The Boca Raton City Council has approved a long-term land lease with Brightline, soon to be Virgin Trains, for the construction of a train station and parking garage near the city’s Downtown Library. Boca Raton is expected to be the third new station in the company’s south corridor, joining Aventura and PortMiami in connecting the privately operated intercity rail system. Current stations and stops include West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Brightline will begin building the train station on a 1.8-acre site near Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway in 2021, as a rail-ready connection to the $4 billion, 170-mile intercity train system. The city will fund most of the of the design and construction of a 455-car parking garage for train guests and the public. Brightline will be responsible for all the operating expenses of the garage and the parties will split the profits. Library visitors will have dedicated, covered parking on the first floor, which will be complimentary.
Brightline, which was first launched in 2018, develops and operates privately funded high-speed intercity passenger rail systems. Current train service operates from downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach with phase 2 construction underway to connect Orlando in 2022. The company also recently received approval for a new train station in PortMiami, which will make it the only intercity rail system in the United States connecting an international airport – Orlando International Airport – directly to a major cruise port.
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