I Rode Brightline between Miami and West Palm Beach-Here’s the Scoop

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Rather than drive to Miami for a recent cruise event, I decided to drive to West Palm Beach and ride the shiny almost-new Brightline train to Miami. If you’re not familiar with Brightline, it’s a high speed (up to 80mph) privately-owned modern passenger train.

Brightline completed the rail stretch from Miami to Orlando in September 2023. The Orlando Brightline station, located at the airport (MCO), includes stops at West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura until it reaches Miami.

The full ride between Orlando and Miami takes about three hours and thirty minutes. This is Brightline’s only route…so far. In the works is Brightline West, the first super high-speed train in the U.S. and will run between Los Angeles and Las Vegas at speeds up to 200mph.

The West Palm Beach Brightline Station

Apple Maps worked as it should and made it a cinch to find the station’s parking entrance. For my post- rush hour 11:00am train, the parking structure was crowded. I chose to drive up 5 levels to find a convenient-to-the-elevator parking spot. The cost to park was $20/night including taxes, paid upon leaving. There was no pre-payment option.

After exiting the parking structure, it was a mere few steps to the Brightline station entrance. I felt my usual pre-train ride excitement as soon as I entered the shiny new West Palm Beach station.

Inside the station at the entrance, there were two customer service agents seated at a long desk, signage for bathrooms, an elevator and a small sitting area. To my left was a really long escalator up to the lounge and concession level.

As I carefully stepped off the escalator with my luggage, clearly marked signage pointed in the direction of the designated lounge areas, based on the class of service. On this southbound trip I was booked in Smart Class, so I simply followed the arrows to the ticket scanning turnstyle and then headed to the Smart Class lounge.

Brightline’s signature watering hole, Mary Mary, was almost empty save for one customer. I’d imagine that the bar gets quite popular during rush hours. Next, on my right, was the convenience “store”.

Filled with Brightline icon wearables, keychains, and toys, the market held a huge selection of beverages and snacks. Not that snacks were really needed, except if you didn’t want to pay for the on board food service, or you were only going a short distance.

Just past the concessions, was the Smart Class lounge. It too was nearly empty at that hour of the morning. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, the seating arrangements were varied. There was a kids’ area with bean bag chairs and a big screen TV playing cartoons.

Most of the seating consisted of long, cushioned benches in blue leather all with ample electric outlets and USB ports. There were a few private two-person seating arrangements with side panels for a bit of privacy.

The overhead arrival and departure board posted current updates as well as where passengers were to stand on the platform to board the train, depending if you were in Smart or Premium class. Here’s a bit of an explanation between the two classes of service and my opinion.

Brightline Classes of Service Explained

As I mentioned, Brightline offers two classes of service: Smart and Premium class. For my ride from West Palm Beach to Miami, I was in Smart class. For my return, I was booked in Premium class and would give me the chance to compare the two classes of service, both onboard the trains and at the stations.

Brightline Smart Class Review

Boarding was organized so that everyone knew where to stand to board their designated car. Very European-style. The train stopped at exactly the right spot to facilitate boarding.

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was in Smart class. The seating was arranged in a two-by-two layout and by a stroke of luck, there was no one seated next to me on this late morning departure.

I thought there was plenty of legroom, even with someone seated in front of me. The seating fabric is hand-stitched leather and very comfortable, with good support. At my seat there was a fold-down tray table along with a mini-tray to set your iPhone or Android phone plus free Wifi. There multiple charging outlets (USB Type-A or USB Type-C) at each seat so you don’t have to share with your seat-mate.

The onboard service attendants were friendly. The wide windows (yes, they were very clean!) made the views even better, and the train itself was very clean, bright, and modern. I had dreaded the drive to Miami and as soon as I was settled in my seat, I knew I had made the right decision not to drive.

Smart Class offers a good variety of snacks, light meals, and beverages. You can order from your seat by scanning the menu’s QR code. Their “All-Day Breakfast” with burritos, muffins, pastries, or breakfast wraps are listed at $5 each.

I didn’t order anything from the menu. Not because I was being cheap, but I was really too excited to be on this new train to feel like eating. Plus, I was supposed to meet up with some friends in Miami for a late lunch. When the car attendant passed by with food orders, I couldn’t help but peek to see what everything looked like…and whether savory or sweet, the choices looked very tempting!

While I spent much of the ride just gazing out the window, as I usually do on trains, with the free wifi, I was able to get some emails answered and do the usual social scrolling.

Miami Arrival Announcement

When were were about 20 minutes from the Miami station, a voice over the P.A. system suggested that if we wanted to call Uber or Lyft, now would be a good time to reach them.

So I did as recommended and scheduled my Uber to Miami Beach for 10 minutes after we’d arrive. I didn’t know how long or where I was going in the station, so I wanted a little leeway with time.

The Miami station was gorgeous. Brightly lit, with a lot of electric “billboards.” It was easy to find my way down the escalator and to the clearly marked “Guest Pickup/Rideshare” sign. Within minutes, my ride was there and we were off to South Beach.

How much is an Uber at mid-afternoon from the Miami Brightline station to South Beach? My Comfort Uber price was $50.12 plus tip. The most expensive was $70.08 for a Premier Uber.

Brightline Premium Class From Miami

My three days in Miami were soon over and I was back in an Uber to the Miami Brightline station. I was excited to experience Premium class to see if it was really worth the extra money. I wasn’t disappointed.

The Premium class lounge in Miami was spectacular. I’m used to Amtrak’s Acela First Class lounge or Metropolitan lounges for sleeping car passengers. Brightline’s Premium class outshined Amtrak’s by light-years. Sorry Amtrak.

Complimentary self-serve beer and wine, assorted cheeses and deli meat, crackers and even hot entrées were offered, buffet-style. The lounge seating was spacious, the colors of the carpet and seating were in various shades of aqua and white. Very Florida.

I filled up at the buffet – some rice and beans plus a generous spoonful of their colorful Greek Salad. Everything was so fresh and beautifully presented. No messes around the the serving areas, either.

Finally, it was boarding time. There were about 12 of us in the Premium lounge so no need to rush into a queue.

Brightline Premium Class On Board

The seats in Premium were a two-one configuration. I hadn’t remembered this when looking at the seating arrangements online. Very European. As a solo, I usually choose the single seat arrangement. This time, I was on the two-seat side and no one sat next to me for the entire trip.

I think traveling off-hours and mid-week is the way to go, if it works with your schedule. Less crowds for sure. During the weekends, I’d expect tons of families headed from South Florida to Orlando’s airport or to the theme parks or vice versa.

The seats and onboard features seemed similar to Smart Class. I think the biggest differences are the sumptuous pre-boarding lounge amenities in Premium class, the choice of a solo seat and of course complimentary on board meals (depending on your itinerary).

What You Can Expect to Pay for a Brightline Ticket

The prices vary depending upon the time of day and the day you choose to travel. On average, for Smart class from Orlando to Miami, prices range from $59 to $94. Premium class goes from $97 to $197. The price depends on the time of day, day of the week and demand. I chose mid-week and late morning for Smart class and mid-week and mid-afternoon for Premium class.

It’s easy to view prices at a glance on the Brightline website’s Booking page.

Conclusion

Would I take Brightline again to Miami? Absolutely. Next time, I’ll do the shorter drive to Orlando (adjacent to the airport) and begin my ride at one of their two main terminals. I’ll bet the Brightline station there is every bit as impressive as Miami’s station.

Funny…as I wrote this review, I could hear the sound of Brightline’s train horn. In fact, I can almost set my clock by it as the train passes near my neighborhood.

Full disclosure: I was a guest of Brightline for this round-trip train ride. All opinions are my own and not influenced by the rail company. Railfan that I am, it’s hard to find negatives, but if something isn’t right or doesn’t meet my expectations, I’ll share it with you.