ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline announced it has finished all the railway construction leading into Orlando.

The company is now one step closer to connecting Miami to the City Beautiful via rail. It unveiled the Orlando station at MCO in April, just before tickets went on sale.  

This week marked a major milestone for Brightline as officials work out the finishing touches before accepting passengers at the train station. Brightline has now completed construction on more than 170 miles of new track, according to the company.

Though tickets are currently on sale for departures to Miami beginning Sept. 1, a spokeswoman for the company says they hope to open sooner. Right now, the timing hinges on how quickly the train system can pass regulatory tests.

“To be able to connect South Florida to Central Florida with high-speed inner-city passenger rail in just a few weeks is exciting,” said Katie Mitzner, director of Public Affairs at Brightline.

The Orlando station is phase two of a larger master plan to connect Florida from coast to coast, Mitzner said. Once trains depart from Orlando, the company plans to shift focus to their route going in and out of Tampa.

“Our goal is to connect city pairs that we say are ‘too close to fly, and too far to drive.’ And for any of us who have driven between Orlando and Tampa, we know that to be the case,” she said.

Mayors from across the state will attend a ceremony at the new station Wednesday afternoon.