Major DELAYS Could Impact the Brightline Train to Orlando

Getting to Orlando for your next vacation can be stressful and expensive.

Just within the past year, we’ve seen multiple airline delays and cancelations during some of the busiest seasons. That has, in part, led airline companies to consider new policies that would limit abundant travel woes but may also have folks considering alternate ways to travel to Orlando. Perhaps a ride on a train is in your future? The opening of the Brightline train route from Miami to Orlando is one that we’ve been tracking for a while, but because of a new ordinance, that service might not be as convenient as you once hoped it would be.

Brightline’s train operations between South Florida and Orlando might not be as quick as once hoped thanks to a U.S. Coast Guard plan to open a draw bridge twice each hour in Martin County.

According to the Orlando Business Journal, the proposed Coast Guard plan would lead to the opening of the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge above the Okeechobee Waterway near Stuart at regular intervals each hour. They intend to keep the bridge open “until all vessels requiring or requesting an opening have cleared.” The Coast Guard went on to say that the open period would not exceed 15 minutes each time they need to raise the bridge.

These temporary regulations are to take effect from June 21st through December 17th, 2023. During this span of time, the Coast Guard will work to determine how the new regulations would affect both boat and rail traffic alike.

Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railroad are not supportive of this plan. They claim it “will cause delays of up to an hour for passenger and freight trains,” according to the Orlando Business Journal.  Brightline is estimating its passenger service could be decreased by 50% reduction because of this plan.

So riding the train might not be as quick as you might expect and it could impact Brightline’s train schedules.

In a statement from Brightline and FEC Railroad, they shared, “The temporary deviation issued by the Coast Guard was done unilaterally and without authority or regard for due process.”

They continued, “As written, it is deeply flawed and will result in dramatic impacts to local traffic, create safety issues for the public, and is impossible for freight and passenger railroad operations to comply.”

But that’s not quite the end of the story. An attorney representing dozens of marine corporations has said the U.S. Coast Guard ruling is reasonable. Michael H. Payne stated that previous operating schedules only allowed for the rail bridge to be opened for a total of 15 minutes each hour. Payne went on to note that when closed the bridge “would seriously impede navigation.”

The proposed change seems to be a reasonable compromise, as the long-range solution would be the construction of a new bridge to accommodate the interests of all parties involved,” according to Payne.

It seems that a new draw bridge is in fact what Brightline and Florida East Coast Railroad prefer. In their statement, they said, “We will continue to pursue reasonable and equitable resolutions to the issue of bridge operations and simultaneously continue to encourage progress toward the ultimate solution, which is the development of a new bridge and a Treasure Coast Brightline station.”

According to a lawsuit related to the bride and local marinas, the rail bridge has generally remained open with the exception of the “occasional passing of freight trains during off hours.” Those crossings were restricted to just 12 to 14 freight trains to pass per night.

Brightline’s intent to usher passengers traveling to and from Orlando using the bridge will increase the train traffic to an estimated 32 times per day.

So where does that leave everyone that was anticipating utilizing Brightline train service to the Orlando area? As for now, we’ll have to wait and see how Brightline deals with this bridge issue and whether it causes significant delays in its routes, changes in its schedules, and a reduction in passenger services.

For now, the route from South Florida to Orlando is set to open in the summer, tickets are on sale for dates starting September 1st, 2023, and you can learn more about pricing here. As always, we’ll continue to keep you posted on the latest updates on Brightline so stay with us at AllEars.

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Are you planning on taking Brightline transportation to Orlando when it opens? Tell us in the comments.

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