FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – People trying to reserve a seat on Florida's new high-speed passenger train system had their hopes derailed Thursday.
Within hours of announcing that its introductory service would begin Saturday, Brightline's website malfunctioned, preventing prospective passengers from booking trips on the new trains.
Brightline attributed the glitch to "overwhelming excitement."
"We have temporarily suspended booking rides where train times are displaying as 'sold out' while we work through the kinks," according to a statement on the website.
Brightline is scheduled to begin service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach this weekend.
A one-way ticket will cost $10 for its coach class "smart service" and $15 for its business class "select service," Brightline announced Thursday.
Seniors, active military members and veterans will receive a 10 percent discount, while children 12 and under will receive a 50 percent discount.
The introductory service will have 10 daily roundtrips during the weekdays and nine on the weekends. Trains will depart as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. Brightline said the trip between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach will take about 35 minutes.
Brightline said anyone having trouble purchasing tickets online can use the kiosks at the stations.
Service to Miami is expected in the coming months. Trains will eventually travel between Orlando and Miami, but a date for the Orlando leg of the service hasn't been determined.