THE $1.75 BILLION DOLLARS VIRGIN TRAINS USA (FORMERLY BRIGHTLINE) IN PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS INTENDED IMPROVE THEIR HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRAIN SAFETY HAS BEEN INVESTED IN NON-ESSENTIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT. Clearly, safety is not their top priority.
Treasure Coast residents and elected government officials are growing more and more concerned about Virgin Trains complete disregard for safety concerns about their 100+ mph trains which will be traveling through heavily-populated areas.
A recent safety study by the Federal Rail Authority found that "Virgin Trains was 29 times more likely to hurt or kill a resident than New Jersey Transit, 44 times more likely than the Long Island Railroad, 49 times more likely than SEPTA and 376 times more likely than Metro North." When comparing Virgin Trains/Brightline to automotive travel, "Brightline is 1900+ times more likely to have a collision than an automobile."
Brightline officials have not proactively addressed safety concerns, either. During Congressional Hearings in Washington D.C., President of Brightline Trains Patrick Goddard called Treasure Coast residents "narrow-minded" and "obstructionists."
It appears that Virgins Trains has no intention to improve the safety of their trains and will continue to put Treasure Coast Residents at risk. It's up to us - please contact your local councilperson, county commissioners, state reps, congressmen, senators and Governor Santis and advocate the need for more rail safety!
Join the fight for rail safety - send an email to Governor DeSantis here.
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