TAMPA, Fla. — Florida's recently launched high-speed rail, Brightline, could zip its way into Tampa in the future.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor spent the day Monday riding the Brightline from South Florida to Orlando and met with the high-speed rail leaders about making Tampa the next stop.
The area proposed for the Brightline station is in Ybor City.
"The route is already laid out from Orlando to Tampa, and it will basically go down the middle of I4 and then come in to the Ybor City area where the Brightline station will be located," said Mayor Castor.
If a stop comes to Tampa, Mayor Castor said it would model the station in West Palm. Mayor Castor adds that it would bring much more than just a new mode of transportation to the city.
"To see the development that occurred, it was almost as if they had inflated an entire community right there around that Brightline Station in West Palm Beach. They had a senior high-rise living facility, they had a mall, they had restaurants, they had high-rise, market-rate condominiums. It was really spectacular,” she elaborated.
Brightline's latest stop in Orlando opened in September, officially becoming a long-distance transit option. ABC Action News wanted to know if people are riding it? Ticket sales show in the first 16 days, more than 40,000 people made the 3.5 hour journey to South Florida with stops like Miami and West Palm. The rides averaged about $91 per ride, bringing in around $6.4 billion in regional economic impact. Brightline boasts that its ridership continues to increase.
You might be wondering, what's the earliest we could see Brightline roll into Tampa? Mayor Castor said an optimistic outlook is within 5 years. Yet, for now, there hasn't been any official moves to get the train here.
Castor said it’s an opportunity that’s worth pursuing, “You can look at the fact that you can start in South Florida, in Miami, for a lot of the cultural aspects. Going to West Palm, you can connect to some of the beaches over in that area, coming into Orlando, the entertainment and the airport connection, and then coming into Tampa, where you get to be in the best city in the nation."
Brightline trains would leave the Orlando Airport with planned stops at the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive.
"It connects you to the most beautiful beaches in the world. And really, that is an incredible opportunity not only for Floridians but for tourism. People could live in one city and work in another. And so, the opportunities are endless,” Castor explained with enthusiasm.
