r/trains • u/Additional-Yam6345 • 5h ago
7 years ago on January 13th 2018, Brightline Began operations and returned private passenger train service after 35 years since 1983 and Florida having passenger rail service after 50 years since 1968. Let's hear the story of private passenger trains, FEC passenger trains and Brightline. Semi Historical
Before we tell Brightline's story of bringing back private passenger train service after 35 years since 1983, we need to go back to 1830 when passenger trains became a thing.
On August 25th 1830, Baltimore and Ohio's Tom Thumb 0-2-2-0 struggled mightily to pull America's first passenger train which was a 7 mile stretch of track from Baltimore.
When the First Transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10th 1869, it saw an economic growth as the two oceans can now be linked together and marks the big turning point.
During the first half of the 20th century, passenger trains began to grow and remained strong during the great depression. And the atlantic beaches of Florida is our focus.
In 1938, the Florida East Coast became famous with it's streamlined trains including the Dixie Land, Dixie Flager, South Wind, Champion, Florida Special, and City of Miami.
When FEC went on strike in 1963, their passenger trains we're reduced to an E9 and two cars. This operated between Jacksonville and Miami. FEC would feel the pinch of the decline.
On July 31st 1968, FEC operated its final passenger train. The FEC's passenger abolishment was a far cry from the glory days of trains like the Henry Flagler or the Champion.
After the ill fated Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the rail passenger service act of 1970 to create a National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
On May 1st 1971, Amtrak was formed to take over the passenger rail industry and only 20 out of 26 railroad's we're interested in passing their trains to Amtrak to stay running.
Some railroad's that chose to pass the torch we're Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, Seaboard Coast Line, Burlington Northern, and a few others. But some other railroads denied.
Six railroad's denied and continued their trains under private ownership. Those we're the Rock Island, South Shore Line, Rio Grande, Georgia Railroad, Reading Lines and Southern.
Other's we're Ineligible. those we're the Alaska Railroad, Canadian Pacific, Erie Lackawanna, Florida East Coast (Main focus), Kansas City Southern, SOO Line and Western Pacific.
The Rock Island ran their Quad Cities and Peoria Rocket trains until December 31st 1978 when Rock Island ended passenger trains and would be liquidated on March 31st 1980.
The Southern operated the Southern Crescent to try and keep private passenger trains alive. The Southern Crescent finally fell under Amtrak's ownership on February 1st 1979.
The last private train was the Rio Grande's Rio Grande Zephyr. But like the Rocket and Crescent, it too had to end. It ran for the last time from April 23rd to 24th 1983.
Amtrak was now in full control of the Passenger Rail System after 1983. But after 50 years of no rail service on FEC tracks, on January 13th 2018, Brightline begins operations.
Brightline has brought back passenger service to some of FEC's old passenger stops including, Orlando, Miami, Boca Raton, Cocoa, West Palm Beach, Aventura, and Fort Lauderdale.
Brightline has served other passenger companies within the State of Florida. They include Amtrak, Tri Rail, and Metrorail with trackage rights over CSX and Florida East Coast.
Brightline, Since September 2023 has 18 daily round trips between Miami and West Palm Beach. 16 cover the full route between Miami and Orlando and stopping at all but Boca Raton.
Brightline has restored private passenger train service in America after 35 years since the RGZ's last run in 1983. Brightline is the definition that Amtrak can't have it all.
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u/mastablasta1111 5h ago
I believe that last pervious private passenger train was the Florida Fun Train. That ceased operations in 1998.
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u/Additional-Yam6345 5h ago
Participating railroad's upon Amtrak's inception:
- Atchison Topeka and Santa fe (Super Chief and San Diegan)
- Baltimore and Ohio (Hosted no Amtrak service until the West Virginian later in 1971)
- Burlington Northern (Empire Builder)
- Central of Georgia (Never hosted Amtrak)
- Chesapeake and Ohio
- Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific (Hiawatha)
- Chicago and North Western (Never hosted Amtrak)
- Delaware and Hudson (Hosted no Amtrak service until the Adirondack in 1974)
- Grand Trunk Western (Hosted no Amtrak service until the Blue Water Limited in 1974)
- Gulf Mobile and Ohio
- Illinois Central (City of New Orleans)
- Louisville and Nashville
- Missouri Pacific
- Norfolk & Western (Hosted no Amtrak service until the Mountaineer in 1975)
- Northwestern Pacific Railroad (Never hosted Amtrak service)
- Penn Central (Broadway Limited, James Whitcomb Riley and Wolverine)
- Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac
- Seaboard Coast Line (Champion and Silver Meteor)
- Southern Pacific (Coast Daylight)
- Union Pacific (Never hosted Amtrak service until the Pioneer in 1977)
Non participating railroads / railroad's that continued under private ownership:
- Rock Island (Was too impoverished to pass the torch)
- South Shore Line (Was an Interurban railroad)
- Rio Grande (Operated the Rio Grande Zephyr until 1983 ending 153 years of private passenger trains service until Brightline's beginning)
- Georgia Railroad
- Reading Railroad
- Southern Railway (Private passenger trains still had their place)
Ineligible railroad's
- Alaska Railroad (Already owned by the US Government)
- Canadian Pacific (Too Canadian centric and it'll be 6 years before Canada get's it's own National Railroad Passenger Corporation in the form of VIA Rail in January 1977)
- Erie Lackawanna (Commuter service went to the MTA in 1973)
- Florida East Coast (Ran their last passenger train on July 31st 1968)
- Kansas City Southern (Ran their last passenger train on November 3rd 1969)
- Soo Line (Ran their last passenger train on May 8th 1968)
- Western Pacific (Ran their last passenger train on March 22nd 1970 and refused to discuss with Amtrak on resuming service)
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u/USSMarauder 3h ago
clarification about Via Rail
Via rail started as a subsidiary of CN in 1976, became independent in 1977, but would not take over CP passenger trains until 1978
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u/Brandino144 3h ago
It's a pretty extensive history but notably missing details on Tri-Rail which is the most relative rail service to Brightline. It started operation in 1989 to fill the hole left by the FEC and it was originally planned to use the more central FEC track, but the FEC rebuffed the state in favor of freight prioritization and Tri-Rail had to settle for using CSX trackage. Now Tri-Rail is finally able to return to its original plans of using the FEC line after Brightline paved the way in South Florida.
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u/Powered_by_JetA 1h ago
It's a pretty extensive history but notably missing details on Tri-Rail which is the most relative rail service to Brightline. It started operation in 1989 to fill the hole left by the FEC
Tri-Rail started operations 21 years after FEC ended passenger service. Its original purpose was to be a temporary alternative for commuters during long-term construction on I-95. This is why the original coaches were delivered in basic GO Transit livery for easy future disposition. Fortunately, the service outlived its “temporary” status.
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u/Specialist-Rock-5034 5h ago
Only four months after the Tom Thumb made it's run, the first American-made steam engine to make a run with passengers, mail, and freight was The Best Friend of Charleston, on Christmas Day 1830.
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u/Matangitrainhater 3h ago
And everyone rejoiced, for finally something came a long to raise the IQ of the average Florida driver by culling the heard, one car at a time
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u/wiz_ling 1h ago
from a Brit who knows nothing about brightline, why use two massive push pull locos when there's only four carriages? Wouldn't a DMU be far more suitable, such as something like the class 222.
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u/Ndawson96 5h ago
Technically Florida already had passenger services with the Silver Star and Silver Meteor but I'm just being pedantic