The high-speed passenger prepare Brightline has simply introduced plans for a brand new station on the House Coast, simply eight miles from Port Canaveral.
This might be a tremendous choice for vacationers hoping to cruise from the favored homeport, and can make the port simply reachable from both Orlando Worldwide Airport or south Florida airports in Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
New Brightline Station Introduced Close to Port Canaveral
Brightline and the Metropolis of Cocoa have introduced a brand new station for the high-speed rail in Brevard County, on the “Cocoa Curve” the place the trains naturally sluggish to show from east-west to north-south. That curve is positioned on the intersection of US 1 and State Street 528 – which, by the way, is the highway that leads on to Port Canaveral.
“Brightline is able to start the formal course of with House Coast stakeholders to meet our imaginative and prescient for a Brevard County station,” introduced Katie Mitzer, Director of Public Affairs for Brightline.
“The House Coast [Transportation Planning Organization], Brevard County, metropolis of Cocoa and different neighborhood leaders have began to carry the area collectively to establish potential federal, state and native sources for a station to be positioned in Cocoa. We agree the time is now to finalize a plan.”
This new station might make it sooner and extra environment friendly for vacationers to achieve the cruise port with out counting on prolonged shuttle providers or getting caught in visitors snarls. Orlando Worldwide Airport is roughly a 45-60 minute drive from Port Canaveral, relying on visitors, however the prepare could make that journey in a fraction of the time and isn’t impacted by visitors jams.
This may give passengers extra flexibility with their pre- or post-cruise journey preparations and the timing of flights. Plus, the prepare’s connections to south Florida, together with Fort Lauderdale and Miami, additionally give cruise visitors extra choices for which airports they could select, and can encourage extra residents of different areas to contemplate Port Canaveral for his or her cruise trip plans.
“The House Coast Transportation Planning Group (SCTPO) has been centered on growing regional connections to maneuver folks safely and effectively all through the state of Florida,” mentioned Georganna Gillette, SCTPO Govt Director.
Port Canaveral can be welcoming to the concept of the brand new Brightline station and the way it can facilitate cruise visitors reaching the port.
“We’re projecting over 7 million passenger actions this yr, and we’re thrilled that our visitors could have one other transportation choice to embark on a cruise from Port Canaveral,” mentioned Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.
Learn Additionally: Port Canaveral Voted Finest US Cruise Homeport of 2023
Port Canaveral is already a preferred homeport for a number of prime cruise traces, together with Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Worldwide, MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
A brand new cruise terminal is deliberate for the port, and in November 2024, Princess Cruises will even start homeporting from Port Canaveral, bringing much more cruise choices for keen vacationers.
Funding But to Come
Whereas the announcement of the brand new Cocoa Brightline station is thrilling, funding for the undertaking should nonetheless be secured and there’s no timeline but for when the brand new station could also be accomplished, although it’s more likely to take a number of years to finish and open for operation.
Completely different funding sources are all being investigated, together with state and federal grants, neighborhood companions, use of present vacationer taxes, and different choices.
“We’ve pursued a Brightline station since 2016 after we carried out a examine that recognized the most effective station location in Cocoa close to Clearlake/US1 and SR 528,” mentioned Gillette. “We are going to proceed to work diligently with our neighborhood and regional companions to safe funding to construct a Brightline station in Cocoa.”
As soon as full, the station might be an amazing asset to the Metropolis of Cocoa and the encompassing neighborhood with new jobs and financial affect, together with the rise in tourism by Brightline riders.
