Brightline to take extra safety measures in Central Florida

A group of citizens is pushing for train safety as the Brightline train project that will connect Orlando to Miami rolls ahead.

The Alliance for Safe Trains was formed in response to the already high number of deaths on the tracks. There have been 40 since mid-2017.

“We want to know what (Brightline officials) are going to do to protect the citizens,” said alliance member Susan Mehiel.

Read: Virgin Trains: Service from Orlando to West Palm Beach on track for 2022 start

9 Investigates reviewed records from the Federal Railroad Administration, which show three-quarters of the deaths were ruled suicides or alcohol-related

With Brightline about to push north through Brevard County and passing communities along the way, that risk moves closer to home.

“We want them to fence the entire corridor,” Mehiel said. “It’s a sealed-corridor concept.”

In an email, Brightline said the company will “place fencing and landscaping to serve as barriers," as well as launch an information campaign to remind people to stay off the tracks.

Brightline, which is changing its name to Virgin Trains, will also upgrade its crossings in Brevard County, and run on mostly undeveloped land in Orange County.

The company notes that there will only be bridges and underpasses between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa, not at-grade intersections. The company also said all of the crossings south of the construction will be modernized during the construction process.

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