What will keep people from dying on the tracks? Feds look into rail safety in Florida
After a series of deadly train crashes across South Florida, federal officials met with Brightline, Tri-Rail and other rail lines in the state this week to discuss what could be done to reduce or prevent deaths on the tracks.
The session in Boynton Beach comes as Florida logged a five-year average of 2.84 incidents per grade crossing, compared to 1.51 nationally, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Many fatal accidents are caused by people trying to beat the train, or by suicide. Federal officials say the tragedies are preventable and that more needs to be done to increase rail safety.
“It’s going to take all of us to fix this problem,” said James Payne, the agency’s staff director of grade crossing and trespass outreach, during Wednesday’s meeting at the Boynton Beach Police Department. “This is a shared responsibility.”
Representatives from Brightline, Florida East Coast Railway, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (which operates Tri-Rail), Amtrak and CSX, along with regional city and county officials, attended the rail summit, according to the federal agency.
The Federal Railroad Administration, in a news release, said that leaders discussed “lessons learned, prevention measures and areas for improvement.” One of the recommendations: The train companies should apply for federal grants to improve rail safety through the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
Brightline — a high-speed train with stops in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami — can travel up to 79 mph. The company has already spent millions of dollars on public service announcements, signs and mechanical systems to prevent collisions, derailments and death tolls.
A look at South Florida train collisions
Brightline has caused more fatalities per mile traveled than any other major rail operator in the country, according to a recent Miami Herald analysis of Federal Railroad Administration data on deaths not involving rail employees or passengers.
In November, on the first day of operations after a 19-month pandemic hiatus, a Brightline train struck a car that was attempting to cross the tracks in Pompano Beach. There were injuries, but no deaths in that crash. Since then, Brightline trains have been involved in a string of crashes with cars and pedestrians.
So far, the train has been tied to 58 deaths since it began operations in 2017, according to an ongoing Associated Press analysis that began in 2019. South Florida’s commuter service Tri-Rail has the 13th-worst fatality rate and the Florida East Coast freight line has the 15th-worst fatality rate, according to the AP analysis.
None of the railroad deaths were caused by crew error or faulty equipment, the AP reported.
Here’s a look at South Florida train crashes in 2022:
Feb. 19 — A man was struck and killed by a Brightline in Delray Beach after police say he stepped onto the tracks in front of the moving train. Police believe it was a suicide, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Feb. 16 — A car is struck by a Brightline in Lake Worth Beach. The crash report says the car’s driver went around stopped cars and the safety gates, which were down, onto the railroad tracks. The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Brightline released video of the crash as a stark reminder why people need to follow railroad crossing traffic rules.
Feb. 15 — A mother drove her car onto the tracks in Delray Beach and escaped with her baby before a Brightline struck the car. At night, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a Brightline train in Hallandale Beach.
Feb. 13 — A man was killed after his Ford Fusion was struck by a Brightline in Lake Worth Beach. Police said the man had driven around the railroad’s safety arms, which were in the down position.
Jan. 27 — A man was struck and killed by a Brightline in Hollywood.
Jan. 19 — A woman was struck and killed by a Florida East Coast Railway freight train in Deerfield Beach.
Jan. 4 — A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Brightline train in Boynton Beach.
As a reminder, drivers should never drive around the gates or ignore the flashing lights at railroad crossings. These are signs that a train is nearing the crossing and you should never try to beat the train.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 10:38 AM.
