Construction and testing milestones for Florida’s Brightline

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Photo: Brightline.
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Florida’s new intercity rail operator, Brightline, celebrated the topping out of line’s West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale stations in the same month it completed initial testing of the first passenger locomotive.

On September 30, officials marked the completion of the core station building at West Palm Beach, as work now focuses on constructing the platforms, installing the roof and fitting the exterior glazing.

The station is due to open next spring, with services starting on the line later in the year.

Just a couple of weeks before, the organisation announced the topping out of the Fort Lauderdale station. On both occasions, a Brightline flag was raised to celebrate the milestone.

Phase one of the project includes new stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The line will later be extended north to Orlando.

The maintenance depot for the Brightline fleet is also located in West Palm Beach.

Earlier in the month, the first of Brightline’s five diesel-electric Charger locomotives successfully carried out initial track testing at Siemens’ factory in Sacramento. Approval has now been given to begin production of the other units.

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