First look inside Brightline Orlando Station at MCO and details of pricing and schedules

Apr 21, 2023 in "Brightline"

Brightline Orlando Station
Posted: Friday April 21, 2023 12:13pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Brightline, the eco-friendly intercity rail company, yesterday unveiled its all-new Brightline Orlando Station at Orlando International Airport (MCO). 

The new Brightline station at MCO links Central and South Florida, with one-way fares starting at $79 for SMART and $149 for PREMIUM. SMART fare bundles for families of four will be available for less than $199 one way. Orlando ticket sales will launch in May for summer 2023 dates.

Watch the video below for a tour of the new station.

The 37,350 square foot station is located in Orlando International Airport's new 80,000 sq. ft. Train Station facility adjacent to Terminal C. The Train Station connects directly to the airport's Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces branded for Brightline guests. The Train Station provides direct access to the other airport terminals A and B via the airport Terminal Link (automated people mover) in under five minutes. 

Once inside the station, passengers can purchase tickets from guest services or one of several self-service kiosks, and check luggage before proceeding through touchless turnstiles into the security screening tunnel.

Once through the security tunnel, guests arrive in the expansive two-story station space, featuring Brightline ammenities including:

Mary Mary Bar, serving hand-crafted cocktails and light bites. The signature sit-down bar is positioned at the far end of the station with a panoramic view overlooking the train platforms.



MRKT PLACE offers in-station shopping for last-minute gifts, sundries and refreshments.

Brightline offers two classes of service, SMART and PREMIUM. Brightline's PREMIUM service includes complimentary meals, snacks and beverages, a dedicated first class lounge, free checked luggage, priority boarding and a dedicated coach.

Throughout the station, all guests will have access to free high-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations at every seat, 87 big screen televisions and a BrightKids children's play area located in the SMART lounge.

Passengers will access trains by escalator or elevator to first level platforms. These platforms are 1,000 feet long and can accommodate a train with up to 10 coaches and two locomotives.

Orlando to South Florida Brightline Train Schedule Details

Service will begin in Summer 2023 and will include 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando. Brightline's non-stop trains have a run time between Miami and Orlando of two hours and 59 minutes. Regular service from Orlando to Miami will stop at all Brightline stations including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura with a run time of three hours and 30 minutes.

Brightline's opening schedule include:

Weekdays

  • Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miami starting at 5:00 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.
  • First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.
  • Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando starting at 6:50 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
  • First northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlando at 10:15 a.m.

Weekends

  • Hourly southbound departures from Orlando to Miami starting at 5:00 a.m. until 8:50 p.m.
  • First southbound train from Orlando arrives in Miami at 8:30 a.m.
  • Hourly northbound departures from Miami to Orlando starting at 5:45 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
  • First northbound train from Miami arrives in Orlando at 9:15 a.m.

Additional dedicated trains will continue to serve commuters and the South Florida region between Miami and West Palm Beach with early morning departures at 5:00 a.m. from West Palm Beach and late night departures until 12:45 a.m. out of Miami.

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HauntedPirateJul 24, 2024

I would if I were more frequently visiting the cities it services. But it is also another good bit of info to know, thanks!

DisoneJul 23, 2024

Sign up for brightline emails. Get notifications like this 1-day sale..... $29 fares galor. Must dates San's Fridays and Sundays

HauntedPirateJul 23, 2024

Good info, thanks! I'll tuck that away for future reference, since getting to certain places can be cumbersome. We rented a car in FLL (return at MCO). Not worth the hassle for us to fly or take the train when we need a car regardless.

deeevoJul 23, 2024

Look into Silver Airways. $79 for one way. I fly them from Tampa to Key West about once a year and love it.

RobbiemJul 23, 2024

It always amazes me how much more expensive the train usually is no matter where you are. Even in Japan its often cheaper to fly than take the shinkansen if you have a long journey. Its the same in Europe. It is a shame because train travel is usually nice but its not worth a large premium over other modes

HauntedPirateJul 13, 2024

I know. But the price for the 9-10am trains has been in excess of $140/person for at least 2 months. A Friday in mid-September. We needed a car anyway for all our post-cruise activities, the train pricing just means we get it at FLL instead of MCO.

C33MomJul 12, 2024

We just booked using the code @Tony the Tigger shared earlier this thread for our upcoming trip from Orlando to FLL for a Magic cruise. It would have been $396 without the coupon (there were a few horribly timed trains that were cheaper but most trains between 10AM and 5pm were even more) and with the code it was $198. Thanks again, Tony! 😀 We were willing to pay a little more to avoid the difficulty of driving but 3x the cost of a rental car was hard to justify.

TwirlnhurlJul 12, 2024

I just checked Waze. If someone was leaving downtown Miami at 5pm on Tuesday and was traveling to MCO terminal C, it would take 4:05 by car. Many companies in Orlando have office in Miami, and business meetings that end at 5 are very common. The train goes the same distance 30 minutes faster. If you live in South Florida, I think it depends on when you are leaving, how many are in your party, where are you going in Orlando, and whether you need to work on the way. I can totally see that math not working in Brightline favor for lots of trips. But Brightline only needs to capture some of those trips to be successful. Brightline recently announced their quarterly revenue numbers, and they are still spending more than they are earning (mostly on interest payments). This is concerning, and future interest rates are not very likely to alleviate the issue. But they are acting as though that was expected, and considering that they are performing approximately within expectations, I think they will make it to profitablity eventually. Orlando is growing rapidly. Miami is growing rapidly. Traffic is getting worse. And those bond payments are not going to get more expensive as inflation reduces the real value of the loans as they are repaid.

Rich BrownnJul 11, 2024

If prices go up. it's because there are less seats to sell (i.r., supply snd demand).

DisoneJul 11, 2024

Definitely not typical but yeah they do have some high prices sometimes. What date is this?

HauntedPirateJul 11, 2024

This is the current pricing for the day we get off a Disney cruise: The only tickets less than $149/person that day are the 9:25pm and 10:20pm trains. Absolutely bonkers.

DisneyCaneJul 11, 2024

More likely it is mostly people taking the train vs. driving. The people that fly south Florida to MCO are more likely out of state people who fly to different legs of their trip. If you live in South Florida flying to MCO makes very little sense. Door to door will take longer than driving or the train.

IanDLBZFJul 11, 2024

As you wish!

DisoneJul 11, 2024

Wow. Honestly that's not typical of their pricing. I did a quick search for a few days and I did find on Sunday they had a lot of $99 prices. But I had to find that. No promo code used. But honestly I don't think you're going to find in any scenario where it's cheaper for a family of four to take this versus rent a car. Same for airlines. Rent a car is going to win on price every single time. Plus the attic convenience of having a car in Orlando cannot be understated because Orlando does not have a great transportation system.