Brightline Holdings has appointed former Eurostar chief executive Nicolas Petrovic as chief executive officer, effective January 2026. Petrovic succeeds Michael Reininger, who moves to managing director and board member of Brightline West, where he will oversee delivery of the Las Vegas–Southern California high-speed rail project.
Petrovic will be based in Miami and will lead Brightline’s Florida passenger operations. Patrick Goddard and Sarah Watterson remain in their executive roles at Brightline Florida and Brightline West respectively.
Alongside the CEO change, Brightline Holdings named Mauricio Anderson as chief financial officer for Brightline Holdings and its subsidiaries excluding Brightline West. Anderson replaces Jeff Swiatek, who has left the company. Anderson previously served as CFO of Florida East Coast Industries, an indirect parent of Brightline. Bruce Snyder has been promoted from deputy CFO to CFO of Brightline West.
Petrovic brings more than 25 years of rail sector experience across Europe and the Middle East. He joined Eurostar in 2003 and served as chief executive from 2010 to 2018, overseeing operations across the UK, France and Belgium, fleet renewal programmes and the launch of services to the Netherlands.
After leaving Eurostar, Petrovic was chief executive of Siemens France between 2018 and 2021, leading mobility, infrastructure and digital businesses. Most recently, he served as CEO of Etihad Rail Mobility, the operator and developer of the United Arab Emirates’ national railway network.
Reininger will now focus exclusively on Brightline West, a 218-mile, all-electric high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California. The project carries an estimated cost of EUR 19bn (USD 21bn) and includes stations in Las Vegas, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Rancho Cucamonga, with planned operating speeds of up to 200 mph.
Brightline Florida has operated private intercity passenger services since 2018, currently linking Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
