USA: The first stainless steel coach bodyshell for All Aboard Florida’s Brightline project has been completed at Siemens’ Sacramento plant in California.
Siemens is to supply an initial five four-car trainsets with a capacity of 240 passengers, which will be top-and-tailed by Siemens Charger diesel locomotives.
Siemens said it was employing ‘first-of-its-kind’ technology for the more than 50 000 spot welds on ‘the only car body with a flat sidewall of this type in the US market.’ More than 70 employees worked on the 26 m long shell, and Siemens undertook a workforce development and training initiative with community colleges and the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency to develop the necessary skills.
Meanwhile, the first concrete foundations have been poured for the depot in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Siemens will maintain the trains. Construction is also underway on the future stations at Miami Central, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
AAF plans to launch Miami – West Palm Beach services in mid-2017, and Miami – Orlando later the same year.
- A feature article about All Aboard Florida appeared in the October 2015 issue of Railway Gazette International, which subscribers can access in the digital archive.
