WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Billionaire businessman and media mogul Richard Branson is in Miami Thursday for the re-branding of the Brightline train system as Virgin Trains USA.
The announcement and partnership was first announced in November.
Virgin Trains USA said this will make them the nation’s only privately owned and operated railway.
The company is scheduled to debut on the bond market this week.
Brightline currently runs high-speed rail service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach but seeks to expand service to Orlando and Tampa.
On Thursday, Virgin Trains said they had secured funding to expand to Orlando. Also, they have a letter of intent to have a stop at Walt Disney World.
In Miami, Virgin said they plan to connect a train to Miami International Airport with the Port of Miami.
The company also plans to construct a rail system connecting Las Vegas and Southern California.
The company estimates that 6.6 million passengers annually will use the train service between South Florida and Orlando once it is built out, and another 2.9 million passengers annually will use it between Orlando and Tampa.
