High-speed rail has yet to take off in the United States, but one metro line is demonstrating what the future could be like for the nation's public transportation system.
Instagrammer urbandougie (@urbandougie) shared his journey taking Brightline's high-speed train in South Florida.
Urbandougie began in downtown West Palm Beach, where he noted the bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure as he walked to the station.
"Being on foot, I was happy to find that most intersections were complete with bike and pedestrian safety features, like green bike boxes, bollard-protected curb bulb-outs, and well-marked street crossing," he said, adding that the area was "a great example of a transit-oriented development."
Urbandougie described the station as "nothing short of top-notch" and highlighted its "sleek, contemporary design, with a full set of travel amenities," including a cocktail bar, food and merchandise shop, and private lounge for premium-class passengers.
He said there was multilingual signage and felt it was safe, bright, well-staffed, and easy to navigate.
Once onboard the train, urbandougie thought the cabin "was quite nice" and mentioned features such as upholstered leather seats, plenty of luggage space, wall outlets, free Wi-Fi, and a food and beverage cart.
His one-way, 70-mile trip to Miami, where he complimented the station's easy connections to public transportation, cost him $50 for a coach seat and took just 90 minutes — faster than what it would have taken him to drive.
"Overall, it was a five-star experience," he said.
Brightline can cover the 235 miles between Orlando and Miami in just over three hours while eliminating 11,645 metric tons of carbon dioxide when compared to car emissions. Furthermore, its operations will remove up to 3 million cars from the road each year and create 10,000 jobs.
Though Brightline tops out at 125 mph and, therefore, doesn't meet the International Union of Railways' 155 mph threshold for high-speed rail, it's still faster than most options in the U.S. and offers a sustainable blueprint for others to follow.
The railway stops at six cities along Florida's east coast, with plans to expand to three more. It's also constructing a line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas that will begin carrying passengers in 2028.
Other high-speed rail projects that could soon bring the U.S. up to speed with the rest of the world include systems that connect Los Angeles and the Bay Area; Raleigh and Wake Forest, North Carolina; and Dallas and Houston.
"The coolest part, though, was that folks onboard were equally as enamored by their experience," urbandougie said. "The average American rides a train less than once per year, so it was encouraging to watch people discover for themselves what modern rail travel has to offer."
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