High-speed trains begin making trip between Orlando and Miami

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A privately owned high-speed passenger train service has been launched between Florida’s two biggest tourist hubs. The Brightline train is a $5 billion bet by owner Fortress Investment Group that eventually 8 million people annually will make the 3.5-hour trip between Miami and Orlando. Friday’s launch was marred by the death of a pedestrian who was hit in South Florida on a section of track served by the new route. No deaths caused by Brightline trains have been found to be the railroad’s fault. Most have been suicides or pedestrians or drivers who tried to beat trains rather than wait.