Despite early indications from Brightline officials that construction of the higher-speed rail from West Palm Beach to Orlando would begin late last year, the company’s leaders are now pointing to March as a start date.
During a Dec. 13 update with the Central Florida Expressway Authority, Brightline President Patrick Goddard told the governing board that the company plans to give its contractor a 30-day notice to proceed on the $2.1 billion route on Feb. 1, though it’s still unclear who the contractor will be, according to a report from the Orlando Business Journal.
From there, company officials will proceed with construction after a 30-day period, with an end goal of finishing the route by late 2020 or early 2021.
As the railway service expansion gets underway, a rebranding of the company will take place as well, following the announcement of a partnership with the Virgin Group on Nov. 16.
The railway also plans to extend operations from Orlando International Airport to Tampa, according to a company announcement last year, though the potential station’s location has to be disclosed.
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This article appears in Dec 26, 2018 – Jan 1, 2019.