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> Virgin Trains USA LLC, operator of a new east-coast Florida passenger express train, hopes to raise about $500 million in an initial public offering in coming
by RcouF1uZ4gsC 8y ago
> Virgin Trains USA LLC, operator of a new east-coast Florida passenger express train, hopes to raise about $500 million in an initial public offering in coming weeks that would value the company at about $3 billion. Its line connecting Miami and West Palm Beach is the first major private intercity rail service built in more than a century (it was called Brightline until a recent re-branding).
It looks like the first leg will connect Miami and West Palm Beach. However, the existing Tri-Rail system already does that http://www.tri-rail.com/ http://www.tri-rail.com/ . I don't see how another rail system would be viable.
The Miami to Orlando connection does look interesting, but from the article it seems it would be the second phase.
- howard941 8y agoAnd that second phase, along with its continuation to Tampa, closing the W-E connection that is sorely needed - might have have benefited from a massive federal subsidy when it really would have helped -- right after the financial crash -- but our then deluded Governer and now deluded Sen Scott preferred his dollars in the Cayman Islands over federal dollars in Florida. EDIT: Inflammation reduction, copy
- chipotle_coyote 8y agoHmm. My assumption was that Brightline (Virgin Trains USA) would be a lot faster than Tri-Rail for the WPB-Miami run; it's actually about an hour and fifteen minutes compared to around an hour and forty minutes, though, so how big a savings that is depends on how much of a hurry you're in. The Brightline trains and stations are almost certainly nicer, but the fares are much higher: $17 (for the cheapest Brightline one-way ticket) vs. $6.90. So...yeah. I'm not entirely sure why they aren't targeting a market that isn't served adequately by an existing option, like Miami or Tampa to Orlando.