America Is Getting Its First Private High-Speed Train This Month
If you're planning to spend the winter holidays in Florida this year, you can hop aboard the country's first private high-speed train.
All Aboard Florida's $3-billion Brightline express train service promises to cut down travel time between vacation destinations by running at speeds ranging from 79 to 125 miles per hour. The project will launch later this month with trips from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale, and service will expand to downtown Miami and Orlando in the near future.
The Sunshine State's new high-speed trains are expected to take as many as 3 million cars off the road. (Goodbye, congested highways!) And residents and visitors can also look forward to shorter commute times-the five-hour roundtrip from West Palm to Miami will now only take about two hours.
Prices have yet to be announced, but a 2015 study from All Aboard Florida estimates the cost of travel from West Palm to Miami at about $16. In addition to a fast ride, a ticket on the high-speed train provides amenities such as leather chairs, large windows, free Wi-Fi, and power outlets. Plus, cleaner, diesel electric engines reduce emissions and noise for a more peaceful ride.
