Florida’s High-Speed Rail Releases New Deal

Florida’s private railroad company Brightline has announced a new Mother’s Day deal for high-speed rail travel from South Florida to Orlando.

Brightline said in a press release on Wednesday that the offer, which is valid until Mother’s Day on Sunday, would help travelers “celebrate the moms in their life with up to 50% off SMART and PREMIUM fares between South Florida and Orlando.”

The promotion was announced shortly after Brightline more than doubled the cost of multi-trip ride passes for customers using South Florida commuter routes, with the company explaining that it had “become increasingly difficult to accommodate” riders as “peak trains are reaching capacity.”

The new deal is valid from travel beginning or ending in Orlando “for travel on select days through June 30” with the use of the promo code “ALLMOMS.” Combining the ticket deal with a stay at a participating Marriott Bonvoy hotel comes with a $50 food and beverage credit.

“Celebrating moms of all kinds—mom, work mom, abuela, bonus mom, mom-in-law, moms deserve the world, so the offering helps her explore with Brightline this summer,” the release states, before noting that the company is also holding several special “pop up” events at Brightline stations on Mother’s Day weekend.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Brightline via email on Wednesday.

Brightline received some backlash from customers this month after announcing that it would discontinue a $10-per-ride monthly commuter pass on June 1 and replace it with new, more expensive fixed-rate packages.

Under the old deal, South Florida commuters could purchase 40 one-way tickets for $399 to all destinations between West Palm Beach and Miami. The new deal offers 10 one-way trips for a fare of $350 at the “smart” tier and $550 for the “premium” tier.

“I think it’s ludicrous what they’re trying to do and taking advantage of the people that have been with them since Day One, that have supported them since Day One,” South Florida commuter Yura Kim told CBS News 12.

Brightline recently saw a 31 percent year-over-year decline in ridership, with a strategy of “restricting available capacity for short-distance trips to meet demand for more profitable long-distance segments (Orlando)” explained in the company’s March bondholders report, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Brightline is also branching out to the West Coast, with the company breaking ground last month on a route between Southern California and Las Vegas. Brightline West says that the route will introduce the nation’s “first true high-speed passenger rail system,” with trains capable of traveling up to 200 mph.

The high-speed Brightline trains in Florida have a maximum speed of 125 mph, which is considerably faster than the majority of Amtrak passenger trains but slower than the national railway service’s Acela trains, which are capable of reaching 150 mph in a limited area of the Northeast.

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