THERE IS A LOT MORE TO THE BRIGHTLINE HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROPOSAL THAN WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED, writes Robert Cannon of the Palm Beach Post. Tune into Cannon's article as he addresses concerns about the addition of a second set of tracks at... more
NEWS ABOUT ALL ABOARD FLORIDA
Published: Saturday, June 2, 2018 - 8:15pm
BREAKING: Pedestrian struck, killed by Brightline train in Boynton Beach.
On Friday morning, one person was struck and killed by a Brightline train in Boynton Beach, marking the fifth death involving the high-speed rail service in... more
Published: Friday, June 1, 2018 - 9:30am
TRAIN WRECK TIMES by Susan Mehiel
NEWS FLASH!
Well, this just couldn’t wait. We had a major victory in our efforts to Stop The Trains! this week with the release of the attached letter to Transportation Secretary Choa.... more
Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 8:00am
FIVE CONGRESSMEN CALLED ON FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS TO SUSPEND THE $1.15 BILLION IN PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS FOR ALL ABOARD FLORIDA'S BRIGHTLINE PASSENGER RAIL, saying there are still a number of "yet-to-be answered questions"... more
Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 8:00am
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM SUBCOMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MARK MEADOWS ASKED U.S. TRANSPORTATION SEC. ELAINE CHAO TO SUSPEND THE ALLOCATION OF ALL ABOARD FLORIDA'S PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS. This request was made in... more
Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 7:00am
CONGRESSMEN MARK MEADOWS WITH RON DESANTIS, MATT GAETZ, BRIAN MAST, AND BILL POSEY SENT A LETTER TO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ELAINE CHAO. This letter follows the recent... more
Published: Monday, May 21, 2018 - 9:30pm
A CSX FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILED IN ALEXANDRIA SATURDAY MORNING, CAUSING 31 TRAIN CARS TO COME OFF THE TRACKS, lead investigating agency NTSB said.
The NTSB's initial findings suggest the train derailed in the Eisenhower corridor before... more
Published: Friday, May 11, 2018 - 7:30am
PEOPLE IN PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTY ARE OUTRAGED OVER PILES OF DISCARDED RAILROAD TRASH LITTERED ACROSS THEIR COMMUNITIES. This trash consists of old concrete railroad ties that were replaced in April of 2017.
Residents have sent... more
Published: Thursday, May 10, 2018 - 9:15am
CONGRESSMEN AND FLORIDA LEGISLATORS SHOULD KEEP THEIR EYES ON THE CALIFORNIA'S DEEPLY TROUBLED HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROJECT. The U.S. government has initiated an audit of California's bullet train, which is behind schedule and way over budget.
... morePublished: Monday, May 7, 2018 - 2:00pm
BRIGHTLINE AND FLORIDA EAST COAST ARE "AT RISK" OF NOT MEETING DEADLINES FOR INSTALLING SAFETY UPGRADES, the Federal Railroad Administration says. The safety upgrades, known as Positive Train Control (PTC), were planned to be implemented by the... more
Published: Monday, May 7, 2018 - 1:30pm
SURELY OUR FLORIDA POLITICIANS WILL BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY THAN THE OWNER OF THE FEC FREIGHT COMPANY, says Nicholas Schaus of Vero Beach. Schaus comments on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) lack of transparency regarding... more
Published: Monday, May 7, 2018 - 9:45am
BRIGHTLINE HAS UNTIL MAY 31 TO SELL THE $1.15 BILLION OF PRIVATE-ACTIVITY BONDS FOR PHASE 2 OF ITS PASSENGER RAILROAD BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF A SALE IN SIGHT. This deadline was set by the U.S. Department of Transporation when it approved the... more
Published: Friday, May 4, 2018 - 10:45am
CLEANUP CONTINUES WEDNESDAY AFTER A CSX FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILED TUESDAY AFTERNOON IN BULLITT COUNTY. A spokesperson for Emergency Management stated 18 cars derailed, including two locomotives. Officials believe four to six car carriers were... more
Published: Thursday, May 3, 2018 - 9:45am
THE MARTIN COUNTY REALTORS OF THE TREASURE COAST APPLAUDS THE RECENT LEGAL ACTIONS BY MARTIN COUNTY, says Martin County REALTORS president H.B. Warren. Since the earliest stages of All Aboard Florida's plans to provide passenger rail, the Martin... more
Published: Wednesday, May 2, 2018 - 8:00am
BRIGHTLINE WILL PAY FOR SOME CROSSING MAINTENANCE BUT NOT ON THE TREASURE COAST. In an attempt to strong-arm local governments, Brightline stated it will pay for pricey crossing maintenance for some communities that have not opposed its project... more
Published: Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - 11:15am
VALRICO, FL - DUSTIN R. PIERCE WAS STUCK AND KILLED SATURDAY BY A CSX TRAIN. Pierce crossed the tracks and did not see the crossing arms because he was using his cellphone with earphones, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The highway was closed... more
Published: Monday, April 30, 2018 - 12:30pm
VALRICO, FL - A PEDESTRIAN HAS BEEN HIT AND KILLED BY A TRAIN, authorities say. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the crash occurred early Saturday morning, and the man died at the scene.
The Florida... more
Published: Monday, April 30, 2018 - 8:45am
BRIGHTLINE'S SERVICE HAS BEEN TOUTED AS "A MODEL FOR THE FURNITURE OF PASSENGER RAIL" BUT THE TRAIN CARS ARE RATHER EMPTY, the Palm Beach Post reports. Over a six-week period, a dozen of Palm Beach Post reporters rode 44 randomly selected trains... more
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2018 - 3:30pm
U.S. SENATOR MARCO RUBIO, AS WELL AS MANY TREASURE COAST RESIDENTS AND OFFICIALS, WANT TO KNOW IF BRIGHTLINE QUALIFIES FOR FEDERAL TAX-EXEMPT BONDS. Rubio sent a letter this week to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao seeking clarification,... more
Published: Saturday, April 28, 2018 - 3:30pm
TRESPASSING FATALITIES ON THE FLORIDA EAST COAST TRACKS IN SOUTH FLORIDA HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS AN "EPIDEMIC" AND 2018 MAY BE THE WORST. From 2015, at least 76 deaths by Brightline passenger trains and Florida East Coast Railway freight ... more
Published: Thursday, April 26, 2018 - 11:30am
THANK YOU TO SENATOR DEBBIE MAYFIElD WHO URGED GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT TO PULL FLORIDA FROM FINANCING THE DEAL BACKING BRIGHTLINE'S PROPOSED PRIVATE PASSENGER RAILROAD on Wednesday. This is due to the congressional hearing last week where... more
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 9:00am
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO JOIN REP. BRIAN MAST AND QUESTIONS BRIGHTLINE'S APPROVAL FOR $1.75 BILLION OF TAX-EXEMPT BONDS. Rubio has sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, calling for "increased transparency" on Brightline and the U.S.... more
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 9:00am
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FLORIDA, CAST DOUBT ON BRIGHTLINE'S APPROVAL FOR $1.75 BILLION OF TAX-EXEMPT BONDS. This letter was sent after last week's Capitol Hill hearing, where congressmen criticised Brightline and the U.S. Department of... more
Published: Friday, April 20, 2018 - 11:00am
CONGRESSIONAL PANEL BALKS AT REQUEST FOR PUBLIC FUNDS TO EXTEND RAIL SERVICE. On Thursday, Congressmen blasted Brightline for possibly circumventing federal law to obtain $1.75 billion of tax-free financing, and suggested the financing for... more
Published: Friday, April 20, 2018 - 10:30am
TUNE INTO THE SUBCOMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTING ALL ABOARD FLORIDA'S BRIGHTLINE'S TAX-EXEMPT PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS ON APRIL 19, 2018. The purpose of this subcommittee was to examine the use of $600 million and $1.15 billion in tax-exempt private... more
Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - 8:15am
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... more
Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - 8:30am
TUNE INTO TC PALM'S GUEST COLUMN WITH SUSAN MEHIEL. Five people have been killed by Brightline trains, and it is clear that we need stronger safety measures to protect the Treasure Coast residents of Florida.
"When... more
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 - 1:30pm
Train Wreck Times - Announcements and Notes:
Please see the attached announcement about our event, Stopping the Trains – A Public Forum, to be held April... more
Published: Monday, March 19, 2018 - 12:45pm
LATE SUNDAY NIGHT, FOUR PEOPLE WERE HURT WHEN TWO TRAIN COLLIDED 15 MILES NORTH OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY. A spokesperson says some people were evacuated from their homes "out an abundance of caution" after an unknown substance spilled from the... more
Published: Friday, February 16, 2018 - 12:15pm
THE HIGHLAND BEACH MAN HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE PERSON INJURED WEDNESDAY WHEN A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN STRUCK HIS CAR IN BOCA RATON. 90-year-old Benjamin Morelli was struck by a train around 8 p.m. Wednesday when he was unable to get out of... more
Published: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - 9:15am
ON FEB. 13, INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, MARTIN COUNTY AND CITIZENS AGAINST RAIL EXPANSION IN FLORIDA (CARE FL) FILED A JOIN COMPLAINT AGAINST THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (USDOT) AND THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION (FRA). The complaint... more
Published: Friday, February 9, 2018 - 12:15pm
RESCUE WORKERS PULLED A MAN FROM UNDERNEATH A BRIGHTLINE AFTER HE WAS STRUCK LATE THURSDAY. The victim was taken to Broward Health Medical Center with a broken arm.
This is the six pedestrian vs. train incident since Brightline began... more
Published: Friday, February 9, 2018 - 12:15pm
A PEDESTRIAN WAS HIT AND INJURED BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN IN BROWARD COUNTY. The pedestrian was "hit by a Brightline train and transported to Broward General Hospital with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening," Officer Jennifer... more
Published: Monday, February 5, 2018 - 8:30am
RICH CAMPBELL SAYS SPEED KILLS
Tell us again, Brightline proponents, why Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties should support this project, says Campbell.
With a train traveling at 110 mph and 300 yards away, residents have... more
Published: Friday, February 2, 2018 - 1:15pm
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... more
Published: Tuesday, January 23, 2018 - 8:00am
TREASURE COAST RESIDENTS FEARED BRIGHTLINE WOULD BE DEADLY, BUT THIS IS EVEN MORE FRIGHTENING THAN MANY OF US IMAGINED, says Rich Campbell of the TC Palm. After 4 deaths, it is clear that education is not enough to secure the safety of Treasure... more
Published: Thursday, January 18, 2018 - 9:00am
A CYCLIST WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY BRIGHTLINE ON WEDNESDAY, BOYNTON BEACH POLICE SAID. This is the second fatality this week after Brightline's initial launch on Jan. 13. An investigation by Boynton Beach is underway, and the cyclist's name has... more
Published: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - 9:45am
THE VERY DAY BRIGHTLINE ALLOWS EXCLUSIVE PASSENGERS TO RIDE THEIR HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN, ANOTHER FATALITY OCCURS. To TC Palm editor Rich Campbell, this passenger rail is far from safe.
"I returned to The Stuart News and wrote a... more
Published: Saturday, January 13, 2018 - 7:00am
A woman was killed Friday in Boynton Beach by a Brightline train, one day before the company begins service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
The train was traveling north on the Florida East Coast Railway when it struck... more
Published: Friday, January 5, 2018 - 9:30am
ALL ABOARD FLORIDA’S BRIGHTLINE HAD PROMISED A CONTINUOUS QUIET ZONE THAT WOULD SILENCE TRAIN HORNS FROM BOCA RATON TO WEST PALM BEACH. In a recent announcement, however, the company says they will be blasting their trains’ horns for months after... more
Published: Tuesday, January 2, 2018 - 11:15am
ADF INTERNATIONAL, THE STEEL CONTRACTOR ON BRIGHTLINE'S DOWNTOWN MIAMI STATION, CLAIMS ALL ABOARD FLORIDA AND MORE OWE ADF $25.8 MILLION FOR EXTRA WORK BLAMED ON ON-SITE ISSUES AND INCOMPLETE AND FAULTY PLANS THAT DIDN'T COMPLY WITH STATE... more
Published: Tuesday, January 2, 2018 - 10:45am
DESPITE BRIGHTLINE SERVICES BEGIN, OPPONENTS OF THE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN SUCH AS CARE FL SAY THEY ARE NOT GIVING UP. Chairman of Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida said, "If anything at all, this gives us more of a reason to fight... more
Published: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - 6:15pm
We agree with Ms. Anderson's TCPalm Letter to the Editor; The horrid Amtrak tragedy has "Brightline" written all over it.
Ms. Anderson comments, "DuPont, WA fought to keep Amtrak out before the killer crash on Dec. 18. Officials... more
Published: Friday, December 22, 2017 - 12:45pm
AFTER THE FATAL AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILMENT IN WASHINGTON STATE, QUESTIONS REGARDING BRIGHTLINE'S HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAINS SAFETY ARISE ONCE MORE. The Amtrak train in Washington derailed going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone. Brightline intends... more
Published: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 - 1:30pm
THE FLORIDA DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORP CANCELED AN EMERGENCY MEETING MONDAY THAT HAD BEEN CALLED TO APPROVE $1.15 BILLION OF PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS FOR THE ALL ABOARD FLORIDA HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN PROJECT.
"The meeting has been... more
Published: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 - 1:00pm
LATE MONDAY NIGHT, AN AMTRAK TRAIN JUMPED THE TRACKS AT A SPEED OF 30 MPH AND CAREENED INTO A BUSY HIGHWAY. At least three people were killed and 100 were injured, officials said. The train was bound from Seattle to Portland, OR, and was... more
Published: Friday, December 8, 2017 - 11:45am
BRIGHTLINE HAS RECEIVED A NON-INVESTMENT GRADE RATING ON $600 MILLION IN REVENUE BONDS THAT ARE TO BE ISSUED BY THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT FINANCE CORP. Fitch Ratings, which was hired by Brightline's owner All Aboard Florida to rate the bonds, rated... more
Published: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 - 10:00am
AFTER THREE YEARS SINCE ITS UNVEILING, IT IS BECOMING CLEAR THAT THE TEXAS CENTRAL PARTNER'S BULLET TRAIN IS NOT WHAT IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE. This ambitious project may have appeared phenomenal on paper, but the plans are riddled with errors,... more
Published: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 11:45am
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,... more
Published: Monday, November 20, 2017 - 9:15am
Susan Mehiel's Train Wreck Times - An Update from the Front Lines in the War Against AAF
Well, in the past few months some things have changed and some remain the same. One of the best areas of this update is the AAF schedule... more