The Brightline trains that now serve the downtown areas of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach would extend to Orlando, Tampa, and even Disney World.
Brightline
1 min to read
The Brightline trains that now serve the downtown areas of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach would extend to Orlando, Tampa, and even Disney World.
Brightline
MIAMI — One year after the Brightline commuter rail line unveiled its downtown MiamiCentral station, an Unveiling 2.0 is scheduled this week as the company formally rebrands itself Virgin Trains USA, The SunSentinel reports.
British billionaire and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson Branson is scheduled to appear in Miami at a time where the rail line is seeking to raise $1.5 billion in bond funding to build an extension to Orlando.
Branson is joining the South Florida rail fray with plans to help shore up transit options. The Brightline trains that now serve the downtown areas of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach would extend to Orlando, Tampa, and even Disney World. For the full story, click here.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.