Brightline CEO: Treasure Coast train station is focus now following passenger rail launch

A Brightline station along the Treasure Coast likely will be the next location for the higher-speed passenger railroad, which launched scheduled passenger service Friday between Miami and Orlando.

With that service now underway, a Treasure Coast station is Brightline's next focus, company CEO Michael Reininger said Friday.

"We are going to get to work really hard now to make the next stop happen here in the Treasure Coast someplace," Reininger said, aboard one of the first South Florida-to-Orlando trains Friday. "Stay tuned for that. Lots is going to happen in the near future," he said in an exclusive interview.

Reininger has a unique history with the Treasure Coast. He was president of All Aboard Florida — one of Brightline's previous names — when the concept for a new passenger railroad was announced in 2012. He guided it through turbulent times, particularly here.

Opposition was swift

Community opposition to the proposed passenger rail service was swift from the original announcement more than 10 years ago, on March 22, 2012. It ranged from boaters and a maritime industry concerned about St. Lucie River access to first responders worried about trains causing dangerous delays to environmentalists who feared the noise and the impact on water and other resources.

The more the community learned about the plan, the louder the outcries became. Many opponents argued without a station anywhere along the Treasure Coast, up to 32 trains a day — at more than 80 mph in some spots — would fly through the three-county region without any local benefit.

Community perceptions have changed

Yet now, more than a decade later, the community perception of the $4 billion project has changed, he said.

"We have come a long way in terms of developing a very positive relationship with the (Treasure Coast) communities," Reininger told TCPalm news partner and Palm Beach Post journalist Antonio Fins. "I think the community has become much more aware of the benefits of having the train stop in their community."

Still, Reininger stopped short of providing concrete details for when and where Brightline would put down roots here.

Brightline is committed to building a station in either St. Lucie or Martin county within the next five years, according to a lawsuit settlement agreement Martin County and the nonprofit Citizens Against Rail Expansion reached with the company in 2018.

More: How many trains will pass through Treasure Coast, and when?

More: Will Brightline replace the 90-year-old St. Lucie River railroad bridge after all?

Moreover, Brightline in the settlement guarantees to have at least two northbound and two southbound trains stop at the Treasure Coast station each day.

Indian River and Martin counties together spent more than $8 million in legal fees in their unsuccessful quest to block the railroad and its funding. It was the Martin settlement that finally guaranteed a station.

Although no location has been officially discussed, both Fort Pierce and Stuart have shown interest in having the station. Both have much of the necessary infrastructure, and Fort Pierce already is planning to build a station in the event it gets Brightline's nod.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline CEO says it's time to get to work on Treasure Coast stop