Brightline is looking to raise $400 million in funding to pay for an expansion of its high-speed rail service into Tampa.
The private train service company wants to extend the railway to connect Tampa and Miami.
Brightline already runs from Orlando to Miami.
To finance this massive project, Brightline has requested $400 million in tax-exempt bonds from the Florida Development Finance Corporation. If approved, the funds could be used to design, develop and build the new route from Orlando to Tampa.
On Thursday, The Florida Development Finance Corporation will hold a hearing to discuss the proposal.
Overall, Brightline continues to see an increase in ridership month to month. Their biggest month so far was back in March with 280,000 passengers.
Spectrum News spoke with people at the Orlando station on Friday, many of them were from Florida and use the train to travel across the state.
“From Miami all the way here,” said Tekeshia Johnson. She took the train for the first time to attend a family reunion in Orlando. “It is cheap and it’s less traffic…I’d do it all the time now,” Johnson said.
It’s a similar story for Sandal Sameer who came from West Palm Beach to visit a friend.
“It is easy for me, not to drive all the way, two to three hours, just take Brightline, sit, relax, eat and come to your destination,” Sameer said.
If service extends to Tampa, it could be an attractive draw for tourists. “They don’t have to rent a car, they can go to Tampa, they can go to Miami all on Brightline that would be a very attractive market for people coming in,” said Naveen Eluru, a transportation professor at the University of Central Florida.
The cost of the ticket might dictate how much business and commuter travel would switch to the railway. “I don’t know if commuters would want to pay that but if I am a business traveler, I am going once a week to Tampa, that might be an option to consider,” Eluru said.
Depending how many people utilize the train, it could provide relief for all travelers on I-4. “I think having more options is always better,” Eluru said.
