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ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) -- Brightline is marking one year of high-speed rail service connecting Orlando to South Florida.
Since launching, the demand for the service has continued to grow, as Brightline has carried millions of passengers over millions of miles.
Barbara Drahl, Brightline’s senior vice president of marketing, highlighted the milestone.
“One year ago, exactly on this day, we opened this beautiful station, and since then, we’ve connected millions of guests between South Florida and Orlando,” Drahl said.
Some passengers, like Pamela Leblanc from Titusville, were pleasantly surprised to find themselves part of the celebration.
“It’s such a wonderful thing. I had no idea it was the first anniversary, so congratulations, Brightline,” Leblanc said.
Leblanc, on her first Brightline trip, was one of many riders to receive a complimentary $150 voucher for future travel.
“We are just happy to be here,” she said. “Wow, thank you!”
Looking ahead to 2025, Brightline plans to introduce a loyalty program and offer passengers the ability to order food and drinks directly to their seats via a QR code.
Brightline is also expanding its capacity by adding a new train car, which will increase the number of available seats on each trip by 250. The additional car will bring the total number of coach cars per train from four to five.
“We want to build more stations,” Drahl said. “We are talking about the Treasure Coast, Cocoa Beach, and ultimately, we want to go to Tampa.”
As the anniversary marks a year of service, Drahl remains optimistic about Brightline’s future.
“The future is even more bright,” she said.
Brightline officials say plans for a Cocoa Beach stop are still in development. They hope to announce an opening date by 2025. Details about the upcoming loyalty program will also be revealed soon.
