Less than six months after opening a serious extension of its service to Orlando, Brightline has unveiled plans to construct a brand new station in Florida.
At a information convention Monday, the personal intercity rail operator revealed its seventh and latest station will likely be within the metropolis of Stuart, about 40 miles north of West Palm Beach.
Expected to open by late 2026, will probably be the primary station positioned between Brightline’s West Palm Beach station and the tip of its line at Orlando International Airport (MCO).
Stuart may also be the primary new Brightline station for the reason that firm opened its 170-mile extension to the Orlando terminals in September. The service supplies vacationers with a seamless, three-plus hour connection between Central Florida’s theme parks and South Florida’s seashores aboard modern, Wi-Fi-enabled trains.
Brightline’s plans in Stuart
Monday’s announcement comes within the wake of widespread hypothesis concerning the new station final week, when Stuart metropolis leaders advised TPG the corporate had reached a verbal settlement to open the station there.
In unveiling plans for the brand new cease Monday, Brightline leaders cited Stuart’s location as a pure match to combine into its present service.
On high of being alongside the coast close to seashores — to not point out key transportation arteries in I-95 and the Florida Turnpike — there was a matter of logistics. Ever for the reason that Orlando extension opened final fall, Brightline trains have rumbled by way of the area with out making any stops.
In October, although, Brightline revealed that might possible change, because it sought proposals for a brand new station someplace alongside Florida’s Treasure Coast in Martin or St. Lucie counties.
The firm in the end chosen the Stuart location amongst 5 proposals, Brightline leaders stated Monday.
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The station will likely be located in a vibrant downtown hall, about 5 miles from the ocean — in addition to some seashore motels and resorts like Marriott’s Hutchinson Island Beach & Golf Resort.
“There’s pleasure occurring, for positive,” Joe Catrambone, president and CEO of the Stuart/Martin Chamber of Commerce, stated in an interview with TPG. “It will likely be an important financial increase, particularly for these retailers and eating places in our downtown.”
By practice, the brand new station will likely be a few 40-minute experience from Brightline’s West Palm Beach station, the corporate stated.
An increasing rail line
The new, future cease in Stuart is much from the one growth Brightline is eyeing.
Its trains make stops in downtown Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach earlier than making the longest (and highest-speed) portion of the journey to Orlando.
Related: Helped by federal funds and personal funding, a serious push for passenger rail
The firm hopes to ultimately lengthen its line to Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It can be receiving important federal funding by way of partnerships with California and Nevada for an completely new high-speed Brightline West system; it is anticipated to attach Los Angeles and Las Vegas by the point the 2028 Olympics arrive in Southern California.
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