110 mph: Brightline to launch high-speed train testing runs in Brevard County
Brightline will soon start 110-mph testing in Brevard County, sending trains zipping through railroad crossings at high speed in Cocoa, Rockledge, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Malabar, Grant-Valkaria and Micco.
"It takes a mile for a Brightline train to stop. So by the time you see a train, it's too late," Brightline spokesperson Katie Mitzner said after a Tuesday morning rail safety press conference in downtown Melbourne.
"So you need to pay attention to all of the signals, the crossing arms coming down at the crossings. Take out those AirPods," Mitzner said.
" 'Look, listen and live' is what we say," she said.
Brightline's up-to-110-mph Brevard testing may start as soon as Friday and continue daily between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The high-speed test period should last a week.
Last month, officials celebrated completion of the private rail company's new 170-mile route linking Orlando with West Palm Beach, which leads through but doesn't stop in Brevard. A grand opening date for Orlando-to-South Florida service has not been announced.
Brightline is selling tickets for Orlando travel from Sept. 1 through 2024 for $79 for adults and $39 for children, along with premium tickets for $149. Tickets are available at gobrightline.com.
Brightline commentary: Sorry but I'm not drinking the Brightline Kool-Aid | Torres
Melbourne police are handing out glossy tip cards to motorists and pedestrians featuring Brightline-related railroad crossing safety tips, Deputy Chief David Waltemeyer said. Among the tips:
Only cross at designated crossings.
Look both ways before crossing tracks — trains can approach from either direction at the same time.
Never drive or walk around lowered gates.
Mitzner said drivers should expect longer wait times at railroad crossings during Brevard's up-to-110-mph testing period. Flaggers will be stationed at crossings where test trains will exceed 79 mph.
Brightline passenger service launched in 2018 between its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations. Construction on the Orlando expansion route broke ground in June 2019. Last year, the company opened new South Florida stations in Boca Raton and Aventura.
Tuesday's Brightline-Melbourne Police Department press conference took place next to the New Haven Avenue crossing in downtown Melbourne, alongside orange-and-white metal traffic barricades at the still-shuttered section of Depot Drive. This short section of roadway remains closed since the company began building new twin steel-and-concrete bridges spanning Crane Creek.
"The maximum speed for a Brightline train between West Palm and Cocoa will be 110 mph. That's not sustained speed — that's the maximum speed it can go. And so, coming through downtown Melbourne, those speeds will be somewhere in the 70- to 80-mph range," Mitzner said after the press conference.
"To give some perspective, a freight train's maximum speed is 60 mph," Mitzner said.
Brightline news: Brightline buying land in Titusville, developing residential neighborhood in Cocoa
Waltemeyer said drivers who disobey rail-crossing signage could face $209 fines and three points on their driver's license, per state law. Pedestrians could receive $67 tickets.
People who walk along railroad tracks away from crossings may face trespassing charges punishable by up to 60 days in jail and $500 fines, Waltemeyer said.
Mitzner said no flaggers will be stationed in Melbourne between University and Hibiscus boulevards during the high-speed test period because trains will not exceed the 79-mph threshold.
Construction teams worked more than 7 million hours building the Orlando rail extension, "battling through the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain shortages," a company press release said.
Key for Brevard was construction work performed along the 129-mile Florida East Coast Railway corridor between Cocoa and West Palm Beach. That’s where crews:
Added a second parallel track and upgraded the corridor to allow service up to 110 mph.
Installed upgrades at 156 railroad crossings, including new crossing gates, signal systems, pedestrian gates, pavement markings and roadway profiles.
Replaced 19 bridges, including the St. Sebastian River, Goat Creek, Turkey Creek, Crane Creek, Eau Gallie River and Horse Creek.
In March, a Brightline test train reached 130 mph on the new 35-mile rail corridor along the Beachline Expressway, between the Orlando airport and Cocoa.
Mitzner told media "it's always been part of our vision to have a station in the Space Coast." But for now, the company's focus is launching the Orlando passenger service.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
Support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brightline 110-mph high-speed train test runs to start on Space Coast
