More woes for Branson as train operator ends partnership

Monday, 12 Aug, 2020 0

The partnership between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and private Florida train operator Brightline has gone off the rails.

In a monthly report Brightline announced an end to the partnership without giving any specifics.

"Virgin no longer has any affiliation with us, our parents or its affiliate," Brightline said.

The report hinted that it may not have been a mutual decision, as Virgin ‘disputed the validity of the termination notice.’

The companies teamed up to rebrand the business to Virgin Trains USA via a 20-year licensing agreement.

It is another blow for Virgin which has been heavily impacted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Virgin airlines in the UK and Australia are going through restructuring and Virgin’s high-profile cruise line startup still hasn’t launched because of the pandemic.

Brightline is the first fully private railroad service in the US for decades and operates between Miami and West Palm Beach.

Despite the pandemic, an extension to Orlando is expected to be completed on time by late 2022.

Written by Ray Montgomery, US editor

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TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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