Brightline named to TIME’s list of 100 most influential companies of 2024

ORLANDO, Fla. — TIME Magazine has named Miami-based rail service Brightline as one of the world’s 100 most influential companies of 2024.

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The list is an extension of their annual list of the world’s most influential people.

To assemble the list, TIME editors evaluated nominations across various sectors based on key factors, including impact, innovation, ambition, and success.

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The result is a diverse group of 100 businesses helping chart an essential path forward.

“The U.S. has long been a laggard when it comes to high-speed passenger rail,” TIME columnist Jared Lindzon writes. “Against the odds, Brightline is betting that fast trains traveling between Miami and Orlando, and Los Angeles and Las Vegas, can find plenty of passengers.”

Brightline officials describe the company’s blueprint as aiming to connect pairs of cities that are “too close to fly and too far to drive,”

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The high-speed rail service currently offers trips between Miami and Orlando, with additional stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach.

Brightline broke ground in April on “Brightline West,” which will connect Las Vegas to Southern California.

Brightlne West will run zero-emission, fully electric trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 220 miles per hour.

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“High-speed rail in America is long overdue,” Brightline Founder Wes Edens said in a statement, “But with the success of our Florida system and the development of Brightline West, we are establishing a blueprint for how to build high-speed rail around the country and setting the foundation for a new industry.”

See the full list of TIME’s 100 most influential companies here.

For more information about Brightline, click here.

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