Siemens ships two more Brightline trains

Two of Brightline's new trainsets late last week departed the Siemens' rolling stock plant in Sacramento, Calif.

Dubbed BrightGreen and BrightBlue, the new units are en route to Brightline's 12-acre railroad operations facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. They follow the arrival of the privately funded passenger railroad's two other trains, BrightBlue and BrightPink.

The new trains are expected to arrive at the facility this week. The fifth and final trainset, BrightRed, is being completed at Siemens and expected to ship mid-June, Brightline officials said in a press release.

The trains feature automatic level boarding platforms and aisles that exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi and outlets to charge personal devices.

In late July, Brightline will open its introductory express service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Service to Miami will be added in late August, with a grand opening and official launch of the full service in September.

"Our Florida team looks forward to welcoming BrightGreen and BrightOrange to their new home as we continue with preparations to launch our service this summer," said Brightline Chief Executive Officer Dave Howard.

To learn more about Brightline's prep work for the launch, read this article in Progressive Railroading's April issue.