Brightline gives Amtrak a run for its money on Orlando-Miami

At what point does a train ride from A to B become something more than a mere transportation service? At what point does it become an experience? That’s the question Brightline seems eager to answer with its recently expanded service in Florida — now stretching from Miami to Orlando International Airport (MCO).

As a New Yorker, I’m no stranger to intercity rail travel. But I’ve never come across a rail operator so wholly focused on the end-to-end experience as Brightline, as it exemplified on a recent trip.

We launched from MCO, Brightline’s newest, most northern terminal. The airport now holds the distinction of being one of the few in the United States with a direct intercity rail connection.

MCO’s train station is directly connected to the new Terminal C, but passengers connecting to Brightline from terminals A and B must first take a Gate Link train to the main terminal building, followed by a Terminal Link train to the train station complex.

I managed to make this trek in about 15 minutes, even after befuddling signage led me astray for a few moments. MCO’s signage confusingly pointed to “Train Station” or “Brightline” in different places.

At one point a suspiciously Brightline-looking train zoomed across digital signage but not in the correct direction.

Once you make your way to the train station, it’s immediately clear where the airport ends and Brightline begins. A bright gateway with the Brightline logo adorning it leads passengers into its own little kingdom within the airport.

A few ticket kiosks plus a bag check area precede an automated gate line where passengers must scan their tickets for entry.

This was the only time my ticket was checked throughout the journey. A security screening of bags is also conducted, like an airport-lite TSA checkpoint.

Brightline’s Orlando terminal isn’t as massive as the company’s original Miami terminal, but it was surprisingly busy for a Sunday morning. The terminal hosts a small grab-and-go shop with packaged food and drink items and a full service bar called Mary Mary.

The terminal has an abundance of seating and even a kids play area. Amtrak stations generally provide minimal seating for passengers.

Though passengers are unlikely to spend extended periods of time in this terminal due to the frequent departures, a more substantial food option would have been appreciated as the breakfast sandwich at the bar was small and subpar for the $8 price.

The 10:54am train arrived on time with a bright pink and yellow livery.

All seating is pre-reserved on Brightline, so the boarding process, while busy, was otherwise laid back since passengers didn’t have to scramble for their preferred seats.

Brightline users rather short four-coach trains, three of which are “Smart” branded coaches while the last is a “Premium” branded service. “Smart” seats are configured in a standard 2-2 layout.

The “Premium” branded service, meanwhile, features wider seats in a 1-2 configuration.

All seats sport ample legroom, but overall comfort is a far cry from the decades old, yet ultra-comfortable Amtrak Amfleet seats. Brightline’s seats do not recline, but the seat pan does shift forward to provide a little added comfort.

Each seat features multiple AC and USB-A ports, while individual seats without a table also have USB-C ports. Choosing a dining pair, my travel companion and I were able to keep our devices well charged via the AC outlets in the table.

The tray tables on the seats are also large and study. There is even a second smaller tray table that acts as a device holder.

While Brightline’s trains lack a dedicated cafe or restaurant car, a cart service is available with a small selection of drinks, snacks and packaged food items.

The sandwiches were about the same quality that you’d find with an airline buy-on-board service — perhaps a touch on the small side. This is the one aspect where Amtrak leaves Brightline in its dust.

Unlike Amtrak’s barely usable Wi-Fi, Brightline recently transitioned to Starlink for connectivity. Initially, the service was fairly dodgy while we were still in the Orlando terminal complex. But once the trip got underway Starlink proved to be a reliable, speedy service.

My phone clocked the speed at anywhere from 100 to 130 Mbps, more than enough for streaming video. Amtrak would be foolish to not consider mimicking this offering with its new Acela and Airo fleet.

The entire ride south to Miami was smooth, especially at the higher speed, 125 MPH sections of track where a typical Amtrak ride would have passengers bouncing all over the car as if flying through heavy turbulence.

Brightline employees were abundant and helpful throughout the journey, something that cannot always be said of Amtrak crews. The ride was delightful.

Having arrived on-time in Miami, I needed to make my way to the airport for a flight. Rather than sensibly taking the Brightline+ branded Uber private ride or the fixed route shuttle, I opted for Miami’s Metrorail service. The four-mile journey to the airport on Metrorail took more than an hour.

I now fully understand why last-mile connections are a big focus for Brightline.

Brightline delivered on a great experience that is clearly elevated above Amtrak but still has some room for improvement with its onboard catering. The available food on board was lackluster, and the Internet won’t break the next time it overhauls its menu.