PortMiami train station gains approval

The operator of Florida's Brightline high-speed train won local approval to build a station at PortMiami. It is expected to open in late 2020.

The 15,000-square-foot station will be connected to the port's terminals via a shuttle service. It will cost about $15 million to build, said Patrick Goddard, president of Virgin Trains. Brightline is in the process of changing its name to Virgin Trains.

The train service currently connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. A station has been built in Orlando and plans call for connecting the Orlando-West Palm Beach leg within the next two years.

Taking a train to the port will eliminate the hassles that arise for anyone traveling to PortMiami within Florida, whether they are residents or tourists, Goddard said.

"You start your vacation in West Palm Beach and you basically forget about your bags, and your worries. We will deliver you. We will remove all of the friction of driving through those last 70 miles of South Florida, navigating your way to the port, parking, dropping your bags, all of that," Goddard said.

Prices for the port service, which is basically a two-mile extension from the station in downtown Miami, have yet to be set.

Under a preliminary agreement approved Oct. 29, Miami-Dade County will front $5.2 million of the cost of the station, and Brightline will repay the county $7 million five years after service begins.

The train service would lease land from the county at the port.

Brightline currently pays a 20% commission to travel agents for qualified sales.