BrightRed under way to Florida
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefBrightRed, the fifth and final higher-speed trainset for All Aboard Florida’s Brightline passenger rail service, has departed the Siemens USA plant in Sacramento, Calif., and is on its way to South Florida, traveling 3,052 miles across the southern U.S. via the Union Pacific and CSX through eight states (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida).
“The transcontinental journey is a milestone as it marks delivery of the final trainset for Brightline’s Phase 1 service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach,” said Brightline CEO Dave Howard. “The voyage of BrightRed across the U.S. is an exciting milestone as we gear up to launch service later this year. The five trainsets 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.”
BrightRed and its four siblings—BrightBlue, BrightOrange, BrightPink and BrightGreen—are built as integrated trainsets comprised of two Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives (one at each end) powered by Cummins 4,000-hp, EPA Tier 4-compliant QSK-95 engines, and four stainless-steel coaches. Among the passenger amenities are automatic level boarding platforms, aisles that exceed ADA compliance standards, comfortable leather seats with multiple outlets for devices, and complimentary Wi-Fi powered by multiple antennas on every car. David Rockwell of architecture and design firm Rockwell Group designed the interiors.
Upon arrival at Workshop b, Brightline’s 12-acre railroad operations facility in West Palm Beach, BrightRed will soon begin testing and commissioning.
Said Siemens Rolling Stock President Michael Cahill, “I salute the Brightline team for their innovative and courageous approach, and I am proud of the team of highly skilled employees in Sacramento and the suppliers across the nation for their significant contributions to this great American manufacturing success story.”
