Siemens on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 said it has been selected "to build the locomotives and passenger coaches for the All Aboard Florida passenger rail project that will connect South and Central Florida."
"All Aboard Florida and Siemens have been working together extensively on the development and design of the passenger railcars that will transport millions of tourists, leisure and business travelers along Florida's east coast," Siemens said.
All Aboard Florida initially plans to launch service in late 2016 linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach on Florida's Atlantic Coast. Plans call for service to be extended north to Orlando, including Orlando International Airport, in central Florida, then both west to Tampa, on Florida's Gulf Coast, and north to Jacksonville. Speeds of up to 125 mph are envisioned for the service.
All Aboard Florida is a subsidiary of Coral Gables, Fla.-based Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), and the passenger service will utilize right-of-way used by FECI freight operator, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Florida East Coast Railway. FECI in turn is owned by New York-based Fortress Investment Group LLC..
"This is an exciting time for rail in America. Intercity rail is an important lever to improve existing infrastructure challenges and bolster city and state economies, clearly something that All Aboard Florida will succeed at doing," said Michael Cahill, president of Siemens' Rail Systems Division in the U.S. "Everyone is watching the development of this progressive operation with great interest, and we are extremely proud to be part of this effort."
Said All Aboard Florida President and COO Don Robinson, "Our partnership with Siemens is another tremendous step forward for All Aboard Florida. We carefully chose Siemens technology knowing it will set a new industry standard, while providing the world class amenities our customers will expect from our passenger service."
The initial five-trainset purchase to serve the Miami to West Palm Beach segment will consist of two diesel-electric locomotives, one on each end of four passenger coaches. These diesel-electric locomotives will meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 emissions standards. All Aboard Florida and Siemens plan to expand the initial trainsets to seven coaches, and purchase an additional five trainsets, concurrent with environmental approvals and additional financing for the segment from West Palm Beach to the Orlando International Airport.
Siemens said the stainless steel passenger coaches, "the first to be manufactured by Siemens in the United States," will be ADA compliant and designed for comfort, featuring special ergonomic seating and Wi-Fi. The trainsets will also be level boarding, which allows for the ease of boarding without steps and provides easier access for bikes, walkers, strollers and wheelchairs.
The locomotives will meet the latest federal rail safety regulations, including enhanced carbody structure safety with crash energy management components, Siemens said.