Amtrak crash raises Brightline safety concerns

The fatal Amtrak train derailment in Washington state this week has led Brightline critics to renew their safety warnings.

Brightline trains, which are supposed to start service in the near future, are expected to go 79 mph between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. They will hit 110 mph going to Cocoa and up to 125 mph to Orlando.

The Amtrak train derailed going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to federal investigators who recovered the data recorder from the crash site over Interstate 5 near Seattle. The train was on its inaugural trip on a new service from Seattle to Portland, Ore., when it derailed Monday while crossing an overpass, killing at least three people and injuring about 100.

Officials from Indian River and Martin counties have long voiced opposition to Brightline trains approaching their towns at 110 mph — and the Washington crash reinforced their safety fears.

“I am afraid of this happening on the Treasure Coast,” said Indian River County Attorney Dylan Reingold. “I think it paints a real picture of our real concerns.”

South Florida does not have the same hilly terrain as Washington state, but there are obstacles. Curves would be taken at high speed, the trains would be passing through about 200 railroad crossings and there’s a railroad drawbridge in Fort Lauderdale.

Brightline has said it would begin service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach before the end of the year. But so far, it is still in the testing phase and no startup date has been announced.

Brightline officials would not give specifics about how they