Boca Raton station is an

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

station in

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It is served by

Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an inter-city rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad ...

(which codes the station as BOC in routing), which connects

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Aventura,

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

, and by 2023,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

. The station is located near

Mizner Park Mizner Park is a high-end shopping, residential, and entertainment district located in the affluent downtown neighborhood of Boca Raton, FL. The district consists of a collection of high-end shops and restaurants with luxury apartments built in a ...

, right next to the

Boca Raton Public Library The Boca Raton Public Library consist of two library facilities serving the residents of the incorporated area of Boca Raton, Florida. The City of Boca Raton, incorporated in 1925, is one of the largest and the southernmost city in Palm Beach C ...

, and is 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m²) on a 1.8-acre site. It was opened on December 21, 2022.

History

In 2019, Mayor Scott Singer of Boca Raton pitched the idea to Brightline about adding a station in Boca Raton because of its

key market Key markets are markets that are essential for extending a company's market position, its economic growth and its globalization in a sustainable way. The concept is necessarily not a sharp one, rather, it may depend on company-specific cost-ef ...

. Brightline considered the opportunity and decided to send a letter to the city of

about the possibility of adding their city as an

infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train serv ...

along the Florida route. Brightline proposed constructing the station and rail infrastructure while the city would cover access and zoning requirements and costs. In December 2019, the Boca Raton City Council approved the station site, which was a former

community garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plo ...

next to the Boca Raton Public Library. In September 2020, the city was awarded a $16 million grant from the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

to be used toward the construction of the station and related infrastructure. A portion of the grant would fund the construction of a 455-car parking garage that accommodates both Brightline passengers and patrons of the neighboring public library. Construction of the garage commenced in December 2021 and was completed in the fourth quarter of 2022. Construction of the actual station itself commenced on January 25, 2022, accompanied by an official

groundbreaking ceremony Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

hosted by Brightline's president, Patrick Goddard.Groundbreaking ceremony held for new Brightline Florida station
''

International Railway Journal The ''International Railway Journal'' (IRJ) is a monthly international trade magazine published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing in Falmouth, England. History Founded by Robert Lewis and ''Railway Age'' editor Luther Miller as the world's first ...

'' January 26, 2022 A

ribbon-cutting ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

was held a day before the station's opening date, and it opened to the public on December 21, 2022, taking less than a year to complete the station.

References

{{Brightline rail Brightline stations Buildings and structures in Boca Raton, Florida Florida East Coast Railway Railway stations in the United States opened in 2022 Transportation buildings and structures in Palm Beach County, Florida