Richard Branson '100% Confident' Brightline Going To Tampa

MIAMI, FL – Buoyed by $1.8 billion in funding to extend his newly renamed Virgin Trains from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport, Sir Richard Branson said Thursday he is "100% confident" the former Brightline train line will also be extended to Tampa and Disney World in short order.

"I'm 100% confident, obviously reassured that we just raised $1.8 billion to do the first major leg of that, and I'm absolutely certain that Tampa will be getting a Virgin train in the not too distant future," the billionaire businessman told reporters as he rode the train to each of its three existing stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

"Interestingly, in America, rail has not really been something that has worked particularly well if you go back as of the last 100 years," Branson explained. "The car has sort of reigned supreme. I think the team of Brightline, which is now called Virgin Trains, has proven that it can work – that people actually want to get out of their cars. They want to not have to sort of hang about at airports, and they love to be on trains."

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Patch the extension to Orlando and beyond is a potential game changer for transportation in Florida.

"What needs to be done is connecting the port (in Miami), obviously connecting the airport (Miami International) as well," he said. "There's a slight disconnect because the airport connects to Government Center (in Doral) and Brightline connects to Tri-Rail and to the port."

The mayor said the train line is also good for the local economy.

"There's an economic component to it, obviously, where people can easier get around and spend money – and do what they want to do as opposed to what they have to do," Suarez asserted. "But, I think there's also a quality of life component to this, which sort of dovetails with the economics as well, because you have more freedom of movement. And the freedom of movement allows you to spend your dollars wherever you want to go."

Miami officials had initially expressed concern over potential safety issues involving the higher speed passenger train line. But Suarez praised company officials for their work in educating the public about the dangers.

"Anytime you have a train that's coming in and out at these intervals, unfortunately people have utilized it – in many cases, to commit suicide," said the mayor. "I don't know that there's any way to prevent that, just as there's no way to prevent somebody from jumping – unfortunately – off a building."

The train hits speeds of 79 mph between Miami and West Palm but will reach speeds of up to 125 mph once the next stop at Orlando International Airport is added. The fastest speed will be on the stretch between Cocoa and Orlando International where the line plans to construct 40 miles of new grade separated track.

That is a far cry from the noisy and heavy cargo trains that have had the more than 100-year-old Florida East Coast railway tracks to themselves since the late 1960s. The cargo trains reach maximum speeds of about 60 miles per hour and are much louder than the Virgin trains.

Suarez said he has been pleased with the railroad street crossing system that's been put in place throughout Miami.

"Obviously, there's a duality," Suarez said. "We want to have quiet zones. We want the streets to be quiet on the one hand. But at the same time, there's also been some safety issues so we have to balance that as well."

Branson and Virgin Trains USA President Patrick Goddard took the wraps off the newly renamed Virgin MiamiCentral station sign and toasted the new name for the company. While Virgin has only a minority stake in the business, it will serve as a highly visible public face.

"Tampa is a meaningful connection," added Goddard. "The growth of the city of Tampa over the last decade has been incredibly impressive, continues to impress. Us as a private investor, thinking about this company and the growth of this company, we see a massive opportunity."

It's not every day that Virgin travelers are treated to a visit from entrepreneurial royalty. But that's exactly what happened Thursday as Branson roamed train cars with his windswept white hair and approachable demeanor.

"I was just looking for a little adventure," confided Flo Tallisman of Key Biscayne and Cleveland, who had no idea Branson was going to be on her train when she boarded in Miami. "Somebody told me that it's fun. We're going to go up and go to a museum, have lunch and then come back."

Nick Fox, chief communications officer with Virgin Group, said the company had been looking for the right train business in the U.S. for years.

"We thought actually the train business, the bar is so low, what could we do to really get people onto trains? But there were no opportunities," he acknowledged. "For a decade we went around California, Texas, Florida, up to the northeast."

Brightline came along at the right time as Virgin was preparing an expansion of its other businesses in Florida.

"We had these other businesses, whether it's people flying in, holiday makers coming in, a cruise ship business starting next year and we were looking for hotels," Fox told Patch. "We thought, if we can bring the train to connect all of those, we can move people around in a really seamless way plus we can benefit the state of Florida by relieving congestion and giving people a really pleasurable experience."

Branson also made the most of the opportunity to speak with train passengers during his hour-long ride in each direction.

"There were solicitors who are working on the train. They can bill for working on the train, and accountants. They're not just sitting in traffic, driving," Branson observed. "There were students doing their homework. There were people reading. There were people watching films. It's just a much more pleasant experience."

Virgin MiamiCentral serves as a hub for Metrorail, Metromover and the former Brightline. It will soon also be a hub for Tri-Rail.

The name change was part of the railroad's strategic partnership and trademark licensing agreement with Branson's Virgin Group, which now owns a minority stake in the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger rail service in the United States.

Officials will soon open a collection of restaurants and bars at the Miami complex called Central Fare.

In addition to its Florida operation, Virgin Trains also intends to begin construction later this year on a new express service from Las Vegas to Southern California.

One of the interesting facts about Branson is that he overcame dyslexia to build his business empire, which includes a range of industries and products, including Virgin Galactic for space travel, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Voyages.

"Maybe, because I'm dyslexic I simplify things and delegate," Branson told Patch as he passed through a passenger car.