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Brightline explores rail expansion to Tampa
On Monday, Brightline will welcome Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, members of the Tampa Bay Partnership and Tampa and Hillsborough County elected officials and business leaders onboard to experience the new connection from South Florida to Orlando and explore future options for the Tampa extension.
STUART, Fla. - Brightline has picked where it plans to build its next train station along Florida's Treasure Coast – Stuart, the train company officially announced on March 4.
The official announcement comes about a week after City of Stuart leaders were notified that Brightline had selected them for its future train station, a spokesperson told FOX 35 at the time. Brightline had not officially announced the new station at that time.
Brightline officials, alongside representatives from the city and congress, were on hand on Monday to announce the new train station.
Congressman Brian Mast, City of Stuart officials, Brian Kronberg of Brightline. (Photo: Brightline)
The Stuart station would mark the seventh train station in the state of Florida. It's been in the works for some time now, according to a report from The Associated Press. St. Lucie County was on the table, but ultimately Martin County won out.
It was chosen after a review of five proposals from private and public land owners along the Brightline/Florida East Coast Railway corridor in Martin and St. Lucie counties, Brightline said. They landed on Stuart due to its location, the physical characteristics of the site, dynamics of the local market, accessibility to key local attractions, and how easily it'll integrate into Brightline's existing rail infrastructure network.
"We’ve seen significant demand and support for a Brightline Station in the Treasure Coast which was evident during this process. It was a difficult decision and we’re grateful for everyone’s support and efforts to make this happen," said Brian Kronberg, Brightline’s Senior Vice President of Development and Construction. "We couldn’t be more excited to make the City of Stuart our hub for Brightline along Florida’s Treasure Coast."
Stuart Welcomes Brightline Banner (Photo: Brightline)
Next steps include starting the design and engineering of the station, parking structure and necessary rail infrastructure.
Brightline said the station will sit on 2.35 acres in Stuart's historic downtown district. It's located about 40 miles north of the West Palm Beach Brightline station, and is easily accessible from Interstate-95, Florida's Turnike and local roads. The station is also walking distance from downtown and minutes from Stuart's beaches.
Photo: Roaming Railfan via Brightline
"The City of Stuart is thrilled to announce that Brightline has chosen Stuart for the next station in Florida's expanding passenger rail network," said City of Stuart Mayor Becky Brunner. "This marks a historic return to our roots and fulfills a vision held by Stuart for over 30 years, offering residents and visitors alike a first-class journey to Stuart, away from the congestion of highways. Stuart welcomes Brightline to our seaside town and looks forward to developing a partnership that defines the future of travel and transportation in Florida."
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Brightline is also exploring a connecting route to Tampa. A proposal from Senate Transportation Chair Nick DiCeglie calls for land to be set aside along Interstate 4 to extend train service from Orlando to Tampa, according to The News Service of Florida.
Most recently, Brightline opened an extension to Orlando in September 2023, connecting the City Beautiful to South Florida, including Miami.