Brightline train makes colorful debut

WEST PALM BEACH — South Florida got a look at the future Wednesday with the unveiling of the first state-of-the-art Brightline train set, designed to zip passengers between Miami and Orlando at up to 125 mph.

The more than $3 billion, privately funded passenger service will feature five color-themed express trains with wide seats, wide aisles, electrical outlets at every seat, Wi-Fi and a retractable ramp to bridge the gap between the doors and station platforms.

The Federal Railroad Administration has approved test runs next week for this first train, named BrightBlue. Tests will take place on 9 miles of track from Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach through Lake Worth and into Lantana.

The practice runs are designed to gauge the performance of the train, the tracks and the computerized sensors that activate the railroad crossing signals.

Brightline this summer will begin running between its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations. The line is scheduled

“... more reliable, more comfortable and more convenient ... Brightline President Mike Reininger ”

to run through Cocoa to Orlando by 2019.

The train will reach top speeds of 79 mph between Miami and West Palm Beach, 110 mph to Cocoa, and 125 mph between Cocoa and Orlando.

It will take 30 minutes to get from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and another 30 minutes to West Palm Beach. The entire trip from Miami to Orlando will take three hours, compared with four hours by car or bus, Brightline officials said.

Each train will have at least three Smart Coaches with nearly 50 seats and one Select Coach with 58 to 66 seats in different configurations. More coaches can be added as needed.

“The idea is to make something more reliable, more comfortable and more convenient than your alternatives,” Brightline President Mike Reininger said.

Ticket pricing has not been revealed but will be flexible based on distance traveled, parking arrangements, food, pet transport and other amenities.

Construction of the 489-foot-long, 137.5-ton, 4,000-horsepower train began in July 2015 with components from 40 suppliers in 20 states, officials said.

The two diesel-electric engines and four passenger coaches were towed by freight engines 3,052 miles from the Siemens USA plant in Sacramento, Calif. They arrived in West Palm Beach in mid-December.

Martin and Indian River counties have filed federal lawsuits to try to block the Brightline service for environmental, economic and quality-of-life reasons. And the marine industry in Broward County filed suit Monday to try to prevent the 12-day closure of the New River bridge for Brightline renovations.

If the lawsuits bother Reininger, he’s not showing it.

“From the beginning, we’ve had an incredible resolve based on our belief in the importance of what we’re doing,” he said. “It’s that resolve that gets us up in the morning to tackle the challenges that come at us.”

MIKE STOCKER/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Leiner with Brightline gives a tour of the undercarriage of the train called BrightBlue.

PHOTOS BY MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The first of five Brightline train sets is unveiled in West Palm Beach. It had been tucked away at All Aboard Florida’s maintenance facility since December.