I am considering a trip to Florida to ride Brightline from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. I would fly to Orlando on Southwest, stay overnight in a hotel close to the airport, and depart the next morning from the airport station.
If I get a cab from the hotel and tell the driver to take me to the Brightline Station, will he/she probably know where it is located? Also, will I have to pass through airport security to get to the train?
I traveled from Orlando to West Palm Beach last summer. The Brightline station is a considerable distance from the secured areas of the airport, and should not be difficult for cabbies (or a hotel shuttle, which would cost less) to reach.
Brightline in fact says to give this address:
10705 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827
to rideshare or other drivers “to be taken straight to the high-speed facility”.
It’s been a while since I was to Orlando airport, but I remember there is a hotel in the airport, I think a Hyatt. It appears there is a shuttle tram between there and the Brightline station.
There is a Brightline Station on the airport loop and a Hyatt hotel on the airport loop. Just off airport there are a reasonable number of hotels with shuttle busses, just check with the hotel to make sure they have a shuttle bus. If you stay off airport getting an Uber to and from the airport will be easy. I have not been in the station but I have gone by it on trips to the airport, it is very new and nice looking. The off airport area is not very pedestrian friendly so make sure there are restaurants very close by and on the same side of the boulevard. It’s not a bad area it’s just very busy.
Rail to Tampa, Cape Canaveral is under construction with Daytona Beach/Jacksonville in the future.
The Hyatt Regency Orlando hotel is inside the Orlando airport. Of course, it’s expensive, but it can’t be beat for convenience traveling.
https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/orlan-hyatt-regency-orlando-international-airport
If it was me I would pitch a tent next to the tracks and buy a yellow hard hat with orange safety vest and put the CSX logo on both. Nobody will bother you…It’s Florida.
Considering the fact that Brightline runs on the FEC, the CSX logo might be a red flag.
Brightline doesn’t just run on the FEC, CSX shares trackage with FEC and Brightline
CSX’s route to Miami does not include FEC trackage. CSX has sold is A Line track age through Orlando to the Sun Rail operation. The CSX trackage between W. Palm Beach and Miami has been sold to the Tri-Rail commuter operation. CSX retains trackage rights over both of the rights of way they sold. The owners of the rights of way have the Dispatching responsibility for their tracks.
Where?
There certainly isn’t any Tri-Rail interfering with Brightline. And both in West Palm Beach and Miami the ex-Seaboard and ex-FEC tracks are on very separate alignments.
Im getting myself confused 
Balt: Have wondered how the various SAL & ACL spur tracks are handled. Especially the one that goes by 'Sanford airport was active the last time in Saford, There is a lot of CSX trackage just beyond the Auto Train station.
I don’t know the exact limits of what was sold to Sun Rail and for that matter Tri-Rail.
When visiting my daughter when she lived in Boca Raton - I would use I-95 from Jacksonville down to the road that would eventually enter her living area. I-95 and Tri-Rail ran parallel from WPB South as far my daughters exit and on beyond. When racing at Palm Beach International I would use the Bee Line Highway which ran parallel and in sight of CSX’s line North of WPB.
When racing at Homestead’s NASCAR track I would get on the Florida Turnpike at Jupiter and follow it to its end in Florida City.- no railroad was sighted in the trip to or from Homestead.
For the CONFUSED - the FEC runs down the Coast - about a mile or so from the Atlantic Ocean. The CSX/Tri-Rail route is about 3 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Hi there! I’m an Orlandoan, and I just so happen to be an avgeek as well, so I know a lot about MCO. I’ve never personally ridden the Brightline, but I’ll answer your questions to the best of my capabilities.
Seeing as it is the only Brightline station in Central Florida (as of this current time), yes, they should know. Worst case, just ask to be dropped off at Terminal C at MCO, as the Brightline terminal is in it.
No, it is not beyond the TSA checkpoint.
Yes, the airport Hyatt is located near the eastern part of MCO. If you don’t want to stay in the heart of the airport, there are a multitude of 4-star and above-rated hotels in the vicinity of the airport to choose from. Immediately adjacent to the airport Hyatt is the APM station connecting A/B to C. The APM departs every couple of minutes.