A Train Among Cars and Planes in Florida? The Brightline Private Rail Project in the First Touristic Region of the United States

Abstract

The state of Florida is a major hub of the US tourist economy, particularly renowned for its beaches and its extensive commercial and leisure infrastructure (not least its many theme parks). The state is a popular destination for Americans, with US citizens accounting for ¾ of all visitors. Florida is also one of the US states with the highest rate of dependency on carbon-heavy modes of transport (cars and airplanes), for both everyday and occasional forms of mobility. In this unlikely context, a private company by the name of Brightline has been working since 2015 to create a rail link between Miami and Orlando, with the first section of the line (Miami-West Palm Beach) inaugurated in late 2017. This project is original in more than one respect: it is being led by a private company, with no initial public investment and without the involvement of any government bodies; it also runs through a territory which, in theory, has an aversion to train travel and where tourist mobility is virtually synonymous with car and air travel. My objective in this article is three-fold: to examine the key role played by transport in the emergence of Florida as a tourist mecca; to analyse the key features of the Brightline project and its relation to the tourism sector; and to weigh up the territorial potential of this new line and its capacity to change established ideas and mobility patterns among tourists visiting Florida. I draw several conclusions from this analysis: the Brightline project has the potential to capture substantial tourist flows thanks to its proximity to many tourist attractions; tourism has been systematically prioritised in the company’s strategy and communication efforts; stations have an important role to play in attracting passengers; and mobility practices in Florida are evolving.

Keywords

• Florida
• tourism
• tourist travel
• high-speed rail
• public image