Would you hop a train to Disney World? The yellow Brightline is making a bet you will
In the next couple of years, South Floridians who want to take a trip to Disney and don’t feel like driving will have the option of hopping on a Brightline train and taking it all the way to Disney Springs instead, company officials said.
This week, Brightline and Walt Disney World Resort announced an agreement to build a Brightline train station at Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney. Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment center at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista.
A Disney Springs location would put Brightline close to Disney’s four theme parks, two water parks and more than 25 hotels.
“Brightline will offer a car-free connection to the millions of visitors from around the state and the world who plan to make Walt Disney World Resort part of their vacation plans,” said Brightline President Patrick Goddard in a statement. “Our mission has always been to connect our guests to the people and places that matter, and Walt Disney World Resort is a tremendous example of this.”
Once the Brightline station at Disney Springs is built, the company said people will have a “convenient travel option” between Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando International Airport, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Brightline’s planned stations in Aventura, Boca Raton and PortMiami.
How long will a trip from Miami to Disney Springs on Brightline take?
Trips between Brightline’s Miami station and Disney Springs would take about 3 hours and 15 minutes, and trips from Orlando International Airport to Disney Springs would take about 15 to 20 minutes, Brightline said in an email to the Miami Herald.
A car trip to Disney Springs from Miami, without any rest stops, could take between 3 hours and 10 minutes up to 4 hours and 20 minutes, according to Google Maps.
Brightline told the Miami Herald that the station’s construction is expected to take at least two to three years after a final design is determined, and that it expects to have a more solid timeline in the next few months.
Bay News 9 reported that the train service is not expected to replace Disney’s Magical Express bus, which takes people between Orlando International Airport and select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.
People who opt to take Brightline to Disney Springs would still need to take a bus, taxi or an Uber or Lyft to get to their resort or to one of the theme parks. Disney Resort hotels usually offer a shuttle to and from the theme parks and Disney Springs.
Brightline, which for months has had services suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, also gave an update on its plans to expand its rail service from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport and said it is slated to be completed in 2022.
In February, Brightline also began engineering and design work for a future rail line linking Orlando International Airport with Tampa.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 8:51 AM.
