Brightline Charger and interior passenger car pic released

[Brian_Tampa]

On Brightline's website their twitter feed has several links to photos showing their first Charger locomotive and an interior pic from a coach car, might be business class.

https://mobile.twitter.com/bio561/status/740260380279078912

https://mobile.twitter.com/bio561/status/740264669361770496/photo/1

More news and pics are to be released tomorrow regarding the trainsets.

[Brian_Tampa]

The pics came from the Palm Beach Post reporter out there. Seems there was a media event held of sorts.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/business/all-aboard-florida-brightline-unveils-its-passenge/nrb9j/

[tpot]

Very cool pics! Miami Central is progressing nicely, already have tenants for office space and the Voltaggio brothers will anchor the food hall.

[spuwho]

The Siemens Chargers for Illinois and California were displayed last week and I gotta say, the front end for the Brightline models look better.

Just remember that right after they are built they are taken out to Pueblo, Colorado to get certified at the TRC. So while we will wonder where they will go since stations are still being built, they have to validate the PTC controls, dynamics at speed, shake out any rattles and pass the Ocklawaha white glove test, before they can cross the Florida state line.

[spuwho]

Per Trains Newswire:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2016/06/09-brightline-unveil

Brightline first impressions
All Aboard Florida, Siemens executives show off new passenger equipment


Even the Amtrak CEO was impressed

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mike Reininger says there is one guiding concept behind making Brightline successful: "In order to make money, you have to address customer needs head-on."

The wisdom came during a tour this week hosted by Reininger, who is president of All Aboard Florida's Brightline passenger service, and Siemens Rolling Stock President and CEO Michael Cahill. Siemens is building the stainless steel trainsets and Charger locomotives that Brightline is expected to begin operating in June 2017. The equipment is being fabricated and assembled at Siemens Rolling Stock's sprawling Sacramento facility, where stainless steel carbody production takes place in a newly constructed building.

Reininger says that a "maniacal attention to detail" initially created some friction between engineers tasked with design and his marketing, mechanical, and operations people. Brightline employees, Reininger says, are eager to create a truly different transportation product that avoided "we've always done it this way" train travel legacies.

Doing something different is little surprise coming from Brightline, which will be the first private, intercity passenger train service in the U.S. operating on its own right-of-way in decades. Plans show Brightline running from Miami to West Palm Beach, Fla., in a year and on to Orlando International Airport in a few years once a terminal and tracks are complete.



Judging from the Brightline cars and locomotives on display, the collaborators were able to overcome any differences. Among the innovations on display:

•Hidden couplers. Two Charger locomotives will be used initially, one at each end of a four-car trainset. The trainset will be expanded up to 10 cars when service is extended to Orlando. Because of quick-turn bi-directional operation, the couplers can be hidden behind a shroud, just as some early streamlined steam and diesel locomotives did to wow potential customers.

•Doorway extenders. Bode North America of Spartanburg, N.C., has designed a bridge plate on each car that extends to a high-level platform when the train stops. This eliminates the gap while facilitating full-length level boarding for big suitcases, strollers, and the heaviest powered wheelchairs.

•Wide aisles. Both 2+2 "Smart" seating and the 2+1 "Select" business class cars have center aisles and end-car vestibules wide enough to accommodate all of the above items. This allows travelers with disabilities to avoid being confined to a limited space.

Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman saw the Brightline cars in early June when attending an event marking delivery of the final ACS-64 locomotive and remarked on the new equipment.

"I'm not going to sell for Siemens, but I was tremendously impressed with what they are doing with coaches that they are building for All Aboard Florida — they are [accessible for people with disabilities] moving anywhere in the coach and the train — I'm very, very interested in that," Boardman said.

Reininger won't divulge the total outlay that the Florida East Coast subsidiary is making, but he says that of the $1 billion investment for "the first installment," which also includes double tracking, positive train control signaling, and stations, "the biggest component is the trainsets."

[thelakelander]

I stopped by the Brightline stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach this weekend. Pretty impressive. I'll have a full spread on Modern Cities later this week with more images and renderings of what's proposed at each stop (including Orlando's). In the meantime, here's two interesting pics:

[spuwho]

Looking forward to it.