Brightline again delays testing trains at 110 mph; when will the testing finally begin?

Thomas Weber, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·4 min read

Editor's note: This article was modified from its original version. Brightline has again delayed high-speed testing of its trains. Originally scheduled to begin Monday, the testing has been delayed each day this week.  

JENSEN BEACH — Brightline has been testing its trains through the Treasure Coast since January. But its fastest trains yet — 110 mph — are to begin speeding through Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The full-speed tests will be conducted beginning as soon as Friday along an 11-mile rail corridor, between Jensen Beach Boulevard and Midway Road in Port St. Lucie. At all five railroad crossings between, drivers should expect increased wait times, Brightline spokesperson Katie Mitzner said.

"The gates will come down, the train will begin its test, and then it will take a couple of minutes for it to get through the corridor," she said.

Full-speed: Brightline to begin 110 mph, full-speed tests along rail corridor through Martin, St. Lucie counties

More: Is Brightline still 'private'? New federal grant, and support in D.C., keep raising the question

Opinion:Will Coast Guard side with Brightline or boaters over Stuart railroad drawbridge?

Although the higher-speed railroad, which is extending its existing service from West Palm Beach to Orlando, has been conducting daily tests since early this year, but the 110 mph tests Friday would mark the first time its trains have gone full speed here.

What will the tests look like?

When a test starts, all of the railroad crossings along that stretch of corridor will go down at the same time, Mitzner said.

It could take several minutes longer than usual, she explained, because the trains won't go 110 mph through the entire stretch. Part of the test is starting and stopping sporadically to test their brakes.

"All the crossings will be locked down, and we will do our test through," she said. "And then the crossing gates will come back up."

The first train is to leave West Palm Beach at 7:30 a.m. and could arrive at Jensen Beach as early as 8:30 a.m., Mitzner said. Drivers should expect to see test trains — both northbound and southbound — any time between then and about 3 p.m.

The first round of tests will be conducted daily, Thursday through Oct. 22, she said, but factors such as weather could affect testing.

"What will be normal to see for the next week would be the Brightline train traveling between that south limit at Jensen Beach Boulevard, gradually increasing speeds, and stopping for brake testing," she said.

After Oct. 22, there will be a two-week break, Mitzner said, and then testing will resume along the corridor.

How often will the fast trains come through?

Between 10 and 16 tests will be run each day, Mitzner said, and testing will be conducted only during daylight.

Northbound fast trains will stop at the end of the 11-mile testing corridor, then run back south until they reach Jensen Beach again. Tests trains will go back and forth like this throughout the day, Mitzner said.

Time between test run could be a few minutes to a half hour or more, she said.

The following crossings are part of the testing corridor, Brightline said:

Martin County

  • County Line Road

  • Skyline Drive

  • Pitchford Landing

  • Jensen Beach Boulevard

St. Lucie County

  • Midway Road

  • Walton Road

  • Riverview Drive

What safety improvements has Brightline made?

During tests, Brightline will have flaggers and off-duty law enforcement personnel at each of the affected crossings, Mitzner said. When the gates go down, those personnel will stop pedestrians, drivers, bike riders and others from trying to get across the tracks.

Brightline has installed various safety improvements at 156 crossings, including new crossing gates, signal systems, pedestrian gates, pavement markings and quad gates or medians to prevent people from getting around lowered gates, Mitzner said.

All crossing improvements in the testing corridor are complete and include either a median or quad gate — four gates instead of two. Quad gates have arms that touch to prevent people from passing through.

Some crossings, such as at Jensen Beach Boulevard, have both medians and a quad gate.

People walk on the new pedestrian sidewalk and past the new pedestrian gate (right) at the Northeast Jensen Beach Boulevard roundabout on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. New signal systems, pedestrian gates, pavement markings and a median were some of the improvements that Brightline has incorporated at the roundabout. Where trains operate at 110 mph, all crossings will have quad gates or medians to prevent motorists from driving around lowered crossing gates.

"They block the entire access to the railway passing," she said. "They'll be coming down so they almost touch, and it will be impossible to drive around."

Next, full-speed tests will be conducted through Brevard County, Mitzner said. But it is unclear when those tests will begin.

As part of a lawsuit settlement, Brightline is making $31.6 million in improvements to 32 crossings in Indian River County, too. But the county is not part of this testing corridor.

Full-speed, 110 mph tests will be conducted in Indian River County once crossing improvements are finished there, likely in January or February, she said.

Completion of the corridor — from West Palm Beach to Cocoa and from Cocoa along the Beachline Expressway to Orlando International Airport — is expected late this year, with the entire $4.5 billion project expected to begin passenger service between Miami and Orlando in early 2023.

Thomas Weber is TCPalm's Indian River County government watchdog reporter. You can reach him at thomas.weber@tcpalm.com or 813-545-9113. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline trains going 110 mph for tests in Martin, St. Lucie counties