Brightline’s fifth train on way to West Palm
With service expected to start by the end of the year, All Aboard Florida’s Brightline announced Wednesday that its fifth and final train is on its way to West Palm Beach.
The company’s BrightRed train, named for the coloring on its passenger cars, left a Siemens manufacturing plant in California on Tuesday. It will travel 3,052 miles of rail before arriving in West Palm Beach in the coming days.
“The voyage of BrightRed across the U.S. is an exciting milestone as we gear up to launch service later this year,” Brightline CEO Dave Howard said. “The five train sets represent thousands of hours of dedication from the Brightline teammates who designed and oversaw the assembly to the 1,000 people who built them in California and the 40 suppliers throughout the country that manufactured components.”
Brightline will use five trains to run the first phase of its service between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Eventually the company plans to expand service north to Orlando, requiring additional trains and passenger cars. Work on the second phase of the project has not begun.
The company’s four other trains — BrightBlue, BrightPink, BrightOrange and BrightGreen — are being housed at Brightline’s repair yard on 15th Street in West Palm Beach.
Each train has two diesel-electric locomotives and four stainless-steel coaches and can seat 240 passengers.
Brightline officials have touted the service’s innovative features, saying they will help persuade South Florida residents, business travelers and tourists to ditch their cars and instead ride the train.
Among the innovations: Plugs and USB jacks at every seat, free onboard WiFi and “super wide” aisles that span 32 inches, wider than on any other train. The extra room will allow passengers in wheelchairs and those with strollers to reach their seats with ease, the company has said.
The train’s restrooms are large and “touchless,” a feature that allows passengers to flush with a wave of their hand. The sinks include a Dyson faucet that dispenses water and dries hands, helping to keep water from dripping on the floor.
The seats, which measure 21 inches or 19 inches wide depending on passenger class, recline in place. The bottom cushion slides down and out, as opposed to the back of the chair — a feature that allows passengers to recline without invading the space of the person behind them.
Train cars also have a variety of seating options, including groups of four chairs centered around a table with built in charging stations for families and business travelers.