The company that will unveil the first high-speed passenger train between Orlando and Miami this summer announced that all of its passengers will have free, high-speed WiFi through SpaceX’s Starlink service.
On Monday, Brightline announced that it will be the “first passenger rail service in the world” to offer Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband service. The service is currently available on Brightline’s fleet of trains that operate in south Florida and will extend to the trains that service the Orlando area this summer.
“Brightline will be the first train sets in the world to use the Starlink system,” said Kevin T. McAuliffe, chief technology and digital innovation officer at Brightline. “Brightline is working with some of the best tech teams around the globe and our partnership with Starlink will levate our brand to the stars.”
Starlink currently provides internet services to residences, businesses, and transportation providers across multiple industries, including Hawaiian Airlines, Royal Caribbean Group, and Carnival Corporation. Brightline will be the company’s first venture into the railroad and passenger rail industry.
“As the first rail service in the world to adopt Starlink, Brightline continues to lead the way in the industry,” said Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Commercial Sales. “We’re excited to work with Brightline and provide Starlink to their entire fleet, which will enable all of Brightline’s passengers to access-high-speed, low-latency internet that is critical in our modern age.”
Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet is made possible through a large amount of satellites operating in low orbit around the Earth. As compared to traditional latency, which is generally over 600 ms, Starlink satellites orbit the plant at about 550 km and offer 25 ms of latency. Traditional satellite internet services provide 1 roundtrip signal to Earth for every 70 round trip signals by Starlink, according to the company.
In April, Brightline unveiled its new Orlando Station, which will begin selling tickets for hourly departures between Orlando and Miami this month. The company says tickets for the Orlando-Miami trip will start at $79 each way, or $199 for a family of four.
The new, 37,305 square-foot Orlando station is located in the Orlando International Airport’s 80,000 square-foot train station facility, which is adjacent to Terminal C.
Departures from Miami to Orlando will begin at 6:50 a.m. and will continue through 9:45 p.m on weekdays, with the first northbound train from Miami arriving in Orlando at 10:15 a.m. On weekends, departures from Miami to Orlando will start at 5:45 a.m. and continue through 9:45 p.m., with the first northbound train arriving at 9:15 a.m.
Brightline will offer SMART and PREMIUM tickets, which designate two classes of service. The PREMIUM service includes complimentary meals, snacks, and beverages, a dedicated first class lounge, free checked luggage, priority boarding, and a dedicated coach.
Throughout the station, all guests will have access to free, high-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations in every seat, 87 big screen televisions, and a children’s play area.