Uber and Miami-based Brightline have teamed together to give customers more transportation choices throughout South Florida.
The collaboration aims to satisfy client demand and improve Brightline+, a door-to-door service that already offers electric golf carts, airport and event shuttles, and door-to-door transportation.
According to the passenger rail firm, Uber will increase the number of vehicles available to passengers on the Brightline+ network. In the United States, this is the first time Uber has connected to a faster intercity rail service.
The Brightline app or website now allows users to add shared or private Uber rides when purchasing rail tickets. By guaranteeing a driver is waiting curbside to take passengers to their next location, the new in-app booking function aims to eliminate wait periods.
While Smart users can pay to add additional journeys to and from the station without distance limits, Brightline Premium passengers will receive complimentary rides within a 5-mile radius.
The fixed-route and electric vehicle shuttles of Brightline+ will still offer walkup rides. Destinations in Miami Beach, Miami International Airport, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport can all be reached via fixed-route shuttles.
In order to make it simpler for users to reach the stations and destination points, Brightline+ was introduced in 2021. Currently, Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach all have Brightline stations. This year, it intends to start offering service to Orlando.
Brightline is Bringing Premium Hospitality to South Florida’s Passenger Rail Service
Beginning this Saturday, Brightline will take passenger train travel to a whole new level with introductory service running between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. For a one-way ticket aboard their 66-seat Smart Coach, fares will start at $10. For an extra $5, you can hop aboard their Select Coach, which is basically their equivalent of a first-class cabin. Kids up to the age of 12 will receive a 50% discount while senior citizens and veterans will get a 10% discount. The introductory service will include ten daily round trips throughout the week and nine on the weekends, each with travel times averaging between 30 to 35 minutes. Trains will depart between 6am and 11pm, with schedules varying between weekdays and weekends.
Once full service begins, there will be 16 daily round trips. As of now, the train will only travel to and from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. In the coming months, once construction on Miami Central Station is completed, service will extend to and from Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Miami Central Station is located in Downtown Miami, right off NW 1st Ave and between NW 3rd St and NW 8th St.
Phase two construction, which will extend the route all the way to Orlando, is expected to begin in the first quarter of this year with completion projected for 2021. Great news for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, as it connects Central and South Florida in a much needed way!
Rosetta Bakery From Miami Beach Plans Two Brickell Locations, One Downtown
Miami Beach’s Rosetta Bakery is gearing up for a HUGE 2018 with seven new locations opening up around the Miami area, according to the Miami New Times. Three of those locations are slated for the Greater Downtown Miami area.
The first Brickell location will be in the base of Brickell Heights’ East Tower, just around the corner from Equinox. The apartments at this location range from the high $300,000’s to $2.8 million for purchase, or $2,000 per month to $11,000 per month for rent and just came available this past summer.
Next, a location will open in the retail space at ECHO Brickell, which opened just last month. The apartments here range from the high $800,000’s for a one bedroom to $4.2 million for a duplex (two-story) three bedroom. They also have a custom-designed penthouse that asks $42 million!
After the two Brickell locations are open, a grab & go kiosk will open in the Miami Central Station in Downtown Miami. We don’t have a date for this just yet, but are very much looking forward to the Brightline link between Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando and beyond!
The idea behind Rosetta is to offer high-quality, fresh bakery items and coffees quickly and affordably. There aren’t any frozen bakery items, everything is made in small batches by Italian chefs that have been brought here from Italy to share their craft with Miamians. In addition to the sweet pastries and fruit tarts, there will also be savory sandwiches. If you would like a preview of the fare, visit their flagship store at 16th and Collins on Miami Beach.
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Brightline’s First Locomotive Completes Track Testing
The First Brightline Locomotive from GoBrightline.com
The first of the Brightline locomotives has completed its track testing in Sacramento, according to an update on their website. It is an important milestone, running the diesel engine for the first time along with a host of other checks.
They tested the air braking system, software for all systems, the doors, fire detection system, audible warning devices, communication systems, interior and exterior lighting and the weight verifications. The entire test took three weeks to complete.
The trains will have ergonomic cab designs for the engineers as well as an integrated trainset system that will improve ride quality and make for a far quieter ride than a traditional train. Commuting between Miami and West Palm Beach is expected to take only one hour and complimentary wifi is available for the ride.
The locomotive is expected to be delivered to Florida later this year, with rail service commencing in the summer of 2017. The station in Downtown Miami is currently under construction and will include 200,000 square feet of retail, 290,000 square feet of office space, 800 residential apartments and a 95-story high rise.
The Brightline Locomotive Cab from GoBrightline.com
An Aerial Look at All Aboard Florida/ Brightline Train Station Construction
Construction of the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach Brightline Stations is on schedule for the beginning of passenger train service next month, according to an update last week at the Brightline construction blog. The stations are also coming along pretty nicely when seen from the air. While construction for both the Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations is coming along nicely, construction at MiamiCentral, the Miami terminal station and by far the largest of the three (the fourth station, connecting to Orlando International Airport, is coming in Phase II) is approaching the level of the elevated train tracks. Check out the video, below.
In Downtown Miami, construction on the massive 11-acre MiamiCentral is progressing. Installation of the Florida I Beams (FIB’s) continuing, things are moving smoothly at the MiamiCentral Brightline station. Once the FIB’s are installed, work will begin on the elevated train tracks. The tracks will be installed on a slab, which will be cast on top of the FIB’s. In addition, the process of excavating for all of the rail infrastructure foundations is now complete and about 90 percent of the columns have been cast.
Just on the other side of the Miami-Dade County Overtown Transit Village, 3 MiamiCentral is also rising. In just a couple of months, the building has reached its tenth floor! Shoring for the fourth level parking garage has been completed and the installation of glass panels on the third level, below the office tower, is underway. Going forward, construction crews at 3 MiamiCentral will continue with rough plumbing, electrical work and HVAC ductwork installation, in addition to casting sections of the ninth and tenth floors.
Holy Crap, All Aboard Florida May Build Two Super Towers Downtown Instead of One
All Aboard Florida has not canceled the ‘supertower’ at its Downtown MiamiCentral terminal and is planning another development, possibly another ‘supertower’ next door, according to somebody involved with the project. The second tower would go on the block to the south, which is being enlarged by rerouting an adjacent street. According to The Next Miami, the new tower will be a 750 room hotel, making it the largest in the City of Miami, although our source was unable to confirm or deny this. Meanwhile, although construction on either tower has not begun yet, they are seriously hustling on the rest of the terminal megaproject.
