THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION HELD A TOWN HALL MEETING ON FEB 23 TO DISCUSS BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING HIGHWAY/RAIL GRADE CROSSING AND TRESPASSING INCIDENTS. Officials from Brightline, Florida East Coast Railway, South... more
NEWS ABOUT ALL ABOARD FLORIDA
Published: Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 12:00pm
Since Brightline has developed in South Florida, an alarming number of deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along the tracks have occurred.
There have been nine fatal crashes since Brightline resumed its operations in November,... more
Published: Thursday, February 17, 2022 - 12:45pm
A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING COLLIDED WITH A VEHICLE, the third in four days in Palm Beach County.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said the impact of the crash split a car in half. The driver was rushed to a nearby medical... more
Published: Monday, January 17, 2022 - 12:15pm
TWO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN COLLIDED WITH AN SUV IN MIAMI, reports 7News Miami.
According to a witness, the vehicle had been caught between the lowered guard rails before being struck by the... more
Published: Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - 10:15am
A 70-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DIED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN, CBS Miami reports. The woman was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but later died.
This is at least the 50th death involving a Brightline train since the high-... more
Published: Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - 9:00am
ANOTHER PEDESTRIAN DIED IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN. The unnamed pedestrian died by suicide, according to sources close to the investigation.
This is one among other accidents that have occurred since... more
Published: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 - 9:30am
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN $2 TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD GIVE AMTRAK $80 BILLION OVER EIGHTS YEARS. This is a significant change for an enterprise that receives around $2 billion per year.
However, critics on both sides don't think... more
Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 - 12:00pm
BRIGHTLINE IS BEING SUED BY VIRGIN ENTERPRISES FOR OVER $251 MILLION BECAUSE BRIGHTLINE TERMINATED THEIR NAMING DEAL EARLY. Virgin is accusing Brightline of using the pandemic to get out of the 20-year deal.
According to the lawsuit... more
Published: Monday, February 22, 2021 - 9:00am
THE RULE REQUIRING SPECIAL PERMITS TO TRANSPORT LNG ON TRAINS EXPIRED LAST YEAR, making it easier than ever to move it through heavily-populated areas such as Southern Florida.
Although LNG has lower emissions and costs compared to... more
Published: Monday, February 1, 2021 - 8:45am
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COMMISSIONER LAURA MOSS SHOULD CANVASS HER COUNTY RESIDENTS INPUT ON HIGH-SPEED TRAINS, remarks Susan Mehiel, coordinator of the Alliance for Safe Trains, in a letter to the TC Palm.
"Thousands of people have supported... more
Published: Friday, January 8, 2021 - 2:30pm
A MAN WAS FOUND DEAD WEDNESDAY MORNING ALONG THE TRACKS NEAR KISSIMMEE, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Investigators have yet to identify the man, or when he was killed.
Read more... more
Published: Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 10:45am
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVED A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH BRIGHTLINE, FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILWAY AND THE COUNTY to create a commuter rail on Friday. This commuter system would operate between downtown Miami and... more
Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2020 - 10:00am
FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP FAILS TO SELL PRIVATE ACTIVITY LOANS FOR A HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER BRIGHTLINE TRAIN FROM CALIFORNIA TO LAS VEGAS. Since the end of September, they had been marketing $3.2 billion before reducing the number to $2.4 billion.... more
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 4:30pm
VOTE ON A PROPOSED BRIGHTLINE AND SUNRAIL PARTNERSHIP TO GET THE COMMUTER RAIL LINE TO ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HAS BEEN DELAYED. No reason was given for the delay and there was no indication of when the item may be reconsidered.
The... more
Published: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 - 12:00pm
THE US SUPREME COURT DENIED INDIAN RIVER COUNTY'S APPEAL OF ITS LAWSUIT AGAINST BRIGHTLINE AND THE FRA. The ruling was announced Monday, ending a mark to the county's case.
County officials said that they had expected the ruling... more
Published: Monday, September 28, 2020 - 8:45am
THE CITY OF BOCA RATON WAS AWARDED A $16.4 MILLION GRANT FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. These tax-free funds will be used for the construction of the high-speed passenger rail Brightline Train Station.
Read more... more
Published: Sunday, September 20, 2020 - 5:45pm
A PEDESTRIAN DIED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY FLORIDA EAST COAT RAILWAY TRAIN TUESDAY EVENING, Stuart police reported.
This is the second fatal train crash that had occurred that day. In the morning, a southbound train struck and... more
Published: Sunday, September 20, 2020 - 5:30pm
PERSON DIED TUESDAY AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A SOUTHBOUND TRAIN, a St. Lucie County sheriff's official said. Fire District crews went to the incident around 10:45 a.m.
Read more... more
Published: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 12:00pm
HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL BRIGHTLINE IS IN EARLY NEGOTIATIONS WITH TAMPA DEVELOPER DARRYL SHAW TO BUILD A STATION IN THE YBOR CITY AREA. These discussions center around three separate pieces of property.
Shaw characterized the... more
Published: Friday, September 4, 2020 - 11:45am
USDOT AND BRIGHTLINE ARGUE THAT U.S. SUPREME COURT SHOULD DENY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY'S REQUEST FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI. The county has asked the court to review a federal appeals court's December 2019 determination that the USDOT determined that... more
Published: Sunday, August 30, 2020 - 6:45pm
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY'S CASE AGAINST THE FDOT, FRA AND ALL ABOARD FLORIDA IS PASSED TO U.S. SUPREME COURT. The case revolves around the legitimacy of $2.1 billion in private activity bonds that were allocated to AAF's high-speed passenger... more
Published: Friday, August 21, 2020 - 9:45am
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... more
Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 9:15am
BRIGHTLINE AND VIRGIN TRAINS END PARTNERSHIP, Brightline states in its monthly revenue and ridership report. The high-speed passenger service will go back to using the name Brightline.
Read more... more
Published: Thursday, July 23, 2020 - 10:15am
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... more
Published: Monday, July 20, 2020 - 8:45am
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... more
Published: Tuesday, June 30, 2020 - 9:00am
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... more
Published: Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - 9:00am
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SENDS THEIR LAWSUIT AGAINST BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA TO THE SUPREME COURT, asking to clear up an issue that threatens the court's "constitutional responsibility 'to say what the law is.'"
Previously, cases that... more
Published: Monday, April 27, 2020 - 9:00am
IF YOU CAN'T CONVINCE THE PUBLIC YOU'VE GOT A GOOD IDEA, convince the politicians and let them ram it down the citizens' throats. All it takes is money.
What's $3 Million Among Friends? According to the TC Palm/Stuart News, as little as... more
Published: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 9:30am
THE BRIGHTLINE TRAIN HAS SUSPENDED ALL SERVICE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Tri-Rail now requires all riders to wear a face mask or face covering in compliance with the Palm Beach County executive order.
Other orders include:
Seats... morePublished: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 9:00am
RICHARD BRANSON, ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-KNOWN BILLIONAIRES BY PUTTING HIS VIRGIN TRAIN BRAND ON AN ARRAY OF BUSINESSES, is now at the epicenter of the meltdown in those industries due to the economic repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic.... more
Published: Monday, March 30, 2020 - 1:15pm
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... more
Published: Friday, March 27, 2020 - 8:45am
Virgin Trains USA, the parent company of the Brightline higher-speed passenger rail has stopped train service between Miami and West Palm Beach as of Wednesday evening due to the Coronavirus.
The company also confirmed it has laid off 250... more
Published: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 1:15pm
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... more
Published: Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 9:15am
THE ALLIANCE FOR SAFE TRAINS NONPROFIT GROUP HAS RAISED $200K IN PRIVATE MONEY. This money has been raised for Indian River County to pursue its case against the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration.... more
Published: Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 9:00am
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... more
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2020 - 4:00pm
ANOTHER PERSON WAS KILLED TUESDAY MORNING IN A CRASH INVOLVING THEIR VEHICLE AND A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN. According to witnesses, the man drove through the crossing gates while they were already lowered before being struck by the oncoming train... more
Published: Thursday, February 6, 2020 - 9:00am
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.
... more
Published: Thursday, January 30, 2020 - 8:30am
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... more
Published: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 10:30am
BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA REPORT FINDS THAT 2019 PASSENGER COUNT AND REVENUES WERE FAR BELOW ITS OWN FORECASTS. Passengers count barely broke one million, less than half the count originally projected, and revenue was $22 million,... more
Published: Monday, January 13, 2020 - 10:00am
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... more
Published: Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - 4:00pm
BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA PLANS TO BUILD BARRIERS AS WELL AS TESTING INFRARED SENSORS AND DRONES. These plans are in response to being reported as the "deadliest railroad in the U.S." Since its initial tests in January 2017... more
Published: Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - 11:30am
THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS REJECTED INDIAN RIVER COUNTY'S CLAIMS OF IMPROPERLY APPROVED FUNDS FOR BRIGHTLINE/VIRGIN TRAINS USA FRIDAY.
However, this is not the end to the fight.
Sen. Debbie Mayfield and Rep. Tyler Sirois have both... more
Published: Monday, December 2, 2019 - 7:30pm
A MAN WAS KILLED AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A TRAIN FRIDAY NIGHT. The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue reported that the man died at the scene.
Read more ... more
Published: Monday, December 2, 2019 - 7:30pm
SINCE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VIRGIN TRAINS USA (FORMERLY BRIGHTLINE) RAIL SERVICE, OVER 40 PEOPLE HAVE DIED. This makes this high-speed passenger rail have the "worst per-mile death rate of the nation's 821 railroads," as stated by the... more
Published: Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 8:45am
MARTIN COUNTY AWAITS RESPONSE FROM U.S. CONGRESSMAN BRIAN MAST REGARDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BRIDGE OVER ST. LUCIE RIVER. This new modern railroad bridge would boost the marine industry but would also support Virgin Trains' high-... more
Published: Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - 9:15am
VIRGIN TRAINS USA RELEASED THEIR MONTHLY RIDERSHIP AND REVENUE REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2019 ON FRIDAY. Ridership is down, and revenues are down and flat.
... more
Published: Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - 8:30am
TRAIN WRECK TIMES BY SUSAN MEHIEL GOOD NEWS AND BAD
We are pleased to report our Guest Column in the TC Palm newspapers ran today.... more
Published: Tuesday, September 24, 2019 - 9:00am
THERE ARE TWO SAFETY MEASURES THAT COULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR VIRGIN TRAINS USA, states Tom Gruber in the TC Palm's Sept. 21 Letters to the Editor. These two safety measures include fencing and channelized crossings.
"The point is,... more
Published: Friday, September 13, 2019 - 7:30am
STATE SENATOR DEBBIE MAYFIELD PLANS TO PUSH BILL FOR INCREASED SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR HIGHER-SPEED PASSENGER RAILROADS. Mayfield plans to submit her proposal later this month.
This bill follows the findings in the 2018 Office of... more