BRIGHTLINE GOT THE OK TO BORROW $1.5 BILLION THROUGH TAX-FREE BONDS, despite the objections of numerous Treasure Coast officials who attended the meeting.
This is the second time the state board approved bonds. The first was back in... more
NEWS ABOUT ALL ABOARD FLORIDA
Published: Thursday, August 30, 2018 - 9:15am
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 11:45am
A 94-YEAR-OLD DRIVER SURVIVED A COLLISION WITH BRIGHTLINE TRAIN TUESDAY IN POMPANO BEACH, authorities said.
The driver was apparently stopped in the middle of the railroad crossing due to traffic when the northbound train struck the... more
Published: Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 10:15am
BRIGHTLINE AND FEC ARE NOT GOOD NEIGHBORS, states Paul D. Popson, as the two have failed to listen to any concerns about having a high-speed passenger ripping through densely populated areas of the Florida Treasure Coast.
Popson... more
Published: Monday, August 27, 2018 - 8:45am
AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER A TRAIN CRASHED INTO A DUMP TRUCK IN TEXAS, authorities said on Saturday. The two deceased persons were found inside the truck, while eleven people on the train were injured and hospitalized. Fox J reported that... more
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2018 - 3:30pm
IT HAS BEEN $4.56 PER YEAR FOR EACH INDIAN RIVER COUNTY RESIDENT TO STOP BRIGHTLINE/ALL ABOARD FLORIDA FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, states Nicholas Schaus of Indian River Shores. He states that this is little compared to the more substantial cost to... more
Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 - 9:15am
WHILE THE FLORIDA EAST RAILWAY (FEC) EXECUTIVES PUSHED FLORIDA'S EAST COAST CITIES AND COUNTIES TO APPROVE OF BRIGHTLINE'S HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN, they also quietly obtained permission to haul extremely flammable liquified natural gas along... more
Published: Monday, August 20, 2018 - 9:45am
Dear Loblolly members, below is an interesting, must-read article taken from the Miami Herald and Tamps Bay Times regarding All Aboard Florida. TALLAHASSEE
As one of his first acts in office in 2011, Gov. Rick Scott... more
Published: Thursday, August 16, 2018 - 4:30pm
ONE OF GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT'S FIRST ACTS WAS THE CANCELATION OF A $2.4 BILLION FEDERALLY FUNDED HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROJECT, saying it was "an extremely high risk of overspending taxpayer dollars with no guarantee of economic growth." Apparently... more
Published: Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 2:45pm
BRIGHTLINE AND TRI-RAIL ARE AT RISK OF MISSING A MANDATED DEADLINE OF INSTALLING A CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEM ON THEIR TRAINS AGAIN. Both companies are supposed to have the technology "positive train control" - which overrides humans to correct their... more
Published: Monday, July 2, 2018 - 9:00am
IF YOU THINK BRIGHTLINE'S LATEST DEAL SMELLS BAD, YOU'RE CORRECT, The Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board states regarding the high-speed passenger rail's latest deal in which they received approval from the Orange County Commission -... more
Published: Monday, July 2, 2018 - 9:00am
IN THE FIRST 2 1/2 MONTHS OF OPERATION, BRIGHTLINE COLLECTED $663,700 IN TICKET REVENUE, according to financial documents that were released Friday. Brightline declares the ridership "exceeded expectations" despite the controversies over... more
Published: Monday, June 25, 2018 - 8:45am
IT'S PRETTY CONVENIENT THAT THE BOARD CHAIRMAN OF AN AGENCY CHARGED WITH APPROVING YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PLAN HAPPENS TO ALSO BE YOUR BOUGHT-AND-PAID-FOR CONSULTANT, states Nancy Smith of the Sunshine State News. Smith is referring to John... more
Published: Monday, June 25, 2018 - 8:45am
A 29-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY A BRIGHTLINE TRAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT, BOYNTON BEACH SAID. Spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said Thursday that the incident is a suspected suicide. This is the eight Brightline fatality since the high... more
Published: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 7:30am
FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN AN AUTO-TRAIN COLLISION SATURDAY NIGHT IN WYNNE, ARKANSAS. Police say that a Florida man was among the four who died.
Read more... more
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 - 12:45pm
TUNE INTO LAURENCE REISMAN WHO CREATES A HYPOTHETICAL CONVERSATION ABOUT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY ARISE REGARDING THE SALE OF VERO BEACH'S DOWNTOWN U.S. POST SERVICE BUILDING. Reisman proposes that a location such as this may be... more
Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - 11:15am
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
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