The Brightline Thread

[electricron]

In the first video, a white vehicle definitely drove around a gate with working signals and bells. In the second video, the black vehicle not only drove around the gate, but passed another vehicle that had stopped for the gate.
That is not distracted driving, the driver must steer their vehicle around the gates. Very tough to blame the railroad company for people deliberately breaking the law.

[Busy Bee]

I feel bad about not feeling all that bad about these people. I don't care for the term social Darwinism, but it does appear to be what we are witnessing here.

This concludes my daily confession.

[Roy_Batty]

Yeah well, I didn’t see the crossing arm until now. It’s hard to tell in the video and I had to zoom in to notice it. I take back my comment regarding the lack of physical impediment and distracted driving for those two specific cases, but the whole substance it’s the same - why don’t they install quad gates? Is that really expensive? It seems a quad gate would definetly reduce the collisions. When doing public policy you need to care about this, even if it’s utterly stupidity, safety measures are also designed to deal with human stupidity (SPECIALLY with driving rules). This is not only for to the lives you would save from the people committing the stupidity, but also those affected by this. I bet people inside the train can and will get injured with these collisions, plus the costs to repair the trains, delay the operations, etc, there is a lot of issues resulting from not mitigating human stupidity.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Roy_Batty

but the whole substance it’s the same - why don’t they install quad gates? Is that really expensive? It seems a quad gate would definetly reduce the collisions. When doing public policy you need to care about this, even if it’s utterly stupidity, safety measures are also designed to deal with human stupidity (SPECIALLY with driving rules). This is not only for to the lives you would save from the people committing the stupidity, but also those affected by this. I bet people inside the train can and will get injured with these collisions, plus the costs to repair the trains, delay the operations, etc, there is a lot of issues resulting from not mitigating human stupidity.

Well, maybe some of these local communities along the route would have some funds to build the quad gates if they had not spent so much money on lawyers opposing the Brightline trains. FYI, there were freight trains running along this route long before 1900. These trains on this route just did not appear overnight, they have been here for a really long time.

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by Roy_Batty

Yeah well, I didn’t see the crossing arm until now. It’s hard to tell in the video and I had to zoom in to notice it. I take back my comment regarding the lack of physical impediment and distracted driving for those two specific cases, but the whole substance it’s the same - why don’t they install quad gates? Is that really expensive? It seems a quad gate would definetly reduce the collisions. When doing public policy you need to care about this, even if it’s utterly stupidity, safety measures are also designed to deal with human stupidity (SPECIALLY with driving rules). This is not only for to the lives you would save from the people committing the stupidity, but also those affected by this. I bet people inside the train can and will get injured with these collisions, plus the costs to repair the trains, delay the operations, etc, there is a lot of issues resulting from not mitigating human stupidity.

I believe all the crossings are quad gates here in S. Florida. Haven't been on the Orlando route yet, so have yet to see what going on with that section, but yes, they should at least have them.

[Qubert]

What would be the practiability of retracable bollards?

[Busy Bee]

^ $$$. Plus the unavoidable fact that they would often have a vehicle stopped right over them because nitwits don't pay attention to pavement markings either.

[Roy_Batty]

Thanks Urban Impact for the answer, hopefully Brightline will continue implementing quad gates in all the West Palm Beach to Orlando route. I really think this should be a bear minimum.

Originally Posted by electricron

Well, maybe some of these local communities along the route would have some funds to build the quad gates if they had not spent so much money on lawyers opposing the Brightline trains. FYI, there were freight trains running along this route long before 1900. These trains on this route just did not appear overnight, they have been here for a really long time.

I don’t agree with you. Whether local communities opposed the project or not should not be an excuse for anything. If the local communities voted against the project, that should be a more compelling reason for authorities to request Brightline to spent some cents in this stuff to at least alleviate some of the concerns. I’m pretty sure trains before 1900 were slower than 110 mph.

[202_Cyclist]

Las Vegas-to-California high-speed electric rail project gets OK for $2.5B more in bonds

Associated Press
Jan. 23, 2024

"LAS VEGAS (AP) — A proposed high-speed passenger train between Las Vegas and Southern California got another boost on Tuesday with Biden administration approval to issue $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds for the $12 billion project.

The announcement benefiting the Brightline West project followed a $3 billion U.S. Department of Transportation grant in December and government authorization in 2020 for the company to sell $1 billion in similar bonds.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in us by DOT and are ready to get to work,” Brightline founder and Chairman Wes Edens said in a statement. Florida-based Brightline Holdings LLC currently operates the only privately-owned intercity passenger railroad in the U.S., linking Miami and Orlando with trains reaching speeds up to 125 mph (200 kph)..."

https://apnews.com/article/bullet-tr...7801437df29fbe

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Las Vegas-to-California high-speed electric rail project gets OK for $2.5B more in bonds

Associated Press
Jan. 23, 2024

"LAS VEGAS (AP) — A proposed high-speed passenger train between Las Vegas and Southern California got another boost on Tuesday with Biden administration approval to issue $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds for the $12 billion project.

The announcement benefiting the Brightline West project followed a $3 billion U.S. Department of Transportation grant in December and government authorization in 2020 for the company to sell $1 billion in similar bonds.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in us by DOT and are ready to get to work,” Brightline founder and Chairman Wes Edens said in a statement. Florida-based Brightline Holdings LLC currently operates the only privately-owned intercity passenger railroad in the U.S., linking Miami and Orlando with trains reaching speeds up to 125 mph (200 kph)..."

https://apnews.com/article/bullet-tr...7801437df29fbe

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing this with me. Please keep us posted!

[UrbanImpact]

https://www.thenextmiami.com/brightl...in-2023-up-67/
Brightline Carries 2M Passengers In 2023, Up 67%

[202_Cyclist]

Brightline West conducts fieldwork in California ahead of high-speed rail groundbreaking

By Rene Ray De La Cruz
Victorville Daily Press
Jan. 29, 2024

"Brightline West launched field investigation work this week in Southern California in anticipation of a groundbreaking of its high-speed rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga.

The fieldwork, for the proposed rail corridor within the Interstate 15 right-of-way, will advance the final stages of design in preparation for a groundbreaking, Brightline West told the Daily Press.

Field work also began earlier this month in Nevada for what Brightline West officials call “America’s first true high-speed rail system..."

https://www.vvdailypress.com/story/n...g/72372501007/

[N830MH]

Your next stop is:

Stuart and Cocoa!

Cocoa:

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/n...PYFmAlMUuWUS28


Stuart:

https://www.thenextmiami.com/reports...fB64NYQYiSu8Kw

[202_Cyclist]

Brightline Founder Eyes Private Rail Expansion to Texas, Seattle

By Skylar Woodhouse and Aashna Shah
April 24, 2024
Bloomberg


"A new era of fast passenger rail is poised to sweep across the US, according to Wes Edens, the billionaire founder of Brightline — the first private train operator in the country in more than a century.

After kicking off construction this week on Brightline’s latest venture, a $12 billion rail project spanning from Las Vegas to Southern California, Edens is already envisioning the next major hub.

The Texas triangle of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio is among the promising routes, as are Atlanta-Charlotte, Portland-Seattle and Chicago-St. Louis, the Fortress Investment Group co-chair and chief executive officer said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s Wall Street Week with David Westin..."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-texas-seattle

[wanderer34]

It makes a lot of sense to open up another thread regarding Brightline West, just to separate the current Brightline that operates in FL!

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

It makes a lot of sense to open up another thread regarding Brightline West, just to separate the current Brightline that operates in FL!

No, no need to create a new thread. Just stay on it. I suggest you have ask your moderator for the permission. I think they will keep it in the same threads.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

It makes a lot of sense to open up another thread regarding Brightline West, just to separate the current Brightline that operates in FL!

Subdividing threads is usually a bad idea as people will start posting in the wrong thread and one thread gets pushed down the page and people can't find it and so on and so forth.

A general Brightline thread makes sense to me. If a more organized display is desired I would recommend people place "Brightline West" or "Brightline Florida" in the title bar just so the post is immediately understood as being news or an update of one or the other. As major construction begins on Brightline West and continues in Florida, with construction photos being posted it would make even more sense to clearly put either Brightline West or Brightline Florida in the title bar.

[Easy]

Separating Brightline into two threads would be logical if it's the services that interest people and not the railroad company, which is the case for most of us. It really ends up being two completely different discussions in the same thread. I end up having to sort through posts to find the ones that interest me making the ones that do interest me easy to miss.

For those that come to see discussions of both, having one thread makes that easier but I think that's the minority. I could be wrong though.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Easy

Separating Brightline into two threads would be logical if it's the services that interest people and not the railroad company, which is the case for most of us. It really ends up being two completely different discussions in the same thread. I end up having to sort through posts to find the ones that interest me making the ones that do interest me easy to miss.

For those that come to see discussions of both, having one thread makes that easier but I think that's the minority. I could be wrong though.

This is exactly why I said this:

If a more organized display is desired I would recommend people place "Brightline West" or "Brightline Florida" in the title bar just so the post is immediately understood as being news or an update of one or the other.

[202_Cyclist]

Transportation leaders urge Brightline expansion to Tampa to ease I-4 traffic


ABC News
June 14, 2024
By Rebecca Petit

"TAMPA, Fla. — Regional transportation leaders are pushing Florida lawmakers to expedite plans to bring high-speed rail to the Tampa Bay area.

For Mallorie Collert, traffic on I-4 has become so frustrating that she doesn’t drive on it if she doesn’t have to.

“I really try to avoid it as much as possible because of how bad it’s gotten,” Collert said. “I remember you used to hit traffic going towards Tampa a little bit but now you’re getting traffic all the way from Lakeland going to Plant City, so I really try to stay off of it.”

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...se-i-4-traffic