Tri-Rail gets $12.9 million grant to improve safety at rail crossings, including nine in Palm Beach County
Another federal grant is headed to South Florida to improve safety at deadly railway crossings.
This one, totaling $12.9 million, is for Tri-Rail to pay for enhancements along 25 crossings that have been identified as being in need of improvements.
“Making highway-rail grade crossings safer is a major goal for public transportation and is an important part of our program to improve safety throughout the transit industry,” Federal Transit Administrator Nuria Fernandez said in a prepared statement. “Grants like this one are a big step to help keep people safe near highway-rail grade crossings.”
Nine of the 25 Tri-Rail crossings targeted for improvements are in Palm Beach County.
In August, a $25 million Federal Highway Administration grant was awarded to Brightline to make improvements along 328 miles of railroad-grade crossings in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard counties.
The FHA had urged Brightline and Tri-Rail to apply for the grants in the wake of rising fatalities along their rail crossings. The latest Tri-Rail grant was awarded through FHA’s Commuter Authority Rail Safety Improvement program.
And even more funds may become available. The FHA will be distributing more than $1.2 billion for safety upgrades in the next five years through its Rail-Highway Crossings Program.
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Stopping the rising rate of trespassing and suicides along rail lines is a priority, according to the FHA.
Tri-Rail, South Florida’s commuter rail line, will use the $12.9 million to upgrade LED lights, improve signage and gate mechanisms and ensure that equipment is working properly, Tri-Rail Executive Director David Dech said.
"Each crossing will be looked at individually to see what we can do to improve conditions," Dech said. "The improvements will differ from site to site."
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Tri-Rail, operated by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, provides service along a former CSX rail line. Its trains stop at 18 stations in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“Safety is the No. 1 priority of the U.S. Department of Transportation, especially as our country faces a crisis of fatalities on our roadways,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a prepared statement. “Today’s grants, along with additional funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will improve safety at highway-rail crossings for travelers, whether they’re riding, driving, biking, or walking.”
The Associated Press reported in February that Tri-Rail had the 13th-worst fatality rate among 800 rail services nationwide, and that Brightline had the worst fatality rate per mile in the country.
Vehicular and train traffic around Tri-Rail, Brightline and Florida East Coast freight lines is only expected to increase over the next several years, the Transportation Department said.
Two more Brightline stations — one at Aventura and another at Boca Raton — are expected to open by the end of the year. Trains currently stop in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton.
The company is expected to install an additional 150 warning signs and 170 suicide-crisis hotline signs.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers county government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tri-Rail: $12.9 million grant to improve safety at rail crossings
