Light lines are diesel-electric high-speed rail systems in Florida, USA. It is being developed by All Aboard Florida, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries (FECI). The first phase connects Miami to West Palm Beach via an intercity express service, with stops in Fort Lauderdale. The full project is intended to connect Miami and South Florida to Orlando, which requires a new lane to the west from the shore.
Brightline opened for passenger service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on January 13, 2018, followed on May 19 with a southern extension to Miami. It is the only privately owned passenger train and operated in the United States.
Brightline is the first time a private company in the US has developed and operated an express passenger train system since 1983, when Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad stops Rio Grande Zephyr . The service will use the existing Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) corridor between Miami and Cocoa, while also building a 40-mile (64 km) long track along State Drive 528 corridor between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport. Brightline has announced its intention to expand to other cities once the initial phase is over.
With a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h), Brightline will eventually be tied to Amtrak Northeast Regional and Keystone Service , and the Penn Line MARC railway as the second. the fastest passenger train in North America, after Amtrak Acela Express .
Video Brightline
Origin and history
In March 2012, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) announced plans to operate a rail service between Miami and Orlando. The cost of all construction is projected to reach $ 1.5 billion. In March 2013, All Aboard Florida applied for Rehabilitation of Railways & amp; Improved Financing (RRIF) loan, which is managed by the Federal Railroad Administration. By the end of 2014, the company announced it has applied for a $ 1.75 billion private bond allocation, with proceeds from the sale of bonds substantially reducing or fully replacing the number of RRIF loan requests.
The Company received the Findings of No Significant Impact from the Federal Rail Administration in January 2013, effectively paving the way for work to start between Miami and West Palm Beach. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for full development services was released in September 2014, and a series of public commentary meetings were followed. The Final Environmental Impact Statement was released on 4 August 2015. In early 2015, the company has started field work at Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations, plus road improvements along the corridor.
The service between Miami and West Palm Beach starts on May 19, 2018, with services to Orlando projected beginning in 2021. On November 10, 2015, All Aboard Florida announced that the service would operate under the Brightline name.
Construction
Construction begins in Miami to the West Palm Beach section by laying new tracks and closing many temporary surfaces at the Central Government, Downtown Miami, in mid 2014. Initial work at Miami stations, such as site preparation and demolition, begins later in the year. Suffolk Construction is a general contractor for Miami stations. The pile is being set in four of MiamiCentral's lots in early 2015.
On October 29, 2014, work at the Fort Lauderdale station began with the demolition of existing buildings on the site. The groundbreaking ceremony for West Palm Beach station was held in November 2014. Moss & amp; Partners, from Fort Lauderdale, have been named general contractors for West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale stations.
In January 2015, the crew began to change lanes along the corridor. The system between Miami and West Palm Beach is projected to operate in the first quarter of 2018, and to Orlando by the end of 2020. All Aboard Florida secures the leasehold rights along the Beachline of the Central Florida Expressway Authority for $ 1.4 million by December 2015 of the contract, "understood and agreed" All Florida Ships will consider an extension to Jacksonville, Florida.
Phase 2 of construction including Orlando is behind the original schedule. Instead of early 2018, development may begin at the end of 2018. The sale of related bonds may require an extension of the deadline beyond May. Officials have moved the opening no earlier than January 2021.
Aperture
Brightline launched introductory service before January 7, 2018, although this path is not open to the public. Public operations between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale began Saturday, January 13.
The service between West Palm Beach and Miami starts on May 19th.
Crossing death
During the first six days of the operation, two people were killed on separate occasions, at the train crossing along the line, after they attempted to cross the rail while the gate descended.
During the first three months of the operation, four people were killed by the Brightline train when they crossed the track illegally, with an additional three people injured.
Maps Brightline
Engineering
Train speed
To cover the distance between Orlando and Miami in the desired time of about three hours, the Brightline train should operate at an overall average speed of 80 miles per hour (129 km/h), which is similar to the overall average speed of Acela Express operates in Northeast Corridor between New York City and Washington, DC For comparison, the estimated driving time for this distance is about four hours, with an average speed of 60 mph (97 km/h).
Train speeds reaching up to 79 mph (127 km/h) between Miami and West Palm Beach, will reach 110 mph (177 km/h) between West Palm Beach and Cocoa, and 125 mph (201Ã, km/h) between Cocoa and Airport Orlando International. In order to increase the speed limit from 79 mph (127 km/h) to 110 mph (177 km/h) between West Palm Beach and Cocoa, existing track conditions will be raised to meet the required federal standards.
Pre-existing Miami-Cocoa Corridor repairs
The project requires more than $ 1.5 billion in upgrades to the train corridor between Miami and Cocoa. The company conducts double tracking of corridors, improves signal systems, and enhances each grade crossings to meet the highest applicable safety standards set by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration. In January 2013, the Federal Railroad Administration issued Significant Impact Findings (FONSI) for the Miami-Kakao phase of the project, which effectively paved the way for work to start. Part of improving the safety of the corridor includes installing positive train control (PTC), which will enhance Brightline's ability to monitor and control the movement of trains safely.
Quiet zone
In response to residents' concerns about increased noise from additional horns, All Aboard Florida stated that they will work with local communities to implement a calm zone where possible. The federal law requires the request of a stationary zone to come from a local authority that has jurisdiction over a highway, not a railway company.
In August 2014, the company announced a partnership with the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization and Palm Beach to implement a quiet zone between the city of Hallandale Beach and 15th Street in West Palm Beach. In December 2014, the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization approved financing to build a quiet zone between PortMiami and the Miami-Dade County north line. The quiet zone was originally planned to be in place when Brightline became operational between Miami and West Palm Beach by the end of 2017. Brightline started service on January 11, 2018, but various delays in establishing the quiet zone have extended the dates in their service until around March.
On May 14, 2018, a zone of calm is in West Palm Beach, on Lake Worth on May 21, and in Boca Raton on May 30th. The "no car horn" area applies to Brightline's luggage and trains, although its horns may still be used in emergency situations.
Bridge
The FEC rail corridor includes a number of fixed-span bridges that will be replaced as part of the project. Most do not require a US Coastal Guard (USCG) permit because they do not reach placable waterways and the clearances will not change. Twelve other bridges - St. Johns River, Eau Gallie River, River St. Sebastian, Crane Creek, Turkey Creek, West Palm Beach Canal, Boynton Channel, Middle River (North and South Fork), Oleta River, Arch Creek and Hillsboro Canal - will require permission by USCG. In addition, the project requires significant investment and upgrading to three movable bridges: St. Lucie, Loxahatchee, and New River. This repair will ensure that the bridge mechanical system to raise and lower the bridge span is either fully upgraded or replaced. All Florida Ships have stated that, before becoming operational, it will begin to regularly inform seafarers about the closure of internet-scheduled bridges, smart phone applications and countdown boards on bridges to allow seafarers to have real-time information to reduce waiting times on each bridge. In addition, the company will place a tender bridge at the New River bridge.
Cocoa-Orlando
The proposed line between Cocoa and Orlando is the only segment that does not have the path or path owned by the FEC. Initially, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) believes it could accommodate building new tracks for the project within a precise distance of 300 feet BeachLine Expressway (91 m). However, it is stipulated that the right of the road is too narrow to accommodate paths, additional utility lines, and future road extensions. CFX started negotiations with Deseret Ranch, which owns the land south of BeachLine, to purchase additional land to expand the right road. According to an agreement made on July 16, 2013, CFX tentatively agreed to pay $ 12 million for an additional 200 feet (61 m) along the 22 mile (35 km) Beach corridor between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport. In early October 2013, CFX and All Aboard Florida reached an official purchase agreement for the land required for right-of-way. Although construction is scheduled to begin in early 2015, construction of this segment is now proposed to begin in 2018.
Also in October 2013, the Orlando Aviation Aviation Authority (GOAA) approved the construction of stations and maintenance facilities at Orlando International Airport property, as well as the ease of establishing a line between the station and the main line to the beach.
This segment of the proposed line will operate at speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h) and will meet the definition of the United States High Speed ​​Rail Code, which includes a "reasonably expected rail service to achieve sustained speed over 125 miles per hour ". The Congressional Research Service uses the term "higher" rail speed for top speeds of up to 150 mph (241 km/h).
Maintenance
All Aboard Florida built two maintenance facilities for their Brightline services. The first is the Repair Facility Ran, located north of West Palm Beach station at 601 15th Street, designed for maintenance and minor repair work that does not require a train to be removed from service. The 12-acre site has been under construction since at least January 2016. The land includes a vintage industrial building, which will be renovated for workshops. The facility, named "workshop b," will be capable of handling four sets of 10-car trains, and includes a maintenance pit for access to the bottom of the train. More extensive maintenance/repairs will take place on the second site near Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal
Services
Route
The route consists of the following stations, from north to south:
Schedule
Between seven and twelve round trips each day is offered between Miami and West Palm Beach, depending on Sunday. Although the corridor is divided by freight trains, some delays are expected because freight trains run on the FEC at relatively high speeds.
Brightline recently added a late Friday night service from Miami to West Palm Beach due to customer demand.
Ridership
Correspondents estimate from a daily count in the Spring of 2018 that the average passenger has reached about 30,000 per month during the introductory service from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale. The company itself announces that passengers are already triple than expected. Estimates provided for bond investors call for 240,000 passengers per month by 2020 that includes services to Miami. Fitch Ratings analysts said that the company could break even on 56% of their passenger forecasts.
Station
The three South Florida stations were designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in association with Zyscovich Architects. Rockwell Group designed the interior for all four stations.
Miami
Miami Station in the city center, known as MiamiCentral (not to be confused with Miami Central Station near Miami International Airport), stretches nine acres located east of Miami-Dade County Hall and covers 3 million square feet of mixed-use development with residential, office and commercial, and retail concourse. This station connects Brightline with Metrorail, Metromover, County buses, and the Miami City tram system. The new Brightline Station officially connects the following transit modes: 2 Metrorail stations, 2 Metromover stations, Metrobus, and Tri-Rail stations in the future. It enhances connection to activities and tourist destinations, including Performing Arts Center, Bayside Market, and Bayfront Park. Service to Miami starts on May 19, 2018.
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale Station is located on NW 2nd Avenue between Broward Boulevard and NW 4th Street. The four-acre station site has stations and platforms covering 60,000 square feet (5,574 m 2 ). Brightline train service in Ft. Lauderdale connects to the Sun Trolley system and Broward County Transit. Brightline also has approximately three hectares of land east of the corridor of the East Coast of Florida Train, where there are plans to build transit-oriented development.
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach Station is located between Datura and Evernia Streets and west of the Quadrille. The two-acre station site has 60,000 square feet (and 5,574 m 2 ) stations and platforms connected to the neighborhood network, trolley and pedestrian and connect with Tri-Rail, Palm Tran Downtown Trolley and Amtrak West Palm Beach station.
Orlando
Orlando Station will be included as part of the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal currently under construction at Orlando International Airport. At the terminal, Brightline services are expected to connect to the future of SunRail's commuter rail system, and possibly to the proposed rail links to the International Drive and Orlando Convention Center areas.
Technical
Rolling stock
In September 2014, All Aboard Florida announced the order of five Siemens trainsets. Each set of Brightline trains initially consists of four passenger trainers, with SCB-40 diesel-electric locomotives at each end. The coach, with an interior designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group, has ergonomic seating, Wi-Fi, boarding level, and compliance ADA compliance standards. Each trainset has 240 passengers. Working with All Aboard Florida, the LAB also composes the Brightline, brand platform, and visual identity. All trainsets, including passenger cars, are manufactured by Siemens at a solar power plant in Florin, California. Once the route to Orlando operates, the trainsets will be expanded into seven trainers, and five complete trainsets will be purchased. The first of five trains departs the Siemens plant on December 8, 2016, and arrives in West Palm Beach on December 14th. The last train arrived in South Florida in October 2017.
Brightline offers two classes of services: "Select" and "Smart," with one and three trainers available on each train, respectively. "Choose" offers 2x1 and four-to-table seating with 50-inch (530 mm) sized chairs per car and free snacks and drinks, while a slightly cheaper "Smart" fare trains 66 seats with 19- inch narrower (480 mm) wide-seat, with snacks and drinks available for purchase. Each trainset can accommodate 240 passengers.
Future expansion
Brevard County is lobbying for Brightline stops as part of its expansion into Orlando and elsewhere, as the line will pass through the area. The Coastal Space Transport Planning Organization has selected a site on Clearlake Road in Cocoa as a proposal for Brightline. Brightline has announced its intention to expand into other areas when the initial phase is completed. Jacksonville is an expansion destination, because the Florida East Coast Railway already has tracks running there. Brightline officials point out that the Tampa Bay Area is also a desirable future location, even though the current infrastructure does not exist.
See also
- Transportation in Florida
- Transportation in South Florida
- Florida high speed train
References
External links
- Official website
- All Aboard Florida - Miami to Orlando Passenger Rail Service - Federal Railroad Administration
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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