Safety

THE EARTHJUSTICE ORGANIZATION FILED A LEGAL CHALLENGE AGAINST A FEDERAL RULE that would allow trains filled with explosive liquified natural gas to travel across the country.

Under this rule, these trains would travel up to 50 mph through densely-populated cities (with tank cars that are unlikely to survive impacts at less than 30 mph).

NEW COMMUTER TRAIN IN NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE WOULD HAVE UP TO FIVE NEW PLATFORMS ALONG THE FECI'S LINE, BUT BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA WILL NOT NECESSARILY STOP AT ANY OF THEM. The proposed commuter platforms, determined by the county, would stop in Wynwood, the Design District, Upper East Side, North Miami and the FIU Biscayne Bay campus as well as connect to Brightline.

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CONGRESSMEN POSEY AND MAST INTRODUCED THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACT, which will protect the safety of pedestrians, motorists and residents along the Brightline/Virgin Trains USA high-speed rail corridor. This legislation will direct the FRA and the Federal Highway Administration to conduct a study on motorist and pedestrian safety along the corridor and share safety recommendations with Florida's Department of Transportation.

BRIGHTLINE BEGAN TALKS WITH MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO BUILD FIVE TRAINS PLATFORMS BETWEEN MIAMI AND AVENTURA ALONGSIDE THEIR HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL TO ORLANDO. This proposed arrangement would give Miami-Dade a new rail service—a service described like Tri-Rail—with stops at Wynwood, the Design District, El Portal, North Miami and the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University.

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THE RIGHT-OF-WAY LEASE THAT BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA NEEDS TO CONNECT ORLANDO WITH TAMPA IS ON HOLD. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has extended the negotiation deadline for this lease due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FDOT and Brightline have extended the negotiation deadlines regarding this lease five times before.

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A WOMAN WAS KILLED AFTER THEIR CAR WAS STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN TUESDAY MORNING, reports NBC Miami. The Broward Sheriff's Office pronounced her dead at the scene.

This is the 44 death after being struck by a Brightline since the its initial test runs in 2017.

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THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINSTRATION RELEASED A FOURTH-QUARTER 2019 REPORT FEB 27, highlighting the status on railroads' progress in implementing positive train control (PTC) systems as required by Congress.

According to the report, eight host railroads, including Florida East Coast Railway—and their tenant railroad, Brightline/Virgin Trains USA— are at risk of not fully implementing a PTC systems by the Dec 31, 2020 deadline.

Read more here.

A WOMAN WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL TUESDAY AFTER HER PICKUP WAS STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael B. Kane reported that the woman sustained back injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

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FLORIDA OFFICIALS ARE CONSIDERING LEGISLATION TO CURB HIGH NUMBER OF DEATHS ON THE TRACKS OF THE BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA PASSENGER RAIL. Since Brightline's launch, an average of more than one person a month has been killed, designating it as the "nation's deadliest railroad."

During a news conference, Brightline stated that 75% of the incidents were results of suicide or drugs, but a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) study reveals that suicides only account for 30% of all rail fatalities.

IN APRIL 2014, FLORIDA BULLDOG REPORTED THAT BRIGHTLINE (NOW VIRGIN TRAINS, USA) REJECTED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MORE SUFFICIENT SAFETY FEATURES AT PLANNED RAIL CROSSINGS, where their train would be running up to speeds of 79 mph. These safety measures were recommended by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which included sealed corridors at 31 crossings as well as fenced bridges and underpasses.