Sept. 28, 2026: Seventeen Brightline Florida-related entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday in Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Brightline Trains Florida secured $490 million of new long term capital, including $140 million of additional senior debt and $350 million of new junior debt, according to a Sept. 25 press release.
Trains will continue to run. “This transaction will be a catalyst for further growth in ridership and revenue,” Brightline Florida CEO Patrick Goddard said in a statement. “We are grateful to our creditors, advisors, vendors, teammates, and guests for their confidence throughout this process, and we look forward to the bright future ahead.”
[Brightline has been the only completely private daily passenger railway to begin operations in the US in many decades. However, the line has dozens of level crossings, and Florida drivers have ignored signs and warnings at them, resulting in over 200 deaths, and many service delays.]
