ORLANDO, Fla. – Brightline has reached a milestone that makes it the fastest train in Florida.
The train reached 130 mph during a test along a 35-mile stretch between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa, near State Road 528.
“This is actually the train that went 130 miles an hour as our crews were testing over about a three-day period up from everywhere from 20 miles an hour up to 130,” Katie Mitzner with Brightline said.
While the train won’t travel at 130 mph when regular service begins in Orlando, Brightline said it is required to test faster. The train will hit maximum speeds of 125 mph.
“So these trains are high-speed trains running faster speeds that folks have ever seen here in the state of Florida,” Mitzner said.
The Orlando station is set to open this year and take passengers between South and Central Florida in three hours.
“Reaching 130 (mph) isn’t just another milestone to our team, but the continuation of a dream that we’ve been working towards for several years,” said president of Brightline Trains Patrick Goddard. “More importantly, this historic feat brings us one step closer to launching Brightline service between Orlando and Miami.”
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News 6 asked Mitzner when Brightline will be ready to ride from Orlando to South Florida.
“We still have a lot of work to do. We have about 10% more of the work to do along the corridor and it’s a long corridor, 168 miles from West Palm to Orlando, where we’ve built a brand-new track so we’re 90% complete,” Mitzner said.
Testing will continue through March between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
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