US passenger train company drops Virgin as partner The partnership between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and the private Florida passenger train service Brightline is overFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The partnership between Richard Branson's Virgin Group and the private Florida passenger train service Brightline has ended with a whimper, less than two years after it was celebrated with Branson's typical pizzazz. Brightline announced in a monthly report that it has ended its affiliation with the Virgin Group and will halt its rebranding to Virgin Trains USA. It ended its Virgin Trains UK service in December after a 22-year run. For Brightline, the first private passenger train service in the U.S. to launch in a century, the partnership was seen as a way to grab an internationally recognizable name plus a small, undisclosed investment. For Virgin, the partnership would give it a toehold in the U.S. passenger train market as it sought to expand its American holdings with a cruise line and hotels.

Source: ABC News August 10, 2020 15:45 UTC