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
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: 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: 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
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: 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: 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
Published: Thursday, November 16, 2017 - 9:30am
THE FLORIDA SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE PASSED SENATE BILL 572 BY SENATOR DEBBIE MAYFIELD ON NOVEMBER 14. This bill establishes the Florida High Speed Passenger Rail Safety Act. Brent Hanlon, chairman of Citizens Against Rail Expansion in... more
Published: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - 10:45am
ALTHOUGH BRIGHTLINE HAS NOT BEEN MADE AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE, TWO INDIVIDUALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN KILLED BY THESE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAINS. Not a good start for a project that might eventually bring 32 daily passenger trains through the... more
Published: Monday, November 13, 2017 - 10:00am
STATE SENATOR DEBBIE MAYFIELD HAS REFILED THE FLORIDA HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL SAFETY ACT. This would provide the Florida Department of Transporation the authority to modify any high-speed passenger rail services in the state, as well as... more
Published: Friday, November 3, 2017 - 1:45pm
A WOMAN DIED SHORTLY AFTER BEING HIT BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN WEDNESDAY MORNING IN DEERFIELD BEACH, DEPUTIES SAID. Jennifer Reed, 35, died shortly before 7 a.m. after being hit by the northbound train on the tracks just east of Dixie Highway, south... more
Published: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - 1:15pm
CARE FL HAVE EVIDENCE THAT HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE HAZARDOUS MATERIAL, LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS, WOULD BE HAULED ALONGSIDE BRIGHTLINE PASSENGER TRAINS ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILWAY TRACKS. This could pose serious safety hazards to those... more
Published: Thursday, October 26, 2017 - 10:15am
October 2017 Update
Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE FL) continues to actively pursue all appropriate legal, political and public communication channels to stop the ill-conceived All Aboard Florida (AAF)/Brightline... more
Published: Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - 11:15am
THE FLORIDA EAST COAST RAIL CORRIDOR WILL SHARE ITS HIGHLY POPULATED, CONGESTED ROUTE WITH 300 AT-GRADE CROSSINGS WITH ALL ABOARD FLORIDA'S (AAF) 110 MPH PASSENGER TRAIN WITH LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG), according to... more
Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 - 9:15am
A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN DERAILED IN FEBRUARY AND WE ONLY RECENTLY LEARNED ABOUT THE ACCIDENT. On Monday, Citizens Against Rail Expansion (CARE FL) criticized All Aboard Florida (AAF) for not mentioning it during Florida Legislature testimony about... more
Published: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 - 9:15am
A BRIGHTLINE TEST TRAIN DERAILED IN WEST PALM BEACH, FL ON FEBRUARY 11 AND CAUSED OVER $400,000 IN DAMAGES, SAYS A REPORT FILED WITH THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION. According to the report, around $408,000 in damages were reported to... more
Published: Monday, October 16, 2017 - 9:45am
THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN BARCELONA LEAVES MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE DEAD AND HUNDREDS INJURED IN NICE, BERLIN, LONDON, STOCKHOLM AND OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - all these related to an insidious article, written in the 2010 edition of the glossy al... more
Published: Thursday, August 10, 2017 - 10:00am
BRIGHTLINE PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE WILL NOW DEBUT BY THE END OF 2017 RATHER THAN EARLY FALL, THE MIAMI HERALD REPORTED.
"Brightline looks forward to launching service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach by the end of this... more
Published: Monday, August 7, 2017 - 7:00am
TREASURE COAST OFFICIALS SAID ON TUESDAY SAID A 2015 FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT IS OUTDATED AND A NEW ONE IS REQUIRED. Martin and Indian River counties and CARE FL sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation to mandate a supplemental... more
Published: Friday, August 4, 2017 - 3:15pm
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... more
Published: Thursday, August 3, 2017 - 12:45pm
THE BULLET TRAIN THAT MAY COME TO MIAMI SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED ITS SECOND PHASE OF TESTING, ACHIEVING HISTORIC TEST SPEEDS IN THE NEVADA DESERT. This incredible train travelled almost a distance of 500-meter (1640-foot) DevLoop track in the... more