Brightline president: 'Train ridership is three times what we expected'

By: Debora Lima, South Florida Business Journal

Ridership of Brightline has exceeded expectations since the train began service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, CEO Patrick Goddard told an audience at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday.

The number of passengers who have used the train in recent weeks is three times larger than the company projected, Goddard said.

He did not disclose specific ridership figures but said Brightline is running an average of 11 roundtrips per day between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. At capacity, each train can hold up to 240 passengers.

“People are excited to be off I-95,” the executive said. “We’ve gotten people out of traffic.”

Service to Miami is expected to begin by end of April, he said.

On Brightline, passengers can travel between each of its South Florida stops in about 35 minutes, with trains speeding along at about 75 miles per hour. The same trip by car can often take as long as two hours…