Virgin Trains Breaks Ground on High Speed Rail Between Orlando and Miami
Big changes are coming to the way guests get from the South of Florida to Orlando. Virgin Trains USA held a groundbreaking ceremony at Orlando International Airport yesterday (June 24th) marking the start of construction on its 170-mile service from West Palm Beach to Orlando.
This marks Phase 2 of the construction project which includes the restoration of the double-track on the existing Florida East Coast Railway from West Palm Beach to Cocoa as well as a 125-mile line from there to Orlando International Airport. Once running the system will offer high speed rail travel between these two main cities with trains reaching speeds of up to 125 mph.
U.S Rep Val Demings had this to say of the expansion: “Our state will be the first in the nation to have a true, private express inter-city passenger rail system.” The rail will have a massive impact on the design of Orlando International Airport’s new terminal which will feature both air and train links.
The new Virgin Train route is said to be a major component of the airport’s new terminal, which will service both planes and trains when it’s done. Future plans also include extending the route to Tampa offering even greater accessibility to Florida residents and tourists alike. Virgin’s new high-speed rail service in Florida is also expected to serve as a prototype for similar projects in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Passenger services on the existing Miami – West Palm Beach route are scheduled to be extended to Orlando in 2022.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for the latest Virgin Trains news and updates!
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