Brightline announces maximum speed tests on Treasure Coast, some residents unhappy

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — Today, Brightline announced they’ll be testing trains at speeds up to 110 miles-per-hour in Martin and St. Lucie Counties later this month.

While some welcome the addition of transportation throughout the Treasure Coast, others aren’t so thrilled.

Local residents tell CBS12 they’re concerned with safety aspects of the new train line and where they plan to put it.

There have been several fatal accidents involving a Brightline train – with people attempting to cross the tracks while the guard rails are down. The maximum speed tests are coming soon and Susan Mehiel with the Alliance for Safe Trains started a petition to the governor because she feels there are some concerns that need to be addressed first.

“It’s a combination of people not obeying the laws in their cars or walking. It’s a combination of not enough safety features, and you put those all together and you get over 60 deaths in 3 years," she said. "It’s just too many.“

And it’s not just about getting caught on the tracks, as some people ignore the gates altogether like the intersection at Dixie Highway and Monterey Road in Stuart.

“Lights started blinking and I could hear the whistle blowing, and as the arms came down to stop the traffic as the freight train was coming through, a car decided that he didn’t want to wait for the train, and I actually saw him blow through the gate, he blew through the gate,” said eye-witness Cece Scofield.

In addition to witnessing that scene, Scofield has her own concerns about Brightline’s passenger tracks being too close to commercial freight lines and even liquified natural gas transports.

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“They’re planning to run LNG (liquified natural gas) sharing tracks with the high speed passenger rail. That’s going to be a coordinating scheduling nightmare," she remarked. "Can you imagine somebody trying to schedule a 40 mile-per-hour LNG train top speed with a 110 mile-per-hour passenger rail?”

Mehiel says she is one of many who doesn’t think the tracks should be put in densely populated areas but she says her pleas weren’t heard.

“That was not listened to. We were told ‘we own these tracks, we’ll do what we want,’ she said of her requests. "Now, we’re asking those people that own the tracks to pay to make them safe since they insisted on putting the trains here.”

Brightline issued the following statement to CBS12 today:

“All incidents have resulted from motorists or trespassers making deadly and dangerous decisions and disobeying the law. Safety improvements in the testing area have quad gates or medians to prevent motorists from driving around lowered crossing gates. Brightline continues to remind the public to stay off active railroad tracks. “

Brightline officials say a safety press conference will happen right before these speed tests begin in a few weeks.