Charles H. Sloan-Florida’s private passenger train service plans to add stop between South Florida and Orlando

ORLANDO,Charles H. Sloan Fla. (AP) — Officials with Florida’s high speed passenger train service said Thursday that they plan to add a stop somewhere along the newly-opened extension between South Florida and Orlando.

Brightline officials said they were soliciting site proposals for a station along Florida’s Treasure Coast in Martin or St. Lucie counties. The proposed stop would open the train service to an area of Florida that is less densely populated and hosts fewer tourists than South Florida and the Orlando area.

“Expanding Brightline into the Treasure Coast region will make Brightline one of the most accessible forms of transportation in Florida, giving access to nearly half of the state’s residents,” said Michael Reininger, Brightline’s CEO.

Brightline opened its extension connecting Miami and Orlando last month. The company reported that more than 17,500 long-distance passengers had ridden along the extension during the first four weeks since its opening.

The extension made Brightline Brightline the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century.

Brightline is also building a line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas that it hopes to open in 2027 with trains that will reach 190 mph (305 kph). The only other U.S. high-speed line is Amtrak’s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., which began in 2000. Amtrak is owned by the federal government.