Congressman wants new high-speed rail line shut down for safety review

Andrew Atterbury | The (Stuart, Fla.) News

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Brightline train moves quickly through Boynton The orange Brightline train is seen traveling through Boynton Beach on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. Brightline trains can reach speeds of up to 79 mph south of West Palm Beach and up to 110 mph through the Treasure and Space coasts.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A congressman whose district includes the Brightline passenger rail route called on the private company Thursday to shutter its rail line until flaws in safety are fixed.

On Wednesday, just hours after bicyclist Jeffrey King, 51, of Boynton Beach pedaled around crossing gates and tried to beat the high-speed train, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., asked federal Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to launch an investigation into the safety of higher-speed railroad crossings.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., approached his concerns from a different angle Thursday.

"Stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact that your trains are killing people," Mast tweeted Thursday morning. "Trains should stop running until massive safety flaws are resolved."

.@GoBrightline - stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact that your trains are killing people. Trains should stop running until massive safety flaws are resolved. https://t.co/ipz4Bm8lNZ — Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) January 18, 2018

King's death was the third fatality on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks within a week and the second caused by a Brightline train.

Brightline passenger trains share the rail corridor with Florida East Coast Railway freight trains. Both are owned by Florida East Coast Industries.

► Jan. 17: Second person in less than a week killed by high-speed Brightline train

► Jan. 16: Florida railway corridor deaths reach 16, higher than similar U.S. railroads

► Jan. 13: Woman struck and killed by Brightline train during preview run

Brightline, a $3.1 billion project which eventually is to run between Miami and Orlando, launched passenger service Saturday morning between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Later Thursday, Mast asked the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for an oversight hearing on high-speed rail safety.

Further, Brightline should be blocked from receiving $1.5 million in federal tax-exempt bonds until an investigation is completed, Mast said.

► Jan. 12: First ride aboard Florida’s new Brightline train

► Jan. 11: Brightline to begin higher-speed passenger-rail service in South Florida

► January 2017: First look: New Florida passenger train unveiled

“These deaths clearly indicate there are safety issues, and Brightline has a long history of straight-up lying to the people of Florida, so at this point they cannot be trusted to decide whether their trains are safe," Mast said in a statement Thursday.

The other deaths:

• Pedestrian Melissa Lavell, 32, of Boynton Beach on Friday in Boynton Beach as the express train was making an invitation-only run from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach the night before public service began. She had moved to Florida from Sewell, N.J.

• Driver Linda Short, 73, of Berea, Ohio on Jan. 10 in Delray Beach after steering her car onto the Florida East Coast tracks into the path of a freight train.

The Department of Transportation, through the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration, is responsible for addressing highway-grade rail crossings, Nelson wrote in his letter. Nelson told Chao he wants more information on what the Department of Transportation has done to improve safety at at-grade crossings such as those along Brightline's corridor.

The latest fatality "underscores the enormous challenge of trying to squeeze a high-speed train through our communities," Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., said in a statement Thursday.

Brightline's most recent statement was Friday night, following Lavell's death:

Safety is Brightline’s highest priority, which is evident from the numerous additional infrastructure improvements that have been installed along the FEC Railway corridor to the educational and awareness campaigns currently underway.



Education and enforcement are vital, and we implore the public to abide by the rules and laws in place designed to keep them safe around active railroads.

Brightline has had four fatalities since the high-speed passenger railroad began test runs in the summer. At least 17 fatalities have occurred on Florida East Coast Railway tracks in the past 12 months and 74 in the past five years, according to data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Follow Andrew Atterbury on Twitter: @AtterburyTCPalm