The company behind Miami-to-Orlando passenger train Brightline has a new milestone under its belt, with the second of five trains arriving in South Florida this week ahead of the project’s local debut this summer.
Trainset “BrightPink” embarked on its 3,000-mile journey from Siemens’ Sacramento, California facility to Brightline’s railroad operations center in West Palm Beach on Friday.
As of today, about 80 percent of the rail infrastructure improvements on the corridor between West Palm Beach and Miami are complete, said All Aboard Florida, the company behind Brightline. The last three trainsets that will round out the fleet are expected to be delivered in May.
Brightline is set to begin service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in late July. Miami-to-Fort Lauderdale trips will begin in August or September.
The second part of the project, which takes passengers between South Florida and Orlando International Airport, is about two-and-a-half years away from debuting, said Michael Reininger, executive director of Brightline parent company Florida East Coast Industries.
In the meantime, All Aboard Florida, based in Coral Gables, will concentrate on establishing a hospitality approach to its South Florida service, with former sports and entertainment industry executive Dave Howard at the helm. Howard was hired as CEO of Brightline last week, succeeding Reininger, who previously held the position.
Ticket fares, frequent rider passes and Brightline’s mobile application will be announced in the coming months.
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