Brightline Train Deaths

[Adam White]

[FloridaBoy]

I would love to take a train from Jax to MCO or MIA. International flights are much easier/cheaper out of MCO & MIA and I could get a lot of work done on the train without the spotty gogo service that I get on planes.

Yes indeed!  Nobody is denying that having a high speed train to get to major cities wouldn't be a nice option.  The current issue is that the Brightline train goes through heavily populated areas with a great deal of pedestrian foot traffic.  This is undesirable because of the train noise, risk of death for pedestrians and passengers of the train if a large vehicle such as a tractor trailer is hit.

The Brightline train will hit a stuck dump truck or tractor trailer at some point.  The train will go off the track, travelling at 79, 110, or 125 mph depending on section of track, and the train will crash into nearby businesses and/or homes.  People will die as a result.  They already have and it's just going to get worse.

Japan built dedicated high speed rail lines for this purpose and their high speed train system has been successful and safe as a result.  By using the old Flager railroad for high speed rail we are putting a Corvette engine in a 1979 Ford Pinto.

[Tacachale]

I would love to take a train from Jax to MCO or MIA. International flights are much easier/cheaper out of MCO & MIA and I could get a lot of work done on the train without the spotty gogo service that I get on planes.

Yes indeed!  Nobody is denying that having a high speed train to get to major cities wouldn't be a nice option.  The current issue is that the Brightline train goes through heavily populated areas with a great deal of pedestrian foot traffic.  This is undesirable because of the train noise, risk of death for pedestrians and passengers of the train if a large vehicle such as a tractor trailer is hit.

The Brightline train will hit a stuck dump truck or tractor trailer at some point.  The train will go off the track, travelling at 79, 110, or 125 mph depending on section of track, and the train will crash into nearby businesses and/or homes.  People will die as a result.  They already have and it's just going to get worse.

Japan built dedicated high speed rail lines for this purpose and their high speed train system has been successful and safe as a result.  By using the old Flager railroad for high speed rail we are putting a Corvette engine in a 1979 Ford Pinto.

How many people are killed by car accidents, do you think? I'd wager it's a lot more than trains.

[acme54321]

Has Brightline been found at fault for any of the deaths?  As far as I know they are all people that either went around the lights, bells, and gates at a crossing or were illegally crossing the tracks somewhere else.  Can't fix stupid.

[Adam White]

I would love to take a train from Jax to MCO or MIA. International flights are much easier/cheaper out of MCO & MIA and I could get a lot of work done on the train without the spotty gogo service that I get on planes.

Yes indeed!  Nobody is denying that having a high speed train to get to major cities wouldn't be a nice option.  The current issue is that the Brightline train goes through heavily populated areas with a great deal of pedestrian foot traffic.  This is undesirable because of the train noise, risk of death for pedestrians and passengers of the train if a large vehicle such as a tractor trailer is hit.

The Brightline train will hit a stuck dump truck or tractor trailer at some point.  The train will go off the track, travelling at 79, 110, or 125 mph depending on section of track, and the train will crash into nearby businesses and/or homes.  People will die as a result.  They already have and it's just going to get worse.

Japan built dedicated high speed rail lines for this purpose and their high speed train system has been successful and safe as a result.  By using the old Flager railroad for high speed rail we are putting a Corvette engine in a 1979 Ford Pinto.

Thank God they don't run high speed rail through the NE corridor of the USA. That would be madness! Can you imagine the carnage??!!??

[marcuscnelson]

Thank God they don't run high speed rail through the NE corridor of the USA. That would be madness! Can you imagine the carnage??!!??

That's why you don't hear about the NE on this website for a SE city, they're all DEAD! The high-speed trains killed them all! Everyone in Massachusetts sat down on the tracks and the train ran them over, so it's the train's fault!

[TimmyB]

Thank God they don't run high speed rail through the NE corridor of the USA. That would be madness! Can you imagine the carnage??!!??

That's why you don't hear about the NE on this website for a SE city, they're all DEAD! The high-speed trains killed them all! Everyone in Massachusetts sat down on the tracks and the train ran them over, so it's the train's fault!

If only the f***ing Patriots had done the same thing!!!

[Pottsburg]

Has Brightline been found at fault for any of the deaths?  As far as I know they are all people that either went around the lights, bells, and gates at a crossing or were illegally crossing the tracks somewhere else.  Can't fix stupid.

Not one!  It takes a person actively keeping the gates up for the crossing not to work right. If the system fails the gates go down, if the electricity goes out for a long period of time the gates go down.  I promise you that whoever was stupid enough or responsible for keeping the gates up if a train blows through, they will be going to jail. The FRA takes that stuff very serious. The train speeds have increased from 60mph to 79mph down south. That's only 19mph faster. I have seen the Brightline blow his air (emergency stop) going 79mph, it actually stops fairly quick (for a train).

[Steve]

There's no trolling.  I searched on Travelocity just now.  The ticket is still $47 on Delta, non-stop one way for 2/28, that's tomorrow.  Either MCO to MIA or MIA to MCO.

Does anyone here supporting the Brightline work for Florida East Coast Railway or CSX?  It seems that there's alot of folks here that are blindly supporting Brightline with the same fervor as a lobbyist or paid supporter.

Okay, your example of the  will work for a lot of folks, but not all. For an international to Europe from MIA/MCO it definitely could make sense, as they tend to leave late afternoon/early evening. Personally, I love to Fly and also Love take the Train. I assure you, I don't work for either the airline or a railroad. I also have been either Platinum or Diamond with Delta the last few years so I'm well aware of typical flight prices.

The other challenge with flying is the airports are out of the way from the city (though Jacksonville's Amtrak station is also bad), have to get to the airport 60-90 minutes before the flight, and then repeat when you get to your destination. Train travel cuts that to about 30 minutes and generally train stations are in city centers.

Now, I'd say another practical use would be to take it from Jacksonville to Orlando for work, rather than drive. It takes about the same amount of time but I can then be productive. If the timing was better the same train runs from Jacksonville to Lakeland. The other challenge is that Jacksonville's train station is crazy out of the way, and Lakeland's doesn't have a car rental.

In terms of grade separation, yes most of Asia and Europe high speed trains are fully separated. Many of Asia's can approach 300mph, and Europe's can approach 200mph. That's much different than our highest speed train, which hits 125mph in parts. Amtrak's Acela is mostly grade separated, but there are some at grade crossings (the train isn't going 125 in those areas).

If you want proof that rail can work, go to the Northeast, West Coast, Chicago Area or most other areas outside of the Southeast. The Southeast is probably Amtrak's worst coverage.

In terms of "killing" people, if people are lifting up gates or going through the gate because they don't want to wait that to me is the equivalent of jumping off a highway overpass. You may get lucky and not die, but you probably will.

I don't follow your, "cutting neighborhoods in half" argument. Under this argument San Marco would be destroyed and be an unsafe area.

[Steve]

The existing tracks are a legacy of an earlier era before airplanes and highways.  These tracks go through heavily populated areas with much pedestrian foot traffic.  It's disingenuous to just say, "stay off the tracks", when these rail lines go through heavily trafficked areas and the current safety record of trains is dubious.

This is a great quote. You talk about rail splitting up neighborhoods, yet you bring up highways. Are we not going to address all of the neighborhoods that have been torn apart by highways?

What is your take on Robert Moses' Planning Principles?

[FloridaBoy]

I don't follow your, "cutting neighborhoods in half" argument. Under this argument San Marco would be destroyed and be an unsafe area.

I owned a house in San Marco for several years.  All of my neighbors without exception hated the train noise.  Folks understand that trains serve a role, however, the amount of train noise over the course of a day for those long freight trains going 5 mph over the St Johns was ridiculous.  Some of those freight trains did take over 10 minutes to snake through San Marco, so yeah they do cut the neighborhood in half, especially when an ambulance is waiting to get someone to one of the several hospitals in San Marco/Southbank.

[thelakelander]

How do they cut the neighborhood in half when they were there before the neighborhood? Why would someone who hates train noise, move near an active mainline railroad? It's like moving next to an airport and then complaining about jet noise. Where does common sense start to play in to all of this?  As for access across tracks, the answer has always been to construct a bridge over the tracks. However, that financial responsibility doesn't fall on the back of the railroad.

[TimmyB]

...It's like moving next to an airport and then complaining about jet noise. Where does common sense start to play in to all of this?...

And yet, there are tens of thousands that DO complain, making the answer to the question, "Rarely, if at all", at least as far as the NIMBYs are concerned.

[thelakelander]

Yes, I just find it hard to take anyone who complains about something like that seriously.

[Adam White]

Folks understand that trains serve a role, however, the amount of train noise over the course of a day for those long freight trains going 5 mph over the St Johns was ridiculous.  Some of those freight trains did take over 10 minutes to snake through San Marco...

And yet, you have an issue with fast trains.

So, basically, you don't like trains, full stop.