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ACCORDING TO LIZ - Brightline, the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the country, provides high speed luxury commuter services in Florida.
Since its first passenger fatality during a test run in 2017, Brightline has recorded 182 fatalities or one death every 13 days, making it the deadliest passenger railroad per million miles traveled in the United States.
In September 2018, the consortium which owns Brightline started planning another high-speed rail link between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, buying out XpressWest, the then-current speculator in such a service.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the Sunshine State saw 74 people injured and 41 killed by Brightline trains in 2024.
Between 2019 and 2023, an analysis of federal data by Associated Press documented approximately one fatality for every 32,000 miles Brightline trains rolled. Over four times that of the second-highest fatality frequency for a major railroad – a death every 130,000 miles.
Despite the carnage, Brightline has yet to be held accountable for any of the deaths. The simple fact that most have been deemed accidents and suicides, sometimes in contradiction to testimony, overlooks that the speed of these trains is the underlying contributions factor.
If there isn’t time to get out of the way, if there isn’t time to register the speed of the approaching engine, if there isn’t time for the train to slow down, of course there will be collisions and fatalities.
In 2022, the company announced a $45 million federally-funded project to install 33 miles of desperately needed pedestrian safety features, including fencing, improved signage, and raised pavement markers. This has yet to be approved.
But blaming lack of federal funding for the fatal flaws of a for-profit operation is simply finger-pointing. It is the responsibility of the operator and local authorities to protect the people.
Worse is blaming the dead for lax preventive measures as Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss did, dumping fault on the victims: “These tragedies happen because people are not following the rules. The trains follow their tracks, but unfortunately, people make bad decisions.”
A majority of the deaths occur when cars and pedestrians cross the right-of-way, often where limited or no warnings exist, as the trains barrel towards them at a far greater- than-expected speeds.
Potential suicides may have a chance to change their minds when confronted by a 30-mph freight train but not from a metal monster moving at four times that speed.
Risks of man-vs-train incidents increase as Brightline adds future stops in congested areas.
Congested areas such as those throughout Greater Los Angeles and its exurbs.
In December 2023, the Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West a $3 billion grant as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Construction started in April of 2024 and will connect from the Vegas area along the I-15 corridor to existing connections at Metrolink's Rancho Cucamonga station.
Revenue service is expected to begin by the end of 2028.
This “modern, eco-friendly system will redefine train travel in America and connect two of our most iconic destinations: Las Vegas and Southern California.”
Yes, nearly 50 million annual trips occur between Los Angeles and Las Vegas – over 85% of them by automobile, a trip prone to traffic jams, frustration, and road rage. And yes, the company is trumpeting how providing 9 million one-way trips yearly should reduce pollution and the other consequences of car travel.
Touting over $10 billion in economic benefits, $1 billion in tax revenues, in excess of thirty-five thousand construction jobs including more than ten thousand union field jobs and 800 permanent jobs. The company is also promoting its electrically-powered commuter project as environmentally-friendly with the potential to replace half-a-million vehicle miles per year.
Additionally, when operational, the 200-mph train will cut travel time over the 218-mile track to two hours, theoretically providing a faster, greener alternative to flying as well as to driving.
But people and government need to peer under the hood and see what else they are buying from Brightline West
Prices were once promised to be equivalent to economy airfares. Now even their own executives admit they could cost over $400, with idiosyncratic price fluctuations similar to airline models, meaning they plan to squeeze as much money as possible from consumers.
Of more pertinent concern is the lack of transparency about track procedures and safety responsibilities as evidenced by its Florida operations.
The real impact will be to local residents especially as the trains pass through more congested areas of SoCal.
Brightline’s Sunshine State safety record is not a minor aberration, it’s not a momentary blip on an otherwise spotless record, it’s years of being four times more deadly than the second-highest fatality frequency for a major railroad – possibly even higher given the proven predilection for the company and local elected officials to hide actual numbers.
Based on projected passenger numbers and other details released by Brightline, one death every 32,000 miles as reported in Florida could translate to over 150 deaths per year along the Las Vegas-Greater LA corridor. But considering a napkin calculation of 35 annual deaths due to the Los Angeles Metro which has a peak speed of 55 mph but averages 25 to 35 mph and the lack of situational awareness of so many Angelenos, the slaughter could be much, much worse.
In addition to the $3 billion in Infrastructure Investment funds, the project has attracted $3.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds in addition to a $25 million federal grant to build stations.
That is our money folks, helping a for-profit concern that has shown total disregard for human life in Florida. And want all levels of governments to pony up even more taxpayer dollars.
In a statement released challenging the Sunshine State statistics, the company claimed that “none of the incidents along the railroad have been the result of improper train handling by Brightline personnel or failure of our equipment or infrastructure” and that these deaths and injuries are the same as for railway lines elsewhere.
But they are not.
When the federal funding fell through, the onus should have been on them to install basic safety measures like fencing and cautionary signs wherever there was a potential train-vs-human collision.
They should have demanded municipalities through which their trains ran remove quiet-zoning regulations to allow for airhorn warnings of imminent passage of metal bullets at dangerously high speeds, dangerous that is for people they might hit.
Inadequate safeguards and the lack of crisis prevention efforts along the tracks documented by the joint investigation should have been corrected before wheel hit rail.
Especially in congested urban areas.
Brightline should never have been allowed to operate at street level in residential regions without barriers just for keeping speeds under 125 mph along a route that normally carries far slower trains.
For a private for-profit company to blame delays in federal grants for their failings is the height of absurdity given their trains should never have been allowed to roll without robust protections for the populace in the first place.
Passing the buck in Florida by Brightline does not bode well for the residents of Greater Los Angeles. Not when profits and the usual egos are on the line.
(Liz Amsden is a former Angeleno now living in Vermont and a regular CityWatch contributor. She writes on issues she’s passionate about, including social justice, government accountability, and community empowerment. Liz brings a sharp, activist voice to her commentary and continues to engage with Los Angeles civic affairs from afar. She can be reached at [email protected].)
