Brightline

Lower passenger fares in June led credit rating agency S&P Global to cut its rating on some of Brightline's bonds. The passenger train service hopes to refinance other borrowing, but at higher interest rates.

Brightline's rail partner has sued the company in circuit court, threatening to end plans for expanded commuter rail services in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.

Brightline trains have killed more than 180 people, an investigation by WLRN and the Miami Herald has found. In the third episode of the Killer Train podcast, hear the stories of three people who lost their lives on the tracks, in the words of the loved ones they left behind.

On episode two of the Killer Train podcast: Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of millions in costs related to Brightline, despite the company’s initial claims that the train would be fully funded by private investment.

Sean Duffy, the nation’s top transportation official, committed this week to making the Brightline corridor safer, saying there have been “way too many deaths.” His remarks came the day after the Miami Herald and WLRN published a joint investigation revealing that Brightline trains have killed 182 people since beginning test runs in 2017.

The private passenger rail service said it continues to "actively progress" a plan to sell a "substantial amount of equity" as it postponed paying interest on some of its borrowings.

A team of reporters from the Miami Herald and WLRN spent over a year documenting every death involving Brightline trains since the rail line’s launch seven years ago. Drawing on autopsy reports and local law enforcement records, reporters discovered that 182 people — so far — have been killed by the fast-speed train.

Despite having more passengers and revenue than ever, Brightline is spending its cash faster than anticipated. The company is now talking with outside investors as it works to improve its finances. It hopes to add more cars to its trains — along with more expensive fares.

Bigger cities scrambling to meet federal requirements while Lake Park still says no to quiet zones.

Delray Beach Fire Chief Ronald Martin announced Friday on Facebook that four employees will remain on leave with pay, pending the result of an internal investigation. According to Martin, this process is standard city policy.

The NTSB is already investigating two crashes involving Brightline’s high-speed trains that killed three people early this year at the same crossing in Melbourne along the railroad’s route between Miami and Orlando.

Brightline saw revenue jump thanks to service between Miami and Orlando. As it shifts focus to long distance riders, local efforts for commuter rail pick up steam.