ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline's bid to provide high-speed rail service along Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando has taken a step forward.

• FDOT gets Brightline proposal for Tampa-Orlando rail service
• Brightline is private high-speed rail service in South Florida
• Brightline to expand to Orlando airport in next few years
• RELATED:
  • 2 routes eyed for possible high-speed Orlando-Tampa route
  • Brightline passenger rail moves forward with Orlando expansion
  • Tampa group getting a firsthand look at South Florida high-speed rail
  • After deaths, warning signs to be posted at Brightline crossings

State transportation officials said Wednesday that Brightline was the only entity to submit paperwork in response to a June request for proposals to lease rights of way from the Florida Department of Transportation and the Central Florida Expressway Authority between Orlando and Tampa.

The lease would be for construction and operation of "an intercity passenger rail service," FDOT said.

A state selection committee is expected to meet November 28 to take up the proposal.

Brightline is a private intercity rail company that currently operates between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Parent company All Aboard Florida plans expand service to Orlando and Tampa in the next decade.

Brightline's high-speed rail service is expected to expand from the Treasure Coast to a new Intermodal Terminal Facility at Orlando International Airport in 2021. Phase 2 would then connect Tampa and Orlando. 

The price tag for service between Orlando and South Florida is an estimated $3 billion.