The operator of Florida's
Brightline high-speed train won local approval to build a station at PortMiami. It is expected to open in late 2020.
The 15,000-square-foot
station will be connected to the port's terminals via a shuttle service. It
will cost about $15 million to build, said Patrick Goddard, president of Virgin
Trains. Brightline is in the process of changing its name to Virgin Trains.
The train service currently
connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. A station has been
built in Orlando and plans call for connecting the Orlando-West Palm Beach leg
within the next two years.
Taking a train to the port
will eliminate the hassles that arise for anyone traveling to PortMiami within
Florida, whether they are residents or tourists, Goddard said.
"You start your vacation in
West Palm Beach and you basically forget about your bags, and your worries. We
will deliver you. We will remove all of the friction of driving through those
last 70 miles of South Florida, navigating your way to the port, parking,
dropping your bags, all of that," Goddard said.
Prices for the port service,
which is basically a two-mile extension from the station in downtown Miami,
have yet to be set.
Under a preliminary agreement
approved Oct. 29, Miami-Dade County will front $5.2 million of the cost of the
station, and Brightline will repay the county $7 million five years after
service begins.
The train service would lease land from the county at the port.
Brightline currently pays a
20% commission to travel agents for qualified sales.