Miami, Florida (Nov. 1, 2019)—Brightline, soon to be Virgin Trains, has been selected as the “Project of the Year” by the Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean (ULI) as part of its 2019 Vision Awards. The award recognized Brightline for advancing the future of mobility and transit-oriented development in South Florida. One of five finalists, Brightline was awarded the honor during a ceremony Oct. 30, 2019, in Miami, Florida.

Launched in 2018, Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger rail service in the United States. Providing fast, efficient, hospitality-driven transportation featuring the latest in customer-friendly amenities, Brightline currently operates in Florida between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with plans to expand into Orlando. This past June, it celebrated its latest milestone—one million riders. One million residents and visitors have turned to Brightline over the past year to access the best of South Florida, with riders using the service for both business and leisure. Among corporate customers, the legal industry leads the charge in terms of total rides, followed by real estate, technology, hospitality and finance.

The transformational, transit-oriented Virgin MiamiCentral spans six downtown Miami city blocks and features Brightline’s Miami station, in addition to connectivity to Metromover, Metrorail and future Tri-Rail service. At Virgin MiamiCentral, retail and dining venues, including Central Fare, make up an expansive promenade just steps from two residential towers with more than 800 apartments collectively known as Park-Line Miami. This development by Florida East Coast Industries has delivered its entire office component including 3 MiamiCentral and 2 MiamiCentral, reimagining Miami’s Central Business District. Virgin MiamiCentral is a lifestyle destination for transit, dining, entertainment, living and business.

“We’re proud to have been recognized by ULI for the work we’re doing to create a car-free, carefree transportation solution in South Florida,” said Brightline President Patrick Goddard. “We saw a unique opportunity to advance transit-oriented development in South Florida, and we hope to do the same in other cities around the country.”