Traffic Congestion

A WOMAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL TRAIN SATURDAY NIGHT. Investigators said the victim was a trespasser and was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The original article was written by the Miami 7 News.

A WOMAN DIED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A VIRGIN TRAINS USA TRAIN, FORMERLY BRIGHTLINE, SUNDAY MORNING, the Boynton Beach police said.

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Original article was written by Sabrina Lolo of the CBS 12 News. Photo credits: WPEC

WITNESS SEES TRUCK STUCK ON TRACKS FOR AN HOUR. The car carrier was stuck on the 26th Street RR crossing in Vero Beach from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Fortunately, maintenance crews were able to successfully remove the truck before any train-vehicle collision could occur.

"What a disaster it would have been should it have happened just before an incoming train, especially if it was carrying anything hazardous," the witness comments. "Could have wiped out the whole neighborhood."

OAKLAND PARK RESIDENT CARTER MCDONALD DIED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN WEDNESDAY, the Miami Herald reports.

This is the second fatality this month and 12th involving a Brightline train since the trains began initial tests in 2017. 

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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY HAS FILED ANOTHER LAWSUIT AGAINST VIRGIN TRAINS ON WEDNESDAY. This lawsuit argues that the county should not be enforced to pay for 21 crossing improvements along the Florida East Coast Railway corridor.

Prior to the establishment of Virgin Trains USA, Indian River County had an agreement with the FEC to maintain freight crossings.

A PICKUP TRUCK WAS STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN WEDNESDAY MORNING in Lake Worth, Florida. Fortunately, the driver was able to escape before the impact.

More information to come.

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90-YEAR-OLD ARNOLD MARK WAS SAVED BY OFF-DUTY STUART POLICE OFFICER DAVID JACOBSON, whose car was stuck on the railroad tracks and a train approaching. Marks, an Army veteran from Port St. Lucie, said Monday he had driven through Confusion Conver several times before and he meant to make a right turn but ended up on the tracks instead.

"I was going maybe 5 miles (per hour) when I was making that turn," Mark said. "I couldn't go forward, I couldn't go backwards. I was just stuck."

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THE REQUEST FOR THE U.S. COAST GUARD TO CONDUCT A SURVEY OF MARINERS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE RAILROAD DRAWBRIDGES ALONG THE TREASURE COAST HAS BEEN EXTENDED. These responses have boomed due to events such as the repair of a railroad bridge on the St. Lucie River which left dozens of mariners unable to navigate for three hours Thursday afternoon.

Worse yet, the mariners impacted - such as daytime cruise ship Captain Fred Newhart - were unable to get any reasonable communication with railroad officials about what was going on, and how long the delay would be.

FOUR TRAIN CARS CARRYING MOLTEN SULFUR DERAILED EARLY MONDAY NEAR LAKELAND, FLORIDA. Local residents have been warned to stay indoors and close their windows as several cars are believed to have leaked. CSX says no injuries have been reported, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.

CSX Spokesman Rob Doolittle describes molten sulfur as "a hazardous material used in making rubber, detergent and fertilizers."

HOPE LIVES FOR RESIDENTS ALONG THE TREASURE COAST - A NEW PROPOSED PROJECT WOULD RELOCATE 80% OF CURRENT FREIGHT TRAFFIC TO A NEW RAIL LINE TO THE WEST. This project would expand 72 miles of U.S. 27 to six lanes and add railroad tracks along the highway and would redirect freight traffic through the center of the state and ease congestion on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.

Although not perfect, this is an ideal candidate for federal funding and it would provide relief for communities south of Fort Pierce and too enticing to ignore.