Brightline, which has yet to set a firm date for the start of its Central Florida service, staged another coming-out party Wednesday for its $6.4 billion extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport, saying the construction phase of the 170-mile segment is now complete.
But as the fanfare unfolded with South and Central Florida politicians celebrating at the airport, there was the not-so-subtle matter of a controversial drawbridge over the St. Lucie River, where the U.S. Coast Guard started the day with a new temporary operating schedule for the span so that marine traffic will have fewer railroad-induced interruptions.
The new operating schedule, which extends into December and was publicized anew by the Coast Guard late Tuesday, entails more time with the bridge up each hour and less time for Florida East Coast Railway freight trains to pass over the Okeechobee Waterway near Stuart. The effect on Brightline, railroad officials say, could well mean its planned timetable of 32 daily passenger trains daily could be cut by up to 50%. Daily FEC freight traffic in and out of South Florida could also be delayed, the railroad said.
Still, the Coast Guard moved forward with its plan, which it initially published in the Federal Register on June 8.
“In addition to collecting critical information to properly inform a future decision, the temporary deviation is intended to provide schedule predictability for both mariners on the waterways and trains that use the railway,” said Randall Overton, director of the Seventh Coast Guard District Bridge Program. “It is the next step in a decade-long process since the original ‘All Aboard Florida’ project was announced in 2012 and represents the ongoing Coast Guard commitment to identifying a reasonable balance between the competing needs of land and waterborne modes of transportation.”
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
The Brightline station at Orlando’s airport is shown in the background after its recent completion.
The temporary bridge schedule, the statement added, “will further inform the eventual decision to establish a permanent drawbridge operating schedule.”
It was not immediately clear whether the FEC, which owns the 351-mile rail corridor between Jacksonville and Miami that passes over the river, would honor the Coast Guard’s schedule. The freight railroad owns the drawbridge. For now, Brightline is still in the testing phase along the route, with its trains running without paying passengers at speeds of up to 110 mph.
In a statement late Tuesday, Brightline said it is holding discussions about the bridge’s hours with the FEC, the Coast Guard and the Federal Railway Administration.
“FECR, Brightline, USCG and the FRA are engaged in a collaborative dialogue to establish a framework for operations at the St. Lucie Bridge that will result in safe, reliable and equitable use by the marine and rail industry,” Brightline said. “We are confident a resolution can be found prior to Brightline’s scheduled Orlando launch.”
The statement added that there is a “consensus” among the four entities “and many in the local community” that a “permanent solution” can be found through “a new double track bridge that widens the marine passage and allows over 90% of current boat traffic to pass without opening.”
It did not elaborate.
The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
But in a statement announcing the completion of the extension project, Brightline noted it had rehabilitated the bridge, replacing electrical, mechanical and control components to reduce the chances of the 100-year-old span getting stuck in the open or closed positions. The overhaul was part of work on 56 bridges along the line, the railroad said.
Maintained by the federal government, the Okeechobee Waterway is the sole water route that crosses the state and is heavily trafficked by recreational and commercial vessels. Business and boat owners have protested Brightline’s impending arrival, and in early May, more than a dozen sued the Coast Guard, the FEC and Army Corps of Engineers in federal court over the impending increase in rail traffic.
Major engineering feat
At the Orlando airport, the focus was on what Brightline had achieved by completing its project that overcame challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not stop the construction.
“This is a testament to the commitment, collaboration and extraordinary innovation of the Brightline construction team and I commend every member of our team for their tireless dedication, expertise, and determination in being a key part in connecting the state of Florida through rail,” said Patrick Goddard, the company president, in a statement.
The railroad hosted mayors from most of the South Florida cities it serves — West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami. It was the company’s latest event to build interest in the service that will run from West Palm Beach, north to Cocoa and west to Orlando.
The rail service has quickly taken hold in Boca Raton, where a station opened last fall, said its mayor, Scott Singer.
“Brightline is booming in Boca Raton,” Singer said in a statement issued by the railroad. “Our residents and visitors have fully embraced passenger train travel and want more of it. Boca Raton is excited for service to launch to Orlando, and I applaud the Brightline team for being on the cusp of making it a reality.”
“It’s great to know that construction of the rail line has been completed,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said in a statement issued on his behalf. “Fort Lauderdale and South Florida as a whole have been waiting with great anticipation for the start of Brightline’s passenger service to Orlando. This creates true synergies between our tourism sectors and business economies.”
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Two Brightline trains inside the new “Basecamp” maintenance facility in Orlando, where the higher speed railroad marked the completion of its 170-mile extension from South Florida to Orlando International Airport.
Brightline recently started ticket sales for trips starting Sept. 1, but has yet to announce a formal start date. Adult fares start at $79, and $39 for children.
In a statement, the rail line said the project includes, among other things:
- The airport station: It connects directly to the airport’s new Terminal C and an automated people mover that can take passengers to and from the rest of the airport including Terminals A and B in under five minutes.
- A maintenance facility: Covering 62 acres south of the airport, the 138,000-square-foot facility spans the length of two football fields and is large enough to service 16 trains daily with an automated wash and an 80,000 gallon biodiesel fuel farm.
- A 35-mile east-west corridor between Cocoa and the airport: The rails follow the Beachline Expressway and includes 18 new bridges, three underpasses, drainage installations, and 60 track miles of new rail.
- A 129-mile corridor of existing track along the FEC line between Cocoa and West Palm Beach: It was upgraded to allow service up to 110 MPH. A second main track was built parallel to the existing line. There were upgrades for 156 railroad crossings. Nineteen bridges were replaced including the Loxahatchee River Bridge; the St. Lucie River Bridge was rehabilitated.
New safety measures
Brightline also said it made “crucial safety improvements” at all 156 railroad crossings between Cocoa and West Palm Beach.
They vary by crossing, but include new gates to control vehicle traffic, signal systems, pedestrian gates, pavement markings and roadway profiles.
“Where trains will operate above 79 mph, crossings have quad gates or medians to prevent motorists from driving around lowered crossing gates,” the railroad said.