Brightline Will Run a One-Night Midnight Train Home From Halloween Horror Nights to South Florida, With a Free Shuttle From Universal

For South Florida fans, a Halloween Horror Nights trip usually ends with a long drive home in the middle of the night. For one night this year, there is another option. Brightline is running a special midnight train to carry Horror Nights fans back south, Orlando Weekly reported on Friday, October 16.

The train leaves at 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. In other words, it is the ride home after Saturday, October 24, the last Saturday before Halloween. Halloween itself falls on a Saturday this year, so this is the night a week earlier, not Halloween night.

The Halloween Horror Nights 35 carnival gate at Universal Studios Florida. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

How it works

According to Orlando Weekly:

• The train: one night only, departing at 12:15 a.m. on October 25.
• The stops: West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami.
• Getting to it: Brightline will run a free one-way shuttle from Universal Orlando to the Brightline Orlando station at Orlando International Airport's Terminal C. The shuttle only goes from the park to the station, not the other way.
• On board: free spooky snacks, sleep masks and discounted drinks.
• Booking: Brightline says riders should look for the "Late-Night Train Icon" on Sunday, October 25 when picking their itinerary.

The plan has been around for a little while. A Porthole roundup of Brightline fall trips, published October 7, mentioned that "a special midnight train is also scheduled for October 24," but Orlando Weekly's report is the first we have seen lay out the stops, the shuttle and the booking details.

What we do not know yet

Neither report gives a fare for the late train, an arrival time in Miami, or the shuttle's pickup point and times, and neither says whether you need an HHN ticket to ride. Brightline's own website blocked our attempts to read its event pages, so check the booking screen for the details before you plan around it.

Since the shuttle runs one way only, you will need your own way to Universal on the trip up.

Jack the Clown, one of this year's Ringmasters of Terror. Image: Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook

About Brightline's bankruptcy news

If you saw headlines about Brightline and bankruptcy, Orlando Weekly notes that the parent companies filed for Chapter 11 protection in late September. Brightline Trains Florida LLC, which runs the passenger trains, is not part of that filing, and Orlando Weekly reports the company says trains will keep running normally during the restructuring.

Halloween Horror Nights 35 runs on select nights through November 1. Would you trade the late-night drive home for a sleep mask and a train seat?

Sources

• Orlando Weekly, "Brightline runs midnight train from Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights for one night only" (October 16, 2026)
• Porthole, "Brightline Offers Easy Access to Florida Fall Events" (October 7, 2026)

Image credits: Universal Orlando Resort (gate photo); Halloween Horror Nights/Facebook, via Orlando Weekly (Jack the Clown).