The Brightline Train Is Back, But Not Necessarily Better

America’s great hope for high-speed and high-quality rail service restarted service at the beginning of November, again linking downtown Miami with Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Despite offers of free rides, Brightline is now somewhat more expensive, and for those who enjoyed the previous premium service, you’ll find the Covid-era restart with slimmed-down frills. That said, everything from stations to trains remains shiny and clean. The staff is as friendly as ever, waving to passengers from the platform as you begin your journey and thanking them as you exit.

While on hiatus for nearly 18 months, the rail operator was busy. It nixed a newly formed licensing agreement with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin brand, so the red design accents are now history. More significantly, it made progress on extending the line north to Orlando with a Disney station slated for 2023. It also firmed up plans for additional South Florida stations, including Aventura, Ft. Lauderdale Airport, Port of Miami and Boca Raton, which could open next year.

A fan of the original Brightline, I recently tested the current offering.

If you were a user before the pandemic, much of what you will find would be familiar. Progress is also evident. In Miami, you’ll notice on the departures level, several establishments are now open in the food court with more coming.

There are some small, but meaningful improvements. Scanning your QR code to check-in can now be done from your email receipt instead of needing the app or using a clunky touch button kiosk. The security process is as fast and pleasant as ever.

The store in the main passenger lounge after security is now automated and has more upscale offerings. There is a new bar area, Mary Mary, featuring craft cocktails and a menu of sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and sweets from Sam Nazarian’s C3. A Cuban or grilled chicken breast panini will set you back $12, while warm pretzel bites with beer cheese and spicy brown mustard are $8.

However, it’s the fact that Brightline has upgraded the offering for its main cabin, tabbed as Smart, which highlights the downgrades for customers of its first class, branded as Premium.

After paying an extra $40 roundtrip to Palm Beach, my thinking is next time, I will be smart, as in not paying more for a product that offers very little additional value.

The big difference is down to just the seats. Premium cabin seats are in a 1-by-2 layout 21 inches wide. Smart seats are 19 inches in a 2-by-2 configuration. With the trains rarely full from my experience, and the ability to reserve your seat in advance and move around once boarding is complete, there is little reason to pay a premium for Premium.

The downgrades start in the Premium lounge. It’s the type of nickel and dime cuts you expect from the airlines. You know, give them one olive in the salad instead of two, and eventually, just do away with the lettuce when they start complaining about the salad.

There is an automated pour machine instead of the previous assortment of attractive wine bottles resting in a tub of ice. The contraption limits you to two drinks, and while I didn’t partake, a couple who was attempting to do so found it a frustrating endeavor.

The previous buffet spread of lavash bread and quality crackers, cheese and salami slices have been replaced by small plastic containers of rice, noodle, pasta and potato salads. There are cookies and cakes, but they hardly shine. Onboard, the downgrades continue. Gone are the snack boxes with hummus, olives and pita slices, replaced with 7-Eleven type junk such as mini-cans of Pringles and chocolates. Okay, there are basic granola bars.

I was told I could have a maximum of two cups of coffee, one to Fort Lauderdale, with a second small cup on the segment to Palm Beach. Yes, a limit on coffee! On the return trip, the gentleman across the aisle was told they no longer provide phone charger cords, one of the nice pre-Covid perks, although it is still mentioned on the website.

The same snacks and drinks are sold in the Smart cabin, or better yet, you can easily pick up something much nicer before you get on the train. If you want to see the difference, you can read my report from 2018 here.

Small stuff aside, the trains were on time, impossibly clean, and the staff welcomed guests warmly. The ride is just over an hour, and on the day after Christmas, the first-class cabin and entire train weren’t particularly busy.

Whether executives will once again make their Premium service worth paying a premium for remains to be seen. For now, from what I can see, the smart move is to save money and book the Smart cabin. Perhaps, that was a better choice to begin with, and either way, Brightline is a great option to South Florida’s often clogged highways.