New Brightline wishlist: Disney World, FLL, PortMiami — and airline packages

Brightline, the express train seeking to expand service north to Orlando, is signaling plans for new connections in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando — and possibly to the skies.

According to its latest bond prospectus, Brightline, which is rebranding as Virgin Trains, hopes to add a stop in Disney World. The potential extension of the extension to Disney and the previously proposed Tampa station would not be funded with the current offering, which totals $950 million, the company said.

Disney did not respond to a request for comment.

Brightline also confirmed it is exploring a stop at PortMiami, which would allow train passengers to connect directly to cruise lines, including Virgin Voyages, which launches in 2020. In February, Miami-Dade passed a resolution in support of commencing discussions with Brightline on a PortMiami stop.

In an email, a Brightline spokesman said, “We are exploring other station options but our main focus is currently on getting to Orlando.”

Brightline also confirmed it is looking to leverage its Virgin connections to bring train passengers skyward. First up, according to the prospectus, would be a station at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. That would be in addition to its existing station at Orlando International Airport.

A spokesman for FLL said Broward officials have not spoken with Brightline recently.

The goal, Brightline said in a statement , would be to serve the greater travel market by offering travelers seamless integration. That could come through purchases through Virgin’s app or online, or through seamless bag check from train station to flight. For example, an all-inclusive Virgin package could include a flight to Orlando on Virgin, a stay in Orlando through a Virgin Holiday package, and a train to a Virgin cruise.

Brightline is awaiting approval from a state-sponsored agency to approve the sale of $950 million in bonds. A second public hearing on whether to allow the bonds to be issued has been scheduled for April 5.

This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 10:23 AM.