Initial services were launched between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale on January 13 2018, before extending services to Miami in May 2018 and ramping up the frequency to almost hourly in August 2018. Brightline operated more than 8000 services, carried 16,984 children and 1540 pets and hosted passengers from 41 states and 34 countries. The company is currently developing a line from West Palm Beach north to Orlando, and is in discussions to develop a second route from Orlando to Tampa as well as a line from southern California to Las Vegas. Brightline announced on November 16 2018 that it would be renamed Virgin Trains USA after signing a strategic partnership and trademark licensing agreement with the Virgin Group, before filing a prospectus with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on November 16 in preparation for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. “We’re beyond excited to celebrate Brightline’s birthday with our teammates and guests who have been part of this special journey,” says Brightline president, Mr Patrick Goddard. “Our first year of operation was trail-blazing, and the future only gets brighter from here.” For a full interview with Goddard, see the January issue of IRJ (p 48).