Brightline Train “to” Disney World: Everything We Know (Opening Timeline, Stops, Stations)
Despite Disney canceling plans for a Brightline high-speed rail station at Disney Springs, the project is full steam ahead and will have a stop “at” Walt Disney World. This post shares everything we know so far: the opening timeline, construction progress, testing, how useful it’ll be for getting between Universal, Orlando Airport, and other destinations in Florida. (Updated September 14, 2023.)
Before we backtrack and run through the timeline of this train tale, let’s start with the latest developments. Earlier this summer, Brightline announced the completion of its higher-speed rail line connecting Central Florida to South Florida. Tickets then went on sale for the inaugural weekend, with service scheduled to start at the beginning of September 2023 for the popular Labor Day holiday.
Brightline indicated that the delay is due to the company working through the final stages of certification and crew testing, and as a result, Brightline wouldn’t make the opening weekend as planned. The company further indicated that they were working diligently to finalize details and would share an update soon. Good news, as we know have an opening date for the Brightline Orlando Station and route!
September 14, 2023 Update: Brightline has officially announced a grand opening date of September 22, 2023 for its passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando. with tickets available here. The route from Orlando to Miami takes about three and a half hours, and prices for adult tickets start at $79.
“As we start service to Orlando for peak holiday seasons, I encourage everyone to check calendars, make plans, visit our website or app and reserve a seat now,” said Brightline in a statement. The company had previously postponed the start date twice, but says this time, it’s really for real.
To that point, the official Brightline website is now showing availability starting September 22, 2023. Brightline offers two classes of service: Smart and Premium. One-way Smart fares between Miami and Orlando start at $79, and the service is described as comfortable business class. Brightline’s Premium service is akin to first class, and offers complimentary drinks and snacks in a dedicated lounge, priority boarding, larger seats, and more.
For reference, the cheapest one-way flights on the same date are $33. That’s via Spirit, though, which is a subsidiary of the Spirit Halloween empire, and will charge you fees for your luggage, refreshments, fresh air, on-time departures, and a safe landing. For an actual airline, Delta and American are the cheapest options at $119.
While I cannot speak to the quality or service of Brightline yet, my strong personal preference for this type of trip is high speed rail. Traveling by train is less chaotic and stressful, there’s usually more legroom and just a generally laid back quality, and even though the travel time is longer, the total time commitment is usually shorter.
It’s difficult to explain and probably even harder to understand if you’ve never used high speed rail, but we far prefer it to flying for trips of this distance and duration. We can’t wait to give Brightline a try, and are looking forward to taking the train from Orlando down to Miami.
With that said, this is not the line that’ll get guests into the tourist corridor of Central Florida, including Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. For that, let’s start from the beginning…
The current saga started when Brightline signed signed a letter of intent with Walt Disney World several years ago. At the time, Brightline had secured rights to issue $1.75 billion in tax-free bonds, and the 170-mile Central Florida corridor had 35 miles of new train right-of-way, built alongside the Beachline Expressway.
Then in November 2020, Walt Disney World revealed plans to significantly expand its transportation network by adding a Brightline train station at Disney Springs. The parties issued a joint announcement revealing that Brightline and Disney formalized plans and entered into an agreement on station construction.
However, that agreement was scrapped last summer, when Walt Disney World revealed that the company’s plans for an on-property station to connect to the multibillion-dollar Brightline project are no more.
“As many people who are involved in this project are aware, the new route configuration does not support a Disney Springs station and as a result, we don’t anticipate being part of this project,” said Walt Disney World spokesperson Avery Maehrer.
That wasn’t the end of it, though. Shortly thereafter, Brightline released a statement that although the original plan called for a single station at Disney Springs, a broad range of stakeholders came up with an alternative solution known as the Sunshine Corridor that would service more of the tourist corridor–and add another station to the line.
The Sunshine Corridor features two new stations and integrates Brightline’s intercity service with SunRail, through an east-west expansion. In addition to the airport, one new station will be located near Universal’s Epic Universe and Orange County Convention Center.
There will also be an alternative station placed near the original Disney Springs site, albeit not on land owned by Disney as part of the Sunshine Corridor plan. (From what we understand, the location is not significantly different–it’s Disney’s involvement and the lower likelihood that they’ll incorporate the station into Walt Disney World’s transportation network that have radically changed the equation.)
Taken together, these three integrated stations will provide access to the largest economic and employment centers in Central Florida and offer the best opportunity for the success, according to Brightline and SunRail. Crucially for readers of this site, it means that Brightline will service Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and Walt Disney World.
The Sunshine Corridor will now take Brightline along State Road 528 and Taft-Vineland Road, through the International Drive corridor, and down Interstate 4. Walt Disney World’s previously-proposed plan had the route bypassing the tourist corridor.
However, representatives of I-Drive businesses, Universal Orlando, Orange County Convention Center and even the City of Orlando all pushed for the Sunshine Corridor route in order to service many more theme parks, hotels, and related businesses in need of rail transportation to the airport. Universal even pledged land and monetary support to make the Sunshine Corridor a reality.
Fast-forward to present day, and there have been plenty of recent developments. The SunRail Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission voted unanimously to approve a resolution in support of the Sunshine Corridor proposal. This paved the way for that route to move forward, although nothing is official with trains in Florida until it actually happens.
The SunRail resolution will help local governments solicit federal funding for the expansion, according to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. A good working relationship between SunRail and Brightline will be vital to attracting federal grants in addition to the $15.9 million grant for the Tampa route awarded to Brightline over the summer.
In its latest monthly ridership report, Brightline indicated that it plans to start service for the Orlando to West Palm Beach route in the September 2023. The 170-mile expansion connecting Orlando to the service’s South Florida stations is now complete as of Summer 2023. (The above map is old–Brightline has not yet released an updated one.)
Brightline has also finished its 37,350 square foot station at Orlando International Airport’s new 80,000 square foot Terminal C. Brightline recently released concept art for this new station (below), which is three stories tall with modern design and luxury amenities as it connects passengers to the current rail line. The station and rail expansion are on different timelines, with the station slated to be completed first. (Not much good without a route, though!)
The MCO Brightlight station will be located off Terminal C’s glass atrium, and will feature several self-service ticket kiosks, check luggage, and a check-in counter that greets guests before they proceed through touchless turnstiles into the security screening area. Brightline is currently the only rail system in America that screens all passengers and bags prior to boarding.
The station will also offer upscale retail shopping and the Mary Mary Bar, serving hand-crafted cocktails and lite bites. The signature sit-down bar is positioned at the far end of the Brightline station and affords a panoramic view overlooking the train platform where guests can sit and watch as trains arrive and depart the platform. (That sounds like my kind of spot–no joke!)
Brightline is also now working on the engineering, design, and review process for its Sunshine Corridor, which is shared with SunRail and will allow connections to the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World, and Orlando International Airport. The corridor will position Brightline to continue expanding toward its Tampa.
To my knowledge, there is not yet a firm timeline for the Orlando to Tampa route. Previously, construction was not even slated to begin on the roughly 16.7 mile route from Orlando International Airport to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World until sometime in 2024. The remaining 68 miles of the 85-mile route to Tampa would begin construction in the second quarter of 2025.
Presumably, the debate over routes has further delayed that timeline. Additionally, there’s a huge number of stakeholders involved in the entire process, which the Orlando Sentinel recently summarized as a case of too many “cooks in the kitchen.” Given the involvement of local, state, and federal agencies and politicians–plus associated businesses–it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see the above timelines slip by another year or two each.
However, Brightline did build a buffer into its plans, with planning slated to wrap up by the fourth quarter of last year. In theory, this is still feasible. That would result in construction on the airport to Universal/Convention Center phase ending by Q4 2025, according to Brightline. The second segment’s design phase will occur through third-quarter 2024. Construction of this segment work would extend past 2026.
Whenever the topic of the Brightline higher speed rail service comes up, the topic inevitably shifts to Disney’s Magical Express. As such, we should yet again reiterate that these trains were never billed as a replacement for Disney’s Magical Express. Brightline is NOT the “reason” Disney’s Magical Express ended; Walt Disney World had no intentions of replacing DME, either directly or indirectly. The (bad) decision to end Disney’s Magical Express was made for reasons having nothing to do with Brightline.
If the train were replacing the bus, it stands to reason that Disney’s Magical Express would not have ended ~4 years before the proposed/cancelled Brightline station at Walt Disney World actually went into service. There were also a range of practical reasons why Brightline was never intended as a DME replacement.
To that point, Brightline probably will not be a practical option for many out of state guests flying into Orlando International Airport and staying on-site at Walt Disney World. That would be even more time-consuming than taking any of the current options due to train frequency and transfers from Disney Springs to hotels.
If you need assistance choosing the best ground transportation from the airport to their hotel for your needs, we cover the range of options in our Guide to Airport Transportation for Walt Disney World. We have used Uber and Lyft on a number of occasions in for getting between Walt Disney World and MCO since Magical Express ended. These services are our recommendation for anyone who values their time and doesn’t want to break the bank with a private transfer. Alternatively, Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine is our top recommendation for shared shuttle services.
Rather than out of state tourists, the benefit Walt Disney World, Universal, and other businesses in the tourist corridor will see from Brightline is connecting Orlando to Florida’s Gold Coast. Guests from South Florida are a growing demographic for Disney and Universal, and this high-speed rail will facilitate easier weekend getaways for them.
The Brightline high-speed rail would also be beneficial for high-spending convention-goers to travel long distances within the state. Those are the two big beneficiaries of Brightline from the perspective of the theme parks. It was never about replacing an airport shuttle bus. There were–and are–better ways to accomplish that. Brightline makes the most sense for the longer routes in Florida, not the short leg between MCO and the two tourist corridor stops in Orange County.
Ultimately, plans to connect South Florida to Central Florida to Tampa are rolling right along despite some slowdowns along the way. That much is to be expected when it comes to high speed rail and Florida, and although we’ve been down this (rail)road before, it really does appear that this time will be different.
Brightline is actively constructing a new rail line to connect stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to Orlando. The company has been working with public and private stakeholders, and it’s exciting to see the expansion plans starting to come to fruition. With service connecting South Florida to Central Florida opening in September 2023, this is really starting to feel real–and like it’ll be a viable transportation option between Orlando International Airport, Universal, and Walt Disney World in only a few years.
While I don’t think Brightline will be a gamechanger for traveling between MCO and Universal or Walt Disney World, there will be some use cases for such journeys. Moreover, there are the aforementioned South Florida visitors wanting to do long weekends at the theme parks without driving up.
My sincere hope is that Walt Disney World has a change of heart and opts to work with Brightline rather than taking its ball and going home. Not just because it’s the right thing to do rather than taking the anticompetitive tact, but because it’s safe to say this is what Walt would’ve wanted. I know, I know. Invoking Walt’s desires decades after his death is poor form. He was a complicated man with tremendous business acumen who was also unpredictable, and his views likely would’ve evolved over time.
But I also know that Walt Disney loved trains, and once a train lover, always a train lover. That’s just science. His passion for railroads is well documented, and his ambitions for a city of the future involved efficient mass transit. When it opened, Walt Disney World was billed as a “city” of the future, with innovative transportation that lovingly paid tribute to the company’s founder.
In Disney’s defense, they’ve actually done more along these lines recently with improved bus dispatching technology and app tracking (it’s not perfect, but it’s a start) and the Skyliner gondolas. I don’t know how Walt Disney World could integrate the Brightline station into its transportation network and turn it into a hub of sorts connecting the on-site and off-site spheres, but I also have no doubt that they could pull it off and increase the usefulness and efficiency of the higher speed rail.
It’s all a matter of appetite and ambition, and right now, Walt Disney World seems more intent on creating a walled garden and insulating itself from the competition than it does improving mass transit in Central Florida. While I can absolutely understand the company’s viewpoint from a business perspective, it still breaks my heart as a fan of Walt Disney, his legacy, and the promise of mass transit in the United States.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the Sunshine Corridor and Brightline’s plans to connect South Florida with Orlando International Airport and Central Florida’s tourist corridor with Tampa? Wish Walt Disney World didn’t cancel plans to proactively participate in the Brightline project? Hopeful that Disney will rethink the decision and be actively involved with the station near Disney Springs? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
As fun as “Spirit Halloween Airlines” sounds, the airline denies they are affiliated. 🙂
If I were Spirit Halloween, I’d be the one issuing the denial, distancing myself from that abysmal airline.
This can only be a good thing in my mind. The more public transportation there is to take some cars off the road and reduce traffic, the better. Hopefully this gets a lot of good use.
On behalf of all snowbirds, please speed full steam ahead on planned construction. The sooner Brightline connects every major tourist destination from Tampa through to the Miami cruise ports, the sooner Canadians can flock to your state to enjoy inter-city travel.
We usually only stay a week each year in Florida, but would happily bump that up to 7-10 days if we could leave the car at home and still easily zip around the state. It’s why we spend more time in Europe and Asia than in the US, because train travel there is dead simple, comfortable, and easier than flying (and all at a reasonable price point!).
And it’s not just tourists that are excited for this construction to finally come to an end, Floridians are about to realize how nice it is to have better connections between major cities. Residents there that try the service will want to use it again after realizing how nice and easy using it is. It’s just a no-hassle way to turn the brain off and arrive relaxed and energized at your destination, rather than burnt-out from the drive.
We can’t wait for Orlando to come on line in the coming months–see you in June, Florida!
Tom, the new line will also be very important to all of us traveling to WDW from South America. We usually take flights that arrive in Miami, because they are much cheaper. The train will allow us to avoid renting a car to travel from there to Orlando.
Brightline uses old freight tracks with hundreds of at-grade crossings in heavily populated areas, which is pretty unheard of in high speed rail. Result is a death rate that is by far the highest of any railroad. Brightline and their supporters like to dismiss these deaths as people foolishly trying to beat the train. But taken together, it’s clear that safety needs to be upgraded.
I believe Disney doesn’t want a way for people to leave Disney and shop and eat at non Disney locations That’s why they don’t want it
Brightline’s Miami Grand Central Station in downtown Miami is already integrated to its transportation infrastructure and is very close to Miami’s big cruise ship port. Brightline is also planning to add a station directly in the port which would benefit Disney World tremendously since they also operate Disney cruise ships in Miami.
I was really upset there was not a stop at Coco Beach/ Cape Canaveral .. we live in South Florida with brightline running right behind our house. we wanted the cruise port option as well as trips for space station events. I am very much looking forward to the future mia port station.. as it is now you can use one of the brightline shuttles to the port.
Now that would be cool. We are planning to drive down to Boca Chica if SpaceX ever gets their bdugbudbrui together to launch Starship super heavy. About 3 hours form San Antonio. I saw the Challenger launch at Canaveral in 1983 and it was amazing.
Brightline’s greatest impact will be on the cruise lines not Orlando’s theme parks. Seniors all over Florida should enjoy the relatively hassle-free train trip to Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale to enjoy the cheapest 2 to 4 night cruises. Right now, the drive from one part of the state to another to enjoy last minute cheap cruising is prohibitive for many who don’t want to deal with traffic, parking and security issues in parking lots. Port Canaveral has a captive audience with Orlando and Space Coast seniors. Not much longer. I’m excited for this as hoping in 10 years time to snowbird a few months every winter in Florida. Getting on a high speed train for a breakaway cruise out of the state’s major ports is a huge win. Young families will always drive to the theme parks and spend for parking, hotel rooms, etc. Budget-conscious seniors will love the train for quick last minute cruises. The cheaper and safer the better.
Great article, it was foolish for Disney to change its mind. Anything that brings guests to your property is a win.
High speed rail is pure graft.
The money should be spent on widening I-4.
The era of 0% interest rates is over: time for society to live within its means, public borrowing should only go towards productive uses.
David,
I live in the Los Angeles Basin in California in the 1970s through the 1990s. When I move there, I-5 was only 2 lanes on each side. When I left, it was 8 lanes on each side. It did not solve the traffic problem. The traffic just bunched up and became gridlocked. The better solution is to build:
(1) more roads spread over more area,
or
(2) more high-speed forms of public transportation, with feeder lines.
At this point expanding interstates is well studied, and what we find is that in 90% of cases increasing road capacity only increases road usage. It’s neutral on traffic impact at best, and often makes traffic worse. It’s to the point that some rare places are *reducing* lanes on certain roads, because it paradoxically improves traffic. This makes little sense to our brains, but it seems to follow from the data. The only way to reliably alleviate traffic on roads is to convince people not to drive on them, whether via public transit, working from home, or other means.
As a taxi driver in Orlando for 23 years, I feel you did us injustice by not recommending us. Uber and Lyft cannot handle the volume or the families with the luggage. All you have to do is ask the taxi starter for a van with car seats, and it will be quickly provided. Dragging luggage off a train just to put it back on a shuttle to finish the ride is also a waste of time and energy. It’s a free country.
Taxi’s are expensive and is the reason why people prefer Uber, Lyft or other transportation. It costed me $23 for a shuttle to my Disney hotel. I took a taxi to the airport and spent $54 dollars. That’s a rip off.
Over the past 20-30 years or so, WDW has fought for trains which would come directly from the airport, and fought against trains that would stop anywhere in Orlando between the airport. At this point, for Disney not to fight this is a win for fans of more transportation options.
DME ended because Disney is as good, if not better, at squeezing contractors as it is at squeezing visitors. I’ve tried both Mears and the Sunshine Flyer, and except for the invisible Disney bell service* and the brand name, it was the same experience for me.
* I’m sorry, but I would have paid for DME. Being able to have someone else get my luggage AND take it to my room was fantastic, and apparently only something WDW can pull off and Mears/SF cannot offer.
Totally agree with all of this. Great points all around.
Traveling from South Carolina to Orlando is cumbersome whether I drive or fly. I would love a special Amtrak train station at Disney World.
Agreed. DME and especially the luggage service allowed us old folks to easily come to WDW. We have shortened our visits to enable us to use carry ons. We especially miss checking our bags at the resort. IMHO stopping this service is at least partially the reason MCO is now such a disaster.
Disney should embrace Brightline into it’s transportation system instead of trying to repel it like an invader. I am still upset the Disney Magical Express was disbanded. It’s just another Disney perk that has been removed recently.
I know you had said Brightline would be better for the long distance traveler within the state. But if Disney had kept interest in this project and worked with Brightline, it may be further along and possibly added a direct route to Disney.
Sigh – us over here with young kids (carseat crew) are still waiting for a really good convenient option for travel between the airport. Most current options are cost in-efficient, or time-consuming, or just not a possibility for people that have children who need carseats. I would argue that none of the current options truly meet that need, Sunshine Flyer included in this list. It was “OK” but our experience with them didn’t instill confidence, nor were we overly impressed with the Customer Service. Not saying that DME was fantastic, but I never “felt” unsure about riding it, which is not something I could say about SE. Contrary to what the first commenter said, this family has been inconvenienced enough by the lack of options, that we haven’t planned repeat trips. Sure, other factors come into play (inflation) but, a quick long weekend trip is nearly impossible with small children when your travel days chews up most of a day on each end of your trip, and leaves you exhausted. Signed, someone still waiting for something better..
Hi Bridget, have you called Quicksilver? They are very accommodating, we have a 3 way reservation. We supplied the flight info and they are meeting us in the luggage area to assist at MCO – are providing a large vehicle for 5 with luggage and a car seat. Plus have scheduled transportation for a split stay with WDW and Universal with a return to MCO at the end. They even offered a quick grocery/liquor shopping stop in transit! We haven’t gotten there yet but are impressed already. The ratings are high as well.
Yaaaawwwwwwwn, most of us will still rent a car or just take Uber. Nobody is actually canceling trips because of the premature and unceremonious end of DME. Just something for folks to whine about. But I agree, that was a poor decision on Disney’s part, even though I found it to be inconvenient and a time waster with the ridiculous way, way too early pickup times back to MCO.
Is it really affecting you for people “whining”? Don’t read the comments then if it bothers you that much. Lugging 3 car seats…finding an Uber that can handle that, let alone the cost, or the cost of renting a larger vehicle for all of that… adds up fast..
Yes, it is. If you claim you’re spending $10k for a trip for your family, the $200 for a private car is insignificant and not enough to cancel a trip over. It makes about as much sense as people who say “if so-and-so is elected, I’m moving to Canada” or some other such nonsense. I do feel for those with the car seat issue, but let’s at least try to be realistic in planning our vacations to fantasy worlds.
People actually schedule trips around the Disney Dining Plan, so it’s unrealistic to assume that most people do cost-benefit analyses of their WDW vacations.
I know. There are a whole lot of folks who are not so good at math. The news last night was all about that, although a few get it. It’s become such a ridiculous hassle to plan every aspect of a trip these days that it’s just not as much fun.
I really feel for those who just show up without any planning or research, and are furious they can’t do much of anything while there. Really, I also have to try not to laugh, because the tiniest bit of reading will lead them down the rabbit hole of WDW planning minutia. But it’s the kids who suffer the most in those cases.
It wasn’t just the dumping of the Magic express, although for our certain circumstances with young kids it was a big deal, it was all the other deletions in such a short amount of time. All of which were detrimental to the majority of visitors.
@Steve and that is a reasonable cause to go somewhere else. It’s everything piled up. Parking fees at resorts, increased prices on everything, etc. Possibly more than anything else, though is the ridiculous crowding!
do you think Brightline will also consider a project to the west coast of Florida– possibly as far as Naples?
Hi Tom,
Will you be writing a post discussing the latest earnings results?
It would seem we are seeing pent-up demand finally start to wind down. I’m speculating we might see some first steps to address this by Disney restarting AP sales and DDP as a way to shore up results for the parks division. I would love to get your thoughts on that.
Not anytime soon. We are currently at Tokyo Disney Resort, so I read the transcript of this call rather than listening in live. (I actually preferred that, but likely will still listen live in the future.)
I still need to read the actual report and digest the numbers. I know they weren’t good, but I don’t yet have a full grasp on just how bad they were beyond the headline numbers.
Thanks Tom,
Enjoy Tokyo!
I agree with your sentiments on Walt Disney. I think the company SHOULD do more of what Walt Disney would want. There is a reason he is respected and admired.
I feel like this would just crowd the parks more