Is high-speed rail coming to Tampa? New bill hopes to fast-track Brightline expansion

TAMPA, Fla. - A bill filed Wednesday in Tallahassee aims to fast-track high speed rail service to Tampa. The latest Brightline expansion in Florida would connect the state’s west coast via high-speed rail with Orlando and South Florida.

The bill (SB 1226), filed by Senate Transportation Chair Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, is part of a larger road improvement plan for I-4, and calls for the Florida Department of Transportation to preserve a 44-foot corridor along the highway for the railway.

Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, both Tampa Republicans, recently filed $50 million funding requests for the route and just last year, Brightline received nearly $16 million in federal funds to help build the Tampa to Orlando line.

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"I was stuck in traffic for an eight-mile stretch for 37 minutes, so if it doesn’t tell you why we need Brightline, that was the start of my day, like, we need Brightline," Gonzalez Pittman said. 

On Thursday, several Bay Area leaders toured Orlando’s new station at Orlando International Airport and took the trip south to the West Palm Beach station, which the company says will be similar in scope to the future Tampa station.

File: Brightline

"I think this is really big for employers, that five mile to 10-mile radius that you had to choose from just got a lot bigger for you to find talent," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Michael Owen. 

Brightline has been zipping passengers around south Florida since 2018. In September, its northernmost station opened at Orlando International Airport with the completion of a 170-mile, $6 billion stretch of rail. 

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In November, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor met with Brightline leaders to take a ride on the new Orlando route. She says a connecting line to Tampa will be a game-changer for the region.  

"To look at the job creation, look at bringing businesses here. It's just incredible what Brightline has done for South and Central Florida and we can't wait to get it in the Tampa Bay area," said Castor.

Brightline’s trains between Tampa and Orlando could run at median speeds of up to 150 mph.