Florida. The land of palm trees, alligators, and theme parks the size of small nations. For some British travellers, the idea of driving in the States – on the wrong side of the road, in a tank-sized car, through spaghetti junctions of toll roads – can feel a little bit daunting. That’s why it’s handy they’ve gone and developed Brightline, a sleek, high-speed train service that connects major cities across Florida – from Orlando International Airport to Aventura, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and all the way down to Miami.
The USA is not exactly known for its trains, so we’ll forgive you if you tell us you’ve never heard of it. But if you’re thinking about giving it go on your next Florida holiday, then give this easy-peasy guide to Brightline a read before you go so you know exactly what’s what, including stations, times, and ticket types – all the good stuff.
So, what exactly is the Brightline?

Brightline is quite the big thing in the States, you know. This intercity train service in Florida is the first and only privately owned and operated service in the USA in over a century. Travelling up to a whopping 125 mph, it completes the 235‑mile Orlando-Miami route in about 3½ hours. In September 2023, it extended its service to Orlando International Airport, where you’ll find it right inside airport itself, by Terminal C.
Brightline train map
See where the train can take you across Florida

The Brightline runs from Orlando International Airport and stops at West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura, and Miami.
How long does it take?
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Miami ⇄ Orlando: ~3.5 hours
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Fort Lauderdale ⇄ Orlando: ~3 hours
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West Palm Beach ⇄ Orlando: ~2 hours
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Aventura ⇄ Orlando: ~3 hours
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Miami ⇄ West Palm Beach: ~1h 20m
Trains run pretty frequently – up to 16 times a day on the Orlando-Miami route. So whether you’re flying into Miami for the beaches or Orlando for Mickey, you’ve got options.
What are the train times?
Brightline offers an hourly service in each direction between Miami and Orlando, making about 16–19 round trips daily (depending on day of week). During weekdays, trains typically start rolling around 5 AM from Orlando and 6-6:50 AM from Miami, with the last services leaving around 8:50 PM (Orlando) and 9:45 PM (Miami).
Typical weekday timetable (Orlando → Miami)
05:00 AM | 08:11 AM |
05:50 AM | 09:00 AM |
06:50 AM | 10:15 AM |
… hourly … | … |
06:50 PM | 10:20 PM |
08:50 PM | 12:20 AM |
Weekend timings are very similar to weekdays, but with the first train a bit earlier on some Saturday mornings (as early as 4 AM) and late-night arrivals spilled into early next-day hours.
Getting tickets
Ticket classes
SMART (aka posh standard)
SMART comes with food and beverages available to buy, free onboard WiFi, nice seats (hand-stitched leather, fancy) and loads of USB Type-A and USB Type-C outlets at each seat
PREMIUM (first class without the snobbery)
Includes lounge access, larger seats, free food & drinks, priority boarding, checked luggage, and even a $10 Uber credit for onwards connections beyond the station.
Fare types
They also have 3 fare types to choose from, which don’t change the class you’ll be travelling in, only the rules of the ticket itself – SMART Saver (no seat selection of ticket changes), SMART (free seat selection and 100% credit if you cancel 48 hours before), and PREMIUM (the same as SMART but with some extra perks).
Is Brightline only in Florida?

At the moment Brightline only operates in Florida (there’s potential plans to extend it to Tampa in the future).
However, construction started on Brightline West in April of 2024 – the plan is to link Las Vegas with Rancho Cucamonga in the Los Angeles area by 2028.