The Miami-to-Orlando trains keep running, and a $490 million deal is backing the restructuring. But the long-promised rail link to Disney Springs is still stuck at the station.
Brightline’s trains are still running. Its parent companies, though, are in bankruptcy court.
Certain Brightline parent entities filed prearranged Chapter 11 cases in New Jersey on Sept. 25, per Central Florida Public Media. The company is carrying about $5.5 billion in debt. A group of stakeholders has committed $490 million in new long-term money to keep it moving, and a bankruptcy judge still has to sign off.
The operating company, Brightline Trains Florida, did not file. The Miami-to-Orlando service keeps running as normal.
“This is a financial restructuring that is not expected to impact operations,” said Nicolas Petrovic, CEO of the Brightline Train Development affiliate, in the company’s announcement.
Is Brightline still running between Orlando and Miami?
Yes. Nothing about the schedule changes.
Brightline runs 32 trains a day on its 235-mile route between Miami and Orlando International Airport, per Disney Tourist Blog. The Orlando leg opened in late September 2023, so the filing landed almost exactly on its third birthday.
The company says business is growing. Revenue is up 17 percent and ridership is up 14 percent through the first eight months of 2026, per Brightline. It hit about 3 million yearly riders in 2025, a number it originally projected for 2020, per Central Florida Public Media.
“Today’s agreement brings $490 million in new long-term capital to Brightline from the stakeholders who know this business, and it comes at a time of real momentum,” said Patrick Goddard, CEO of Brightline Florida.
Why did Brightline file for bankruptcy?
Too much debt for the fares coming in.
Brightline borrowed more than $6 billion to build and run the Florida line, per Central Florida Public Media. It has lost more than $2 billion since 2017. Revenue grew from $87.6 million in 2023 to $214 million in 2025, which covers the day-to-day bills but doesn’t touch the principal.
Tom Bricker of Disney Tourist Blog, who says he’s rooting for the train, wasn’t shocked. “Bankruptcy always felt like a likely outcome,” he wrote on Sept. 25, adding that the deal looks like it will “actually strengthen Brightline’s future prospects.”
Most of the existing bonds stay in place with no cut to the principal, per Brightline.
Does Brightline stop at Disney World?
No. It stops at Orlando International Airport, and that’s the problem for Disney fans.
To get from the Brightline station at MCO to a Disney hotel, you still need a car, a rideshare or Mears Connect. Bricker said that’s why his own family skipped the train on a recent trip to Miami and did a one-way rental instead. “Not cost or travel time, but convenience,” he wrote.
Brightline once had a deal for a Disney Springs station. Brightline later moved its planned Orlando-to-Tampa route closer to International Drive, and Disney said that path didn’t work for a Disney Springs stop.
What happened to the Disney Springs train station?
It’s now tied to a different plan called the Sunshine Corridor, and that plan hasn’t moved much.
In 2024, Walt Disney World said it was open to a SunRail commuter station at Disney Springs as part of a shared rail corridor with stops at the airport, the Orange County Convention Center and South International Drive.
“We have long been open to discussions around the proposed SunRail expansion to Disney Springs,” a Disney spokesperson said then.
The Disney Springs station alone was projected at $173 million to $247 million. The whole corridor would run at least $4 billion, mostly from local, state and federal money. SunRail’s board approved a two-year, $6 million study on April 24, 2025, and the City of Orlando has set aside $100 million if the project gets a green light, per DTB.
That’s where it sits. Bricker’s best guess for a train you can ride to Disney Springs is sometime in the 2030s.
Brightline still lists Tampa and a Cocoa station among its growth plans, per the company. For now, the train ends at the airport, and the last few miles to the Magic Kingdom are on you.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Brightline (Sept. 25, 2026, company announcement), the restructuring terms, growth figures and executive quotes
Central Florida Public Media (Sept. 25, 2026), the New Jersey filing, debt load, revenue history and ridership
Disney Tourist Blog (Sept. 25, 2026), Tom Bricker’s analysis, the Disney Springs station history and Sunshine Corridor costs
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