Rumor Higher Speed Rail from MCO to Disney World

[lazyboy97o]

Amtrak absolutely doesn’t compete at all. It’s heavily government subsidized. The annually lose money.

Amtrak reported that the Acela trains made $34 per passenger in operating profit in 2023, down from $93 per passenger in 2019. Other NEC service made almost $12 per passenger profit in 2023, down from nearly $27 per passenger in 2019.

In the aggregate, the state-supported routes lost $19 per passenger in 2023, compared with about $3.75 per passenger in 2019.

Do you think roads are profitable? Have you looked at the ways airlines get subsidized?

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

They compete for passengers. In Florida too, the Silver Star and Silver Meteor operate daily. Takes a bit longer because they go out towards Tampa before heading south.

I don’t care if they compete for passengers, the question is can’t they be profitable, can they succeed as a private business. Unlike Amtrak brightline isn’t going to get direct government subsidies

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I don’t care if they compete for passengers, the question is can’t they be profitable, can they succeed as a private business.

No, that wasn’t the question. Nobody asked that question.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

No, that wasn’t the question. Nobody asked that question.

That was the question, can brightline compete in the market space, and is there a viable demand for it. If it can’t offer services at a price that makes it sustainable, it’s as useless as tits on a bull. It’s whole point of discussion regarding rider numbers and pricing/discounts

 

[Disone]

Amtrak absolutely doesn’t compete at all. It’s heavily government subsidized. The annually lose money.

Amtrak reported that the Acela trains made $34 per passenger in operating profit in 2023, down from $93 per passenger in 2019. Other NEC service made almost $12 per passenger profit in 2023, down from nearly $27 per passenger in 2019.

In the aggregate, the state-supported routes lost $19 per passenger in 2023, compared with about $3.75 per passenger in 2019.

Just because they're subsidized does not mean they're not competing. How does that make sense?

Are you going to tell me that Airbus is not competing with Boeing because Airbus is subsidized by the French government?

Acela is absolutely competing with the airline market and brightline is too.

Anyhow we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one because we're beating it to a horse and.... , "sidetracking" the conversation

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Do I need a promo code to view the half price sale? For mid-August, it’s telling me the best possible (average?) fare for 2 adults and 2 kids (with no assigned seats) is about $75 per person if I want to depart after 6AM, I think there was one earlier departures that got down to $41 but I’m not interested in leaving my hotel at 5AM. At $300, plus cost of getting to the brightline station and then to our hotel on the other end, I think I’m going to stick with a rental car.

Maybe check their facebook page? Thats how I found out about the sale, it kept popping up on FB.

We paid I think $106 including taxes for 2 people round trip from Fort Lauderdale.

 

[JaxFLBear]

Do I need a promo code to view the half price sale? For mid-August, it’s telling me the best possible (average?) fare for 2 adults and 2 kids (with no assigned seats) is about $75 per person if I want to depart after 6AM, I think there was one earlier departures that got down to $41 but I’m not interested in leaving my hotel at 5AM. At $300, plus cost of getting to the brightline station and then to our hotel on the other end, I think I’m going to stick with a rental car.

From an email I received this morning:

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Do I need a promo code to view the half price sale? For mid-August, it’s telling me the best possible (average?) fare for 2 adults and 2 kids (with no assigned seats) is about $75 per person if I want to depart after 6AM, I think there was one earlier departures that got down to $41 but I’m not interested in leaving my hotel at 5AM. At $300, plus cost of getting to the brightline station and then to our hotel on the other end, I think I’m going to stick with a rental car.

 

[C33Mom]

View attachment 796153

Awesome— that covers our dates, thank you! Looks like we’ll be giving them a try to get from WDW to our cruise!

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Awesome— that covers our dates, thank you! Looks like we’ll be giving them a try to get from WDW to our cruise!

The Brightline stations are really nice and have waiting rooms within security with lots of seating, charging outlets, a coffee shop / bar, etc. it’s a great place to hang out for a bit so you don’t have to stand in line at the cruise terminal waiting for your time.

The Uber ride from Brightline to the cruise terminal is super short. I’ve done it a few times.

 

[Lilofan]

Brightline is offering a sing a long transport train from Orlando to Miami during the 3 Miami concerts of Taylor Swift this October. Sounds like it will be a wild train ride!

 

[C33Mom]

Brightline is offering a sing a long transport train from Orlando to Miami during the 3 Miami concerts of Taylor Swift this October. Sounds like it will be a wild train ride!

Extremely grateful that doesn’t overlap with our dates.

 

[Lilofan]

Extremely grateful that doesn’t overlap with our dates.

Bright line getting creative and thinking out of the box, a party sing a long train Taylor Swift style to her concert! Not only does Disney have creative minds.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Bright line getting creative and thinking out of the box, a party sing a long train Taylor Swift style to her concert! Not only does Disney have creative minds.

It’s an idea that very much inside the box. Transit systems have been running special services for events for well over one hundred years. Some systems even have stations that are only serviced for certain events. That SunRail does not consistently and reliably provide service for events has been a major criticism of the service, especially since when it is offered ridership follows.

Transit systems realizing that entertainment and amusement could be offered on a more consistent basis was part of what lead to the development of trolley parks, a precursor to the modern amusement park.

 

[Lilofan]

It’s an idea that very much inside the box. Transit systems have been running special services for events for well over one hundred years. Some systems even have stations that are only serviced for certain events. That SunRail does not consistently and reliably provide service for events has been a major criticism of the service, especially since when it is offered ridership follows.

Transit systems realizing that entertainment and amusement could be offered on a more consistent basis was part of what lead to the development of trolley parks, a precursor to the modern amusement park.

The old fashioned choo choo train has these events in my area but not modern trains. It is good to promote to the many Swiftys and warn potential passengers in advance like @C33Mom! Where is you proof that Sun Rail doesn’t provide events complaints ?

 

[Twirlnhurl]

SunRail does run special services for some events (I know they have run for some Orlando Magic games in the past), but I believe they ask the event organizers to share the cost of the service. I have definitely seen people lament the lack of SunRail service for many sporting and community events that occur along the line outside of weekday rush hour.

 

[FutureCEO]

Brightline is definitely competing as a transportation service between Central Florida and South Florida. It's no different than comparing a Amtrak Acela trains to flights between Boston and New York. They absolutely compete with each other. There's comparisons made all the time.

You'll get from Boston to NYC faster by plane plus waiting for the flight faster than Amtrak.

 

[Bocabear]

The State of Florida should be subsidizing Brightline and helping them to extend multiple lines all over the state. Get people used to using a nice public transport to get around...There are too many cars on the highways...especially down here in South Florida where it is a traffic jam 7 days a week. We have no alternatives....and viable rapid transportation up and down and across the state could really help... Imagine an elevated bullet train from Tallahassee to Key West.. It would be amazing...and as weather conditions continue to worsen, imagine how fast you could evacuate areas for hurricanes... It would be a pretty amazing thing.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

You'll get from Boston to NYC faster by plane plus waiting for the flight faster than Amtrak.

Debatable.

Acela Express trains are 3 hours 36 minutes

Flights are 1 hour 25 minutes but you have to be at the gate at least 15 prior and you need to allow 45 for security / walking to gate so you are at 2.5 hours.

That extra hour is going to be used up getting to / from the airport and city center on each side.

So both take about the same time.

 

[Disone]

You'll get from Boston to NYC faster by plane plus waiting for the flight faster than Amtrak.

Yup ...

"Four staffers from The Points Guy organized a fun challenge to see who could get from Faneuil Hall in Boston to Rockefeller Center in New York the fastest. Each traveled a different way — by Acela train, JetBlue, Delta and United (arriving in Newark). While the JetBlue passenger won (total travel time including ground transportation: 3 hours, 12 minutes), the United passenger clocked 4 hours, 51 minutes — just two minutes under the Acela travel time."

Full article

Train Vs. Plane: 5 U.S. Routes Where the Train Beats the Plane | Allianz Global Assistance

Flying’s not always faster. Learn how to weigh the merits of the train vs. the plane and see five U.S. routes where rail prevails.

www.allianztravelinsurance.com

I don't think I compared travel time between the different travel options only that they were in competition with each other. And clearly the fact that this article was written is evidence of that. Brightline is competing with the airlines just as Acela is competing with the airlines