Brightline suspends service

The coronavirus pandemic has taken Brightline off the tracks — for now anyway.

The final northbound train departed from Miami at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday.

The high-speed rail system is suspending service immediately, Brightline President Patrick Goddard said.

With no one knowing when service might resume, more than 250 Brightline employees lost their jobs Wednesday night, Brightline spokesman Mike Hicks said.

“Like all businesses, we are operating in a period of uncertainty which may last several months,” Goddard said. “Although a difficult decision, we have decided to temporarily suspend Brightline service in the best interest of the entire South Florida community as we all seek to flatten the curve.”

Ridership has also taken a hit, with the virus forcing many workers to stay home.

“We did see a drop-off in ridership,” Hicks said.

Ridership numbers were not immediately available Wednesday.

People who still want to take advantage of mass transit can turn to Tri-Rail. For updated service information, riders should check tri-rail.com or Twitter @Tri_Rail.

And Uber is still available though Uber Pool has been temporarily suspended.

Brightline will continue with its project to build a connection between Orlando and West Palm Beach.

“We are taking proactive measures with our phase two construction teams in order to keep people employed and continue construction between Orlando and West Palm Beach,” Goddard said. “As we look ahead toward the economic recovery of Florida, projects like Brightline will help create jobs and a transportation network that will be more important than ever.”