Brightline ran fewer trains in September as the passenger rail service prepared for schedule changes that took effect earlier this month. Despite the drop in departures, Brightline saw an increase in both short and long haul passengers last month who paid higher average fares than they did in August.
Total revenue for Brightline continues to be driven by ferrying passengers between Orlando and South Florida. Since opening its tracks to central Florida in 2023, Brightline has been shifting its focus to these higher paying travelers. That concentration has led to double-digital growth of its long haul passenger revenue, but sales of shorter trips have dropped so far this year compared to a year ago.
The average short haul fare fell 7% in September versus last September. That may have helped boost passenger counts for Brightline's SMART service, which is the train's basic passenger level.
Total revenue for the service is up 13% year-to-date through the end of September, according to Brightline's last monthly financial report filed for bondholders.
The company repositioned itself for longer trip passengers when it stopped selling commuter pass packages for a year. It brought back a commuter pricing strategy this spring in hopes of bringing back and growing passengers who ride only between its five stops in South Florida. The number of commuter rides using its commuter passes has almost doubled since reintroducing them in May to almost 18,000. That remains less the half the number of rides before Brightline ended the pricing.
"We plan to restore the commuter business to historic levels over the next several months," Brightline wrote in its September revenue and ridership report.
Brightline launched a new pricing strategy for South Florida passengers in September. The most expensive fares are during morning and afternoon trains, and special trains during Miami Heat and Miami Dolphin games. Peak fares top out at $39. The most expensive off-peak fare is $19. "We believe the change to fixed 'peak' and 'off-peak' pricing structure will prove attractive for frequent short distance customers," said Brightline.
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The service also overhauled its schedule earlier this month in hopes of accommodating more short distance riders. It is running trains about every half hour during weekday mornings and afternoons. The changes are part of a network optimization plan Brightline hopes will lead to higher revenue. Sixteen trains are dedicated to its South Florida service. It also introduced new services to its Premium-class fares. The number of passengers willing to pay up for the extra service level has been falling compared to a year earlier.
"We implemented fee and Premium offering changes in early October that we expect will be revenue positive going forward," wrote Brightline in its update to lenders.
Brightline has yet to make an operating profit. It lost $70.6 million in the first six months of the year, which is an improvement from its operating losses over the same time period in 2024.
Its long-term debt increased slightly to $2.2 billion.
The train line continues looking for investors. For months, it has said it is actively pursuing selling a "substantial" part of the company.
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