TAMPA, Fla. — On Friday, Florida's high-speed train Brightline officially left the station in Miami and arrived in Orlando for the first time. It's a highly-anticipated project that's been in the works for years.
The high-speed connection is supposed to take people directly from either Miami or Orlando to the other bustling city in a matter of hours, promising riders a break from ever-growing traffic and its hassles.
But what about Tampa? Let's take a look at where things stand on bringing a Brightline stop to the Tampa Bay area.
Last June, Brightline announced it received a nearly $15.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to put toward building a stop, most likely one in the Tampa International Airport.
Taking a look at Brightline's website, it shows a "Tampa Station" on its map, noting it's a "future expansion" for the private rail company.
When exactly this Tampa Brightline station will be open or even built has not been announced.
This means that for now, travelers will still need to drive along Interstate 4 for the most direct route between Tampa and Orlando. I-4 continues to lead the nation as one of the deadliest roads in the country.
Brightline, traveling with speeds up to 125 mph at times, has also been dubbed as the nation's deadliest railroad. This is due to the number of deaths since the service began in South Florida in 2018. Last year, after three people died within two weeks, Brightline announced it received a separate $25 million grant to improve safety, such as building fencing and adding more warning and suicide hotline signs along its route.
None of the deaths involving Brightline have been blamed on the railroad, its equipment or its crews. Law enforcement investigations showed most victims were either suicidal, intoxicated, mentally ill or had gone around barriers at an intersection in an attempt to beat the trains, which travel up to 79 mph through densely populated areas with stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.