Last February I rode Brightline for the first time. The commuter rail service operates between West Palm Beach and Miami. The service was first introduced in 2019, then suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19, and resumed in late 2021.

My daily commute from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale had become unbearable. Heavy traffic on Interstate 95, aggressive and dangerous drivers, and way too much time behind the wheel.

Last Christmas my wife bought me 40 train passes. At the time they had a BOGO to encourage people to come back to Brightline. My wife persuaded me to park the car and start taking the train to work. After the first ride, I was sold. 

The Brightline experience is hard to describe but I'll try. The trains are clean and comfortable. The stations are impeccable, and the people who work at Brightline are polite, friendly, and professional. 

Hospitality is engrained in their training, and it shows. I also sense they choose their employees because of their attitudes and personality. There is Bobby who manages the car rides, Cheri Anne on the morning train ride, Joy or Kathy on the evening ride home. Coby, a manager at the Lauderdale station, Ben, Monica and Paula in the lounge at the station. I could go on but my point is they all make the guests feel like we are part of their family.

I used to fill up my car two to three times a week. Today I fill up once every two weeks. It is a huge cost savings, even more so now with $5 a gallon fuel. Less wear and tear on the car and a reduction in carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. An average passenger car in operation can emit about 5 U.S. tons (approximately 4.6 metric tons) of carbon dioxide per year, meaning a significant amount of greenhouse gas is going into the environment.

On the train, passengers breathe clean filtered air, you can work, check email or watch a movie during the 35-to-40-minute ride. You can buy a monthly pass for as little as $199 and get a free ride to and from the station in an electric car or van if your destination is within five miles. I have heard that they will start charging for that service, but it has not happened yet.

Until recently I drove a Toyota Avalon to and from work. Two months ago, I traded it in at the peak of the used car market since I no longer needed it. Less insurance, less maintenance and less emissions. I still drive my other car to the station, about six miles but it's so much nicer than driving I-95 in rush hour.

Soon Brightline will be adding stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and Orlando. Long range plans indicate Tampa is in their sights too.

Even the trains are environmentally friendly. They run on clean biodiesel burning about two gallons a mile but carrying up to 239 each trip. As demand expands more cars can be added. 

If you drive an electric car, FPL has charging stations for you in the Brightline garages, further lessening your environmental impact.

For me, the change made sense. If you travel to work near the FEC railway corridor, do yourself a favor and park the car. Try the train and relax to and from work or a special event. It's a game changer.

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