Lisa Broadt

lisa.broadt@tcpalm.com

WEST PALM BEACH — All Aboard Florida on Wednesday introduced “BrightBlue," the first of five passenger trains that will carry passengers between Miami and West Palm Beach by the end of this summer and, eventually, on to Orlando International Airport.

The event at the 12-acre West Palm Beach facility, dubbed “Workshop b" by All Aboard Florida, took members of the media underneath and inside the four-coach, two-locomotive train.

The official debut comes four weeks after the train made its 3,052-mile journey from a Siemens manufacturing plant in Sacramento, California, across the country, through the Space Coast and Treasure Coast, and on to West Palm Beach.

Brightline train makes first trip through Treasure Coast in wee hours | Video

Michael Reininger, president of All Aboard Florida and its Brightline subsidiary, on Wednesday said he was excited to reveal the “innovative” project.

At the same time, officials said, some expectations long associated with the $3.1 billion project may be revised. Sixteen daily round trips between Miami and Orlando, as long planned, could turn out to be as few as 13 or as many as 17. Trains initially will travel between 79 mph and 125 mph, depending on the location along the route, but eventually could go faster.

In an interview with USA TODAY NETWORK, Reininger said service on Phase 2 of the project would not begin before 2019.

Building the additional trains; upgrading the Florida East Coast Railway corridor through Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties; and building new track between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport would “take two years, start to finish, from whenever we begin the work.” Reininger said.

The launch date for Phase 2 has yet to be determined. While Brevard County has supported construction of the passenger railroad — even beginning to plan for an eventual station — completion of Phase 2 has faced several obstacles, including lawsuits filed by Indian River and Martin counties and heavy opposition from the Treasure Coast.

Indian River, Martin County ring up $6M so far fighting All Aboard Florida

Company officials touted the train’s features, including retractable platforms that facilitate easy boarding, bike racks, wide aisles, free wireless internet and a barely-audible diesel-electric engine.

The maintenance facility features four train tracks, a workshop, a "train wash," storage space and a 20,000-gallon "fuel farm" where Brightline can store its diesel fuel, said Keith Warncke, vehicle maintenance facility manager.

Workshop b will be Brightline's maintenance and storage hub during Phase 1, Warncke said. But when Phase 2 service begins from West Palm Beach to Orlando, a facility at Orlando International Airport would become the primary maintenance site, Warncke said.

While escorting media through a 500-foot-long maintenance pit under the train, Siemens Rolling Stock President Michael Cahill pointed out safety features and environmentally friendly components of the train.

Brightline trains meet stringent federal emissions standards and will utilize a set of safety features, known as Positive Train Control, from the first day of service, Cahill said.

The rest of the brightly colored trains — each costing $83 million, according to court records made public last month — are being built at the Siemens Sacramento plant.

Cahill said he expects the remaining trains to be delivered in six-week intervals. By that schedule, the entire fleet would be in West Palm Beach by the end of June, in time for the Phase 1 launch.

Inside the train, Brightline officials showed off rows of leather seats, overhead luggage storage and wide aisle.

Each train comprises three "Smart" coaches and one "Select" coach, a more expensive option. The train has 239 seats, 49 of which are in the "Select" coach, according to All Aboard Florida.

While full service between Miami and Orlando remains controversial in some areas, Reininger said an official launch date and final ticket prices for Phase 1 would be announced “very soon.” Previously, the company estimated a one-way, Miami-to-Orlando "Smart" coach ticket could cost $143.

Reininger told USA TODAY NETWORK he remainsconfident Phase 2 will proceed.

“We can plan everything out on paper," he said, "but things change.”