On Thursday, with the backing of another member of the Florida delegation, U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., introduced a proposal which he says will help boost safety around high-speed rail corridors.
Posey brought out the “Pedestrian Safety Study Act” with the help of U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., who is cosponsoring the proposal which they claim will “help protect the safety of pedestrians, motorists and residents along the high-speed rail corridor being constructed on Florida’s East Coast.”
Noting “74 deaths have been recorded along the rail corridor with more than 40 deaths involving the new high-speed train,” the congressmen left no room for doubt that they were thinking about Virgin Trains USA when they launched the bill.
“Residents and local businesses have expressed safety concerns about the rail project given the high number of fatalities already associated with the train since its South Florida operations began in 2018,” Posey’s office noted.
“These trains will travel at fast speeds through existing town centers and residential areas with little separating the tracks from the surrounding communities,” said Posey when he introduced the bill on Thursday. “The introduction of high- speed rail will undoubtedly present safety challenges for many, including our schools, and that needs to be properly addressed. I thank my colleague Rep. Brian Mast for his strong leadership and for partnering with me to ensure the safety of our Florida constituents.”
“The deaths our communities have already witnessed along this corridor clearly indicate there are safety issues, and Brightline has a long history of straight-up lying to the people of Florida, so at this point I don’t believe they’ve earned the trust to decide for themselves whether their trains are safe. This study is much needed to expose these issues before more lives are lost,” said Mast.
The bill would have the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Highway Administration “conduct a study on motorist and pedestrian safety along the Virgin/Brightline high-speed train corridor with an emphasis on schools in the vicinity of the tracks” which would report back to Congress and the Florida Department of Transportation.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday. So far, there is no companion bill over in the U.S. Senate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
Pingback: Legislators Look to Improve Rail Safety for Pedestrians