Boca Raton approves new Brightline express train station
Boca Raton’s City Council has approved a long-term land lease with Brightline, soon to be Virgin Trains, for the construction of a train station and parking garage near the city’s downtown library.
Brightline will begin building the train station, which it will fully fund and operate, on a 1.8-acre site near Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway in 2021, as a rail-ready connection to the $4 billion, 170-mile intercity train system.
Boca, meanwhile, will spend about $12.1 million to design and build a 455-car parking garage for train riders and the public. Brightline will be responsible for all the operating expenses of the garage, and the parties will split the profits.
By the end of 2020, Boca Raton is expected to be the third new station in the company’s south corridor, joining Aventura and PortMiami in connecting the privately operated, intercity rail system. Current stations and stops: West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
According to Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, the public private partnership with Brightline/Virgin Trains will bring to fruition long-term policy goals that included a downtown parking garage, new transit options, and a downtown train station.
“We pursued an opportunity to be included in this major transportation network and have seized the moment,” Singer said in a statement. “Many community partners have discussed how this train station is a game changer and puts us on the map. Once open, these vital transportation upgrades will provide benefits to Boca’s residents and businesses and will advance the long-term future of our thriving, progressive city.”
Library visitors will have dedicated, covered parking on the first floor, which will be complimentary.
A recent Associated Press report found that deaths along Brightline’s tracks rank highest among any U.S. railroad. Brightline has said many of the deaths have been the result of suicides; the company has not been found liable in any of the incidents.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 11:34 AM.
