Brightline is the only private passenger high-speed rail company in America. Here a train heads south out of West Palm Beach toward its final destination in Miami. [Photo by Brightline]
Brightline has been named to the Time100 Most Influential Companies of 2024, an extension of the Time100 list of the world’s most impactful people.
Time editors reviewed nominations based on such factors as impact, innovation, ambition and success to compile a varied collection of 100 businesses. Brightline is listed among the pioneers section.
Brightline provides passenger rail service in Central and South Florida and has broken ground on Brightline West, which will link Las Vegas and Southern California via the first truly high-speed rail network in the nation.
“High-speed rail in America is long overdue, but with the success of our Florida system and the development of Brightline West, we are establishing a blueprint for how to build high-speed rail around the country and setting the foundation for a new industry,” Brightline founder Wes Edens says.
Brightline aims to link cities deemed “too close to fly and too far to drive,” focusing on existing transportation routes. It offers service from Miami to Orlando, with stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Almost half of Florida’s 21 million residents have access to a Brightline station.
Ridership has grown steadily since Brightline extended service to Orlando in September.
The 170-mile route from West Palm Beach to Orlando includes a 35-mile corridor with no road crossings where trains will run up to 125 mph, a steep increase from the 79-mph limit through densely populated South Florida.
To view the full 2024 list of Time100 Most Influential Companies, visit time.com/collection/time100-companies-2024.
