By TERRY SPENCER and DANIEL KOZIN
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) __ The first big test of whether privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday when Florida`s Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of 125 mph (200 kph).

It`s a $5 billion bet Brightline`s owner, Fortress Investment Group, is making, believing that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235- mile (378-kilometer) trip between the state`s biggest tourist hubs __ about 30 minutes less than the average drive between the two cities. The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first- class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.

Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains the 70 miles (112 kilometers) between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century. It`s also building a line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas that it hopes to open in 2027 with trains that will reach 190 mph (305 kph). The only other U.S. high-speed line is Amtrak`s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., which began in 2000. Amtrak is owned by the federal government.

"This is a pretty important moment, whether you're thinking about it in the context of the state of Florida or what it might mean for these kinds of products as they develop elsewhere in the United States,`` Brightline CEO Mike Reininger said in a recent interview. "The idea that my car is the only way for me to get where I need to go is being challenged by a new product. A new product that's safer, that's greener, that is a great value proposition (and) it's fun. "

The Florida trains, which run on biodiesel, will travel up to 79 mph (127 kph) in urban areas, 110 mph (177 kph) in less-populated regions and 125 mph (200 kph) through central Florida's farmland. Brightline plans possible extensions to Tampa and Jacksonville.

John Renne, director of Florida Atlantic University`s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions, said the Miami-Orlando corridor is a perfect spot for high-speed rail __ about 40 million Floridians and visitors make the trip annually, with more than 90% of them driving.

If Brightline succeeds that could lead to more high-speed lines between major cities 200 to 300 miles (320 to 480 kilometers) apart, both by Brightline and competitors, he said.

"It is quite exciting for South Florida to kind of be a test bed for what could be seen as a new paradigm for transportation, particularly high-speed rail transportation, in the United States," Renne said.

Because Brightline is privately owned and seeking a profit, it was more sensitive to getting the project completed quickly to save money. On the government side, Renne pointed to California's effort to build a high-speed rail system. Approved by voters in 2008, it isn't near fruition, has already cost billions more than expected and its prospects for completion are uncertain as finding a route through mountains is proving difficult and politicians added dubious side projects. Brightline began planning in 2012.

Brightline`s development has suffered setbacks, though. COVID-19 shut down the Miami-West Palm Beach line for 17 months.