High-Speed Train Moves Into New Orlando Basecamp

Brightline is officially setting up shop in the Greater Orlando Area.

The Miami-based high-speed passenger rail line is mere weeks away from finally launching the long-anticipated connection from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Brickell, Ft. Lauderdale, and the rest of Florida’s Southeast Corridor, and on Monday, March 27, they gave fans and would-be passengers a look at their new base of operations in Central Florida.

In a press release, Brightline stated,

“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.”

“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 President Patrick Goddard. This impressive facility was developed by Brightline and is an essential component to our service from Miami to Orlando launching this year.”

Check it out:

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This site is the length of two football fields and will provide cleaning and maintenance work on the high-speed trainset, which consists of two engines and four passenger cars each.

“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 Executive President Infrastructure Michael Cegelis. “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.”

Brightline recently made history when it set the record-breaking speed of 130 mph along the east/west sector between MCO and Cocoa, Florida, where it is set to maintain a cruising speed of 125 mph. Once service begins from the new Terminal C at MCO, Brightline is scheduled to move ahead with further expansion plans all the way down to Tampa, with two stops planned to service the Orange County Convention Center, Universal Orlando Resort, I-Drive attractions, and the Walt Disney World Resort.