MIAMI — Sir Richard Branson became the media darling of South Florida this week as Virgin Trains USA rebranded MiamiCentral, the massive terminal complex revitalizing a downtrodden area bordering the city’s business district. It was the initial move in the long-expected rebranding of Brightline passenger service.
The flamboyant Branson, dressed in white and attracting a gaggle of paparazzi and TV cameras as he strolled around the edifice, told the assembled crowd that he envisions exchanging passengers with his cruise ships at the nearby Port of Miami, already a busy Florida East Coast Railway freight conduit.
On the ride up to West Palm Beach aboard, appropriately, the BrightRed Brightline trainset, he told Trains News Wire, “We have 98 percent name recognition in America and 100 percent in the U.K., and Virgin is already the biggest transporter of people on holiday from Europe. With the new service, we plan on rewarding travelers for using all of our products.”
Interest by international investors probably helped fuel the successful private activity bond sale that occurred a few days earlier [see “Virgin Trains USA raises $1.75 billion in bond sale,” Trains News Wire, April 4, 2019] and the additional $950 million the company hopes that the Florida Development Finance Corporation will approve following a hearing in Orlando today.
With financing secured, construction of the expansion from West Palm Beach to Orlando is “imminent,” according to Branson. The company also revealed Thursday that service to Walt Disney World and a SunRail commuter connection will also begin when trains start calling at Orlando International Airport.
The station’s transformation from Brightline yellow to Virgin red was easily executed overnight by programing the video displays that wrap its central columns. As a hint of what might be in store for the trainsets, team members assembled to hear Branson and CEO Patrick Goddard speak all wore red t-shirts with streaks of yellow.
“I’ve seen the three trainset designs they are considering,” one of the original Brightline managers remarked, adding, “It’s important to us we have some connection to the brand we all built.”
But Branson’s presence clearly magnified the regional operator’s growth potential beyond the South Florida market, which Brightline has energized by redefining what train travel can be with passenger-focused hospitality, promotion, and sparkling equipment.
A steady stream of perhaps 200 Miami Heat fans crowded the escalators at MiamiCentral Wednesday night on their way to a basketball game at the nearby American Airlines arena. And a driving rainstorm on the way up to West Palm posed no problem for Branson or fellow travelers walking through the cars. They would have been drenched walking between Amfleet vestibules.
John Rice, it is highly unlikely anyone will see the agreement document since it is between two private entities. The other documents you refer to involved public agencies that triggered our ‘sunshine’ laws. I would love to read it as well to see what conditions Disney has placed on Virgin in order for them to gain access to Disney property. It is very telling that Disney sent an official representative to the FDFC meeting to express support of the rail project. Disney wields great influence in Tallahassee as everyone who lives here knows. So don’t expect Florida to add safety regulations to trains operating over 80mph anytime soon.
@Brian Thorniley: Do you know if the AAF/Disney agreement is posted online? Almost all the agreements so far have been, including the contract with OOCEA for the Cocoa/MCO ROW.
I would like to read it, if anything to be educated.
MiamiCentral vs Miami Central
Searching for MiamiCentral will return better results than Miami Central.
Until search engines can figure out the “context” of searches (which, like self-driving cars will probably never happen) it’s better to “brand” something with a name that’s unique to search engines.
I was at the FDFC meeting yesterday to support the PAB allocation for another $950M. Disney sent a representative to the meeting to express their support of Virgin Trains USA. There appears to be a good working relationship between the two companies that probably started back when it was All Aboard Florida (when several executives at AAF previously worked for or with Disney in the past). A station will be built on Disney property according to an agreement that was signed last year. The question now becomes what will the service to the Disney station look like?
I think the opponents know they have lost. Phase 2 work will begin around the first of May according to the bond document from their road show 2 weeks ago (there is a construction schedule in this document, btw). The additional $950M wraps up the financing needed for phase 2. Even if somehow the FRA and Virgin lose the legal battle of the tax exempt status of the PABs for this project, which is not likely having read the memorandum of the judge’s decision back in December, the investors were told there was legal risk involved so they can’t sue if they lose the tax exemption. At this point, I am not sure why IRC is still fighting as the train is going to be built.
What is behind this curious need to run words together today: “MiamiCentral” Station, instead of the correct “Miami Central” ?
I have posted earlier that I highly doubt Disney will permit a station on their property. It will most likely be located on vacant property east of I-4 south of Vineland-Apopka.
Disney prefers to own everything associated with themselves. Having a competing cruise line (Virgin) have naming rights to a train entering their property is anathema to their biz model. They don’t even permit Chik-Fil-A in any of the theme parks. They own the food service.
Disney has a very large revenue source in car parking and bus service to/from I-Drive. They do not want to sacrifice any of it.
Seeing that Mr. Branson now lives on an island about 90 minutes from Miami, don’t be surprised if he makes a lot more appearances as his brand expands in the US through rail and cruises.
To clarify. Virgin/Brightline trackage will enter the Orlando airport from the east and head south to the already-built pass through terminal. Originally, trains would initially continue only as far as a maintenance facility south and west of the airport on right-of-way where tracks would eventually be built in the median of I-4 and on to Tampa. Now what officials are saying is that this route will be completed not just to airport but as far as a connecting station with SunRail and then further west to Disney World when service to the airport begins.
Red is my favourite colour. My Toyota Camry XLE is red. So, red is a perfect colour scheme for Virgin Trains USA just as on Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific business trains in darker tones.
Definitely, some form of track extension would be required because Walt Disney World is not in Orlando; it’s closer to Kissimmee but takes up parts of both Orange County (Orlando) and Osceola County (Kissimmee).
I’m not familiar with the geography. Does “service to Walt Disney World” involve just an additional stop, or a track extension somewhere?