The bloom is off the rose with Virgin as they sue Brightline for breach of contract.
https://www.law360.com/articles/1360591/virgin-sues-us-train-operator-for-250m-for-dropping-name
Safety remains our No. 1 concern!
From the miles of open track past youth activity sites to Liquefied Natural Gas tankers sharing the corridor with trains going 100 mph, the hazards and dangers pile up while our Florida Transportation experts ignore the project and potential disaster.
Hobe Sound Boys & Girls Club is just yards from the tracks and there's a path worn by pedestrians crossing on foot away from a street crossing.
Stuart Youth Park is just feet from the open tracks
Tequesta County Park is just
yards from the tracks.
Gifford Middle School is just yards from the tracks
Imagine this through YOUR town 34 times per day going 30 mph FASTER!
BACKGROUND
Fortress Investment Group is Forcing 21st Century Passenger
Rail onto19th Century Infrastructure
Flagler’s coastal route from Jacksonville to Miami was never intended for trains going 110 mph. The 19th Century route runs through the heart of 42 towns and cities and, unlike modern High Speed Rail, does not tunnel under or bridge over 580 streets at-grade.
Because of those at-grade crossings, Florida East Coast Rail is one of the deadliest systems in the US with 26 deaths since January, 2018 and over 500 accidents/incidents in the past 10 years. (Not including Virgin Trains accidents and 40 deaths.)
Flagler’s southern route traverses the St. Lucie, Loxahatchee and New rivers using 100 year old bridges. The aging bridges must close for hours as trains cross, creating dangerous waiting times for boaters.
Every study, including the Florida HSR Commission’s analysis and a 2010 Study for the US Conference of Mayors by Siemens Corp., concludes new tracks designed for HSR should be built along I-95 or the Florida Turnpike.
It is clear the only reason these trains are being forced onto a 100 year old route is to double the freight capacity of FECR, now owned by a Mexican company - Grupo Mexico.
This must not stand!
43 Are Dead on the Virgin Tracks alone... and there are NO increased safety regulations for trains going 80 - 125 mph!
From Miami to Orlando and across to Tallahassee, the death and destruction of Virgin Trains has been ignored. The FRA lead engineer made recommendations 6 years ago which have been ignored; the Florida Legislature commissioned a study of the state's passenger rail and those findings have been ignored! Now we have two congressmen stepping up to save lives. We need everyone to contact their congressional and senate reps and tell them to back the Pedestrian Safety Study Act - now! How many more will die when these trains go 30 mph faster?
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The Issues
Safety; Financial; Realities; Hazard Analysis
From the moment Fortress Investment Group announced this project, we have
connected the dots and followed the money. We found all the moving parts
are interrelated ending at the same point:
Two foreign corporations are putting Profits over Florida Lives!
Be Informed. Get Involved.
Become a member of The Florida Alliance For Safe Trains!
Letter To Editor Spells Out Facts Feb 12, 2020
Communities Across the Area Agree - Safety Has Not Been Adequately Addressed. Will Tallahassee Listen?
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