South Florida Brightline trips plummet in first half of 2024 but revenue nearly quadruples

Brightline's strategy of dissuading South Florida riders through fare hikes to offer more rides to Orlando passengers has been paying off for the private passenger train during the first half of this year, but it's unclear how much it has offset spending.

Brightline's South Florida ridership plunged to about 84,000 in June, from nearly 150,000 the year before, according to the company's ridership report published July 22. More than 139,000 people rode the train to and from Orlando in June.

Former passengers said they were upset about the hike in fares. Seeing an opportunity, Tri-Rail is offering an express service with fewer stops to Miami.

Why revenue skyrocketed despite decimated South Florida ridership

Brightline's revenue in June exceeded $15 million, nearly four times more than June 2023, with two-thirds of it from ticket sales for the train's Orlando route.

Company representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment and for information such as company expenses for the first half of the year.

Brightline attributed the South Florida ridership drop to discontinuing its commuter pass in the region "in favor of building our higher fare" Orlando service.

The company on June 1 ended what was effectively a $10-per-ride monthly pass program for South Florida commuters. The package of 40 trips cost $399 for passengers looking to ride between downtown West Palm Beach and downtown Miami. Now Brightline offers $350 for a 10-ride pack, more than triple the price per ride.

Brightline brought in about $95 million in the first half of 2024, more than triple the first six months of 2023. About $55 million came from tickets to and from Orlando.

The fast train carried about 636,000 passengers across Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties during the first half of this year, down from more than 956,000 during the same period last year.

More than 765,000 people rode to and from Brightline's Orlando International Airport station during the first half of 2024. That station opened and service began last September.

The company lost more than $116 million during the first three months of 2024, its first quarter report published in July shows, paying interest on loans it took out to expand service last year to Orlando.

Brightline Orlando trains regularly sold out

Brightline has been dealing regularly with sold-out trains, it says in its report, and one in three "have reached max load factors." The company will be able to offer more rides as it adds 30 more passenger cars — 20 for its lower-priced SMART cars and 10 premium cars — over the next "several months" and into mid-2025, its report says.

The added cars should help the company reach its stated ridership goal of about 650,000 passengers per month — 8 million a year — in 2026, the company said in its report. That's nearly triple the current levels.

Brightline stations in South Florida serve downtown West Palm Beach, eastern Boca Raton, downtown Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and downtown Miami. Weekday tickets from West Palm Beach to Miami cost $24 to $44 for SMART service, which is what Brightline calls business class. Its premium service, which includes unlimited drinks and snacks before boarding, ranges from $42 to $102.

What's the cheaper alternative to Brightline?

In response to Brightline's fare hikes this year in South Florida, the region's publicly run passenger train, Tri-Rail, started an express service in July connecting its stations serving downtown West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the Miami Metrorail and downtown Miami.

Tri-Rail offers a southbound morning express train that leaves West Palm Beach at 6:30 a.m. and pulls into Miami at 8:05 a.m., while its northbound express train leaves Miami at 5:35 p.m. and reaches West Palm Beach at 7:05 p.m. Tickets cost $8.75 each way for an adult without disabilities.

Brightline runs up and down the Florida East Coast railway tracks, mostly along U.S. 1 or Dixie Highway. Tri-Rail runs mostly along Interstate 95.

Chris Persaud is the transportation reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at cpersaud@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline's Orlando strategy paying off: South Florida trips plummet