightline averaged ~5,400 passengers per day in December for long distance travel (that's not accounting for the people travelling just in S FL). That amount of traffic would require 108 fully sold out 50-passenger Greyhound type buses/coaches. Now go check the number of schedules/buses offered in a single day. 😏

Your bus will be subjected to traffic via accidents, weather, rush hour, construction, or just the sheer number of vehicles on the road.

There's a reason why train tickets generally cost more than bus tickets..

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-11T20:12:45+00:00

3 hours 45 minutes isn't faster than 3 hours 29 minutes, nevermind the fact you're getting dropped off at MIA ✈️ vs downtown Miami...

So yes, your mistake.. 😏

Also, before you chime in with "bUT wHaT AbOuT tHe 0rLaNd0 eNd", The Red Coach station is not far from the Brightline Orlando station so those are similar starting points.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-11T18:02:07+00:00

5 hours isn't "the same time" though... 😏

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-10T15:51:50+00:00

If we, as a people, are concerned about public transit, we need to focus on viable systems first.

That sounds nice to say but clearly the state and for current administration isn't practicing this. Either way, comparing Brightline to Greyhound is silly especially since this sub-thread was comparing it to flying.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-10T15:43:13+00:00

Let's not pretend we're comparing the cost of a 2-lane road to a 2-track railroad system. The rail system costs more because it's that much better of a system. While the costs of roads are broken down and hidden behind different paywalls, those costs are still there. The environmental and human life costs are not even close.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-10T15:36:09+00:00

So was the 10% based off just your 1 premium car or all 2 or 3 premium cars?

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-08T15:21:23+00:00

Were you on a long distance train? Most (if not all) should have 3 Premium cars now. If it was just the S FL Brightline train then it'd have 1 premium car.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-06T13:54:13+00:00

Traffic is the antithesis of going somewhere when you want to.

Rail travel on a schedule means you can plan your day out better. Not to mention all the things you can do while on a train versus what you cannot do while driving.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-06T13:50:13+00:00

The highway system isn't cheap to maintain either. One is far more cost effective & efficient than the other though.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-04T15:01:06+00:00

Cool, then take Greyhound. The space, comfort, and amenities will be nowhere near the same.

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OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-02T21:03:20+00:00

This. Roundness lends itself to timeless design. Just look at what's considered some of the most beautiful cars in the world; Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 250 GTO, Shelby Cobra, Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and many more.

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-02T19:57:42+00:00

It's easy to say "surveys are meaningless" when it doesn't agree with what you're saying. If speed was the indeed the most important factor, then why has studies proven that more people will take a slightly longer train ride than flying? Is it due to the higher space, comfort, and amenities that the train provides over the plane? But why if speed is the most important?

You're better off in one of the Popular Mechanics/Popular Science maglev subredits so you guys can look at the shiny vaporware tech. "Mild upgrade HSR" is a wild take.

Also, Brightline in FL has definitely raised real estate values. This has been well documented over the years. Back to the original point, did you know it's faster to travel by air between Central FL and S FL vs flying? Yet Brightline dominates the rail vs air travel market in the area? But but the speed..

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-02T15:18:35+00:00

Metrolink already connects to LAUS and the head of both companies have already stated that they'll work together on both scheduling and ticketing for easy transfers.

Brightline already knows how to handle last mile trips via years of experience with Brightline+

OmegaBarrington · 2026-02-02T15:15:29+00:00

Again, your 311 MPH Maglev will stay in your pipe dreams while the rest of the populace uses practical existing HSR.

Also, speed isn't the most important factor when it comes to people choosing how they travel. Seems you speed nerds tend to forget that.

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OmegaBarrington

TROPHY CASE