A BEHIND-SCENES LOOK AT BRIGHTLINE’S BASECAMP:FLORIDA’S STATE-OF-THE-ART TRAIN MAINTENANCE FACILITY

ORLANDO, FL - Today, Brightline, the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America, showcased Basecamp, its 135,805 sq. ft. state-of-the-art train maintenance facility in Orlando. The $100 million facility, the most advanced in the region, sits on 62-acres south of Orlando International Airport and has begun commissioning new Brightline trains and servicing existing trains. It will ramp up to a 24/7 operation when Brightline opens its Orlando station this year and will employ 175 highly skilled workers including engineers, conductors, technicians and inspectors.

 

In recognition of the facility’s upcoming commencement of full service, President Patrick Goddard, Executive President Infrastructure Michael Cegelis and Vice President/Chief Mechanical Officer Tom Rutkowski led a behind-the-scenes tour of the vast facility and discussed the operations related to the facility.

 

“Today we welcome you to the most advanced train maintenance facility in the Southeast and I would venture to say the country - Brightline’s Basecamp,” shared Goddard as he welcomed members of the media to tour the site. This impressive facility was developed by Brightline and is an essential component to our service from Miami to Orlando launching this year.”

Brightline’s Basecamp is a world-class facility the length of two football fields, featuring cutting-edge technology, including:

• Truck Shop: where coach and locomotive trucks can be disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt for additional use
• Drop Table: a 25-foot deep drop table that operates between the heavy maintenance track and the truck shop and can swap out trucks quickly to get trains back into service
• Parts Warehouse: an 11,000 sq. ft., 3-story tall parts shop
• Wheel True Facility: where wheels are cut or “trued” back to their original profile allowing for maximum ride quality and performance
• Two Fueling Islands and a Sand Island: an 80,000 gallon biodiesel fuel farm
• Train Wash Facility: can wash a 4 coach train and two locomotives in 15 minutes, using 75 percent recycled water

The facility will also have:

• The ability to service up to 16 trains at one time in its undercarriage pits
• Multiple overhead cranes, including a 30-ton crane capable of removing 30,000 pound engines
• Storage tracks that extend the length of more than two football fields

“This world-class facility has everything under one roof to maintain our trains, will provide highly paid highly skilled jobs to the region and will be a bustling hub for train maintenance, maintaining eight of our 10 trains here nightly,” shared Cegelis during the briefing. “Currently we are more than 90 percent complete with our construction to Orlando and once completed, we will follow a rigorous certification and verification process. We are closer than ever to connect Florida with high-speed rail.”

 

As construction continues, Brightline recently made history as the fastest train in Florida, reaching speeds of 130 mph during testing between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa, Fla. Opening this year, the Orlando Station will revolutionize train travel in America and continue Brightline’s vision of offering a guest-first travel experience connecting two of the most congested city pairs in the nation, whisking passengers between South and Central Florida in about three hours.

 

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About Brightline

Brightline is the only private provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity passenger rail service in America. The company currently serves Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach in Florida, with its Orlando station beginning service in 2023. Recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in travel, Brightline offers a guest-first experience designed to reinvent train travel and take cars off the road by connecting city pairs and congested corridors that are too close to fly and too long to drive. Brightline West will build on this award-winning service by connecting Las Vegas and Southern California, with stations in Las Vegas, Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga, and connectivity to Metrolink’s regional rail network. For more information, visit www.gobrightline.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.