Brightline Trains Florida discussion 2024

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Train wraps --

There were 8 trainsets running ORL-MIA today (Sunday):
  • 4 fully wrapped
  • 2 wrapped leaving windows clear
  • 2 unwrapped
After 1 run, one of the fully wrapped trains was replaced by an unwrapped one.

So about a 50/50 chance of getting unobstructed windows, if that one set hadn't been swapped out. Sorry, the odds aren't good enough for me.
 
Train wraps --

There were 8 trainsets running ORL-MIA today (Sunday):
  • 4 fully wrapped
  • 2 wrapped leaving windows clear
  • 2 unwrapped
After 1 run, one of the fully wrapped trains was replaced by an unwrapped one.

So about a 50/50 chance of getting unobstructed windows, if that one set hadn't been swapped out. Sorry, the odds aren't good enough for me.
Thanks for the update - the odds are getting better at least and they seem to be correcting this crazy mistake.
 
Brightline has announced discount "Smart Saver" fares without seat selection and with no changes/refunds:

View attachment 36824

Typically $10-$20 less than the regular Smart fare. The Available Trains page now shows the Smart Saver fare in the calendar view and the Smart fare column, unless it's sold out on a train.

View attachment 36825
I'm marking down "sad" because I *hate* it when airlines won't let you throw out restricted fares like this in a search (e.g. AA just shows the cheapest economy fare vs DL letting you filter out Basic Economy).

Edit: I confess I also don't quite know why Brightline is introducing cheaper fares, except possibly to avoid space spoilage due to sub-optimal pax distribution. "We're selling out our trains! Let's cut fares!" just doesn't follow in my mind.
 
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Edit: I confess I also don't quite know why Brightline is introducing cheaper fares, except possibly to avoid space spoilage due to sub-optimal pax distribution. "We're selling out our trains! Let's cut fares!" just doesn't follow in my mind.
I expect that on the trains that are regularly sold out, that there won't be many cheaper fares.

I am sure that Brightline know they should be making hay while the sun is shining.

I expect that when the initial honeymoon phase is over that the market will even tolerate prices going up on such trains.

Offering cheaper seats on less popular trains might take some of the pressure off the more popular trains, however, and thus be overall revenue positive.
 
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I expect that on the trains that are regularly sold out, that there won't be many cheaper fares.

I am sure that Brightline know they should be making hay while the sun is shining.

I expect that when the initial honeymoon phase is over that the market will even tolerate prices going up on such trains.

Offering cheaper seats on less popular trains might take some of the pressure off the more popular trains, however, and thus be overall revenue positive.
Indeed. Just because there is a listed fare does not mean there is inventory at that fare on a specific train.
 
I expect that on the trains that are regularly sold out, that there won't be many cheaper fares.

I am sure that Brightline know they should be making hay while the sun is shining.

I expect that when the initial honeymoon phase is over that the market will even tolerate prices going up on such trains.

Offering cheaper seats on less popular trains might take some of the pressure off the more popular trains, however, and thus be overall revenue positive.
They already use demand-driven pricing. Regular smart fares from MCO-MIA range between $39 on early morning trains to over $100 on mid-morning trains during the next couple weeks. This is in addition to that.

I think it's primarily to generate more consumer interest by quoting lower fares in their advertising, and to draw traffic to their website for a "deal".
 
Train windows clear?
Never fear.
Train windows have dots?
Complain a lot!

Train wraps --

There were 8 trainsets running ORL-MIA today (Sunday):
  • 4 fully wrapped
  • 2 wrapped leaving windows clear
  • 2 unwrapped

Had a clear-windows one Friday (I think with just the base Brightline accent, but I'll have to get some film developed to remember right), and a big ugly Kissimmee tourism one tonight.
 
Hey so I came across some claims and I just wanted to check here. Is it true that Brightline intends on ordering Bistro or Cafe cars for the trainsets, likely after acquiring a fifth car for each trainset and after the Tampa extension, or is that just speculation?
 
Hey so I came across some claims and I just wanted to check here. Is it true that Brightline intends on ordering Bistro or Cafe cars for the trainsets, likely after acquiring a fifth car for each trainset and after the Tampa extension, or is that just speculation?
It has been in their plans for quite a while. It is likely in the options that they have with Siemens for future purchases.
 
It has been in their plans for quite a while. It is likely in the options that they have with Siemens for future purchases.
I know the cafe car was part of the initial proposal, but I haven't heard it mentioned for a while. Is it still being pursued?
 
I know the cafe car was part of the initial proposal, but I haven't heard it mentioned for a while. Is it still being pursued?
The overall plan has never changed. They are executing it step by step. When they actually execute a step they announce what the step is that is being executed. I don;t think we will hear about Cafe until they come to the step involving addition of them. The train sets will eventually grow to ten cars as they stated originally, but we don;t hear much about that either.

Of course all the steps are contingent upon meeting ridership and financial goals of the previous step. So there is a possibility that subsequent steps do not happen because people do not travel enough by Brightline to justify further growth.
 
Brightline is backed by an investment group with other assets than just the passenger rail system, such as real estate. I believe they did also receive a bit of federal funding?
I believe they received low/no interest bonds that have to be repaid. I understand that BL is a loss leader for their real investment portfolio, but that's a big number to overcome. I believe that ridership continues to increase, and the article mentioned that short-distance riders are being slowly replaced by long-distance riders. That will be the key. I don't think that a bistro or cafe car will be coming anytime soon. Has a cafe car EVER made money? Now, a half-cafe car like Amtrak has would be interesting, but without counter service. Offer a small galley and storage for trolley service. Seats make more money than food.
 
I believe they received low/no interest bonds that have to be repaid. I understand that BL is a loss leader for their real investment portfolio, but that's a big number to overcome. I believe that ridership continues to increase, and the article mentioned that short-distance riders are being slowly replaced by long-distance riders. That will be the key. I don't think that a bistro or cafe car will be coming anytime soon. Has a cafe car EVER made money? Now, a half-cafe car like Amtrak has would be interesting, but without counter service. Offer a small galley and storage for trolley service. Seats make more money than food.
Food service losses is the cost of doing business as an amenity. I doubt that many hotel restaurants actually turn a profit on their own but help draw in customers.
 
Agreed, it is doubtful that the "all you can eat" breakfast buffet offered at hotels/motels from budget friendly to upper-trier places actually make any money ... but all those full beds do.
And what they charge for the rooms has to bring in enough money to cover the costs of providing the food. So either way you pay for it, either by higher room prices or lousy "free" food. And I've stayed at lots of motels that don't have any food service, or have a separate chain restaurant located next door. Then there was the La Quinta Inn at the Miami Airport where we stayed the night before boarding the Meteor. We had dropped out car and then found that the hotel had no dinner service. We had to walk through a parking lot and chain link fence to get to a neighboring hotel to find something to eat. We didn't need the "free" breakfast because we took an early cab to the station and had breakfast on the train, but I guess we paid for the breakfast anyway.
 
Has a cafe car EVER made money? Now, a half-cafe car like Amtrak has would be interesting, but without counter service. Offer a small galley and storage for trolley service. Seats make more money than food.
Lounges at stations have not made any money either, and yet those are touted as a big thing by Brightline. Go figure! ;) Pulling an extra "service" car in a train is not going to exactly break the bank.
 
Lounges at stations have not made any money either, and yet those are touted as a big thing by Brightline. Go figure! ;) Pulling an extra "service" car in a train is not going to exactly break the bank.
anyway, as far as I know we still don't know what form that service car will take. Will it just be a base where food is stored and heated up to be served to passengers at their seats, or will there be some sort of take-out counter where you can order stuff to take back to your seat? Or even a fully fledged bistro or bar where people would want to hang out?
 
anyway, as far as I know we still don't know what form that service car will take. Will it just be a base where food is stored and heated up to be served to passengers at their seats, or will there be some sort of take-out counter where you can order stuff to take back to your seat? Or even a fully fledged bistro or bar where people would want to hang out?
If I had to guess, it would be something like half Coach half Cafe, but of course we will have to wait and see. The existing trolley service will continue, which could be enhanced to provide some more elaborate fare to those that want it. Several alternatives are being studied and what will come out at the end of it is not known at present.
 
Food service losses is the cost of doing business as an amenity. I doubt that many hotel restaurants actually turn a profit on their own but help draw in customers.
I have NEVER selected a hotel based on the restaurant onsite - or even if there is one.

Admittedly, I am with personal conflict. Whereas I grieve the total loss of onboard food on the Tokaido Shinkansen in Japan, I see any manned F&B service on Brightline to be much more of a financial risk. I like the idea of as many seats as possible, and I would also like to see HOT food served rather than bags of Takis.
 
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Admittedly, I am with personal conflict. Whereas I grieve the total loss of onboard food on the Tokaido Shinkansen in Japan, I see any manned F&B service on Brightline to be much more of a financial risk. I like the idea of as many seats as possible, and I would also like to see HOT food served rather than bags of Takis.
Warm meal options are important to me for journeys of more than say 3 hours, whether that is a train or a plane or a ferry. I am a bit of a foody and like my food to be special and varied. But on trains I am often capable of lowering my expectations quite far in view of the logistical difficulties needing to be overcome in stocking and preparing meals.

There are different ways that train meals can be organized, including for example meals being prepared off train and then taken on board at an intermediate station (as is done in India).
 
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