Killer Train

Since Brightline launched in 2018, its trains have hit 174 vehicles, killing 25 people and injuring 63 more, an investigation by WLRN and the Miami Herald found. Another 104 people survived without injuries, some by fleeing their cars before impact. “Wounds on your body disappear slowly over time,” one survivor said. “But wounds on the inside? Those you keep.”

A lawsuit that threatens the multi-county coastal link transit project is on ice for now, and elected leaders are pushing ahead with Brightline negotiations.

The private company that promised to be “financially viable on its own” is losing money — and using government subsidies to grow its business. Read the latest installment in the WLRN / Miami Herald series Killer Train.

Brightline train crews confront violent deaths on a regular basis. Their experiences, their suffering, are part of the long debris trail of the nation’s deadliest major passenger rail system. “What’s your body count?” someone asked the conductor on Instagram. “16,” he responded, like he was providing his shirt size.

Episode 4 of the WLRN News and Miami Herald podcast 'Killer Train' explores the long history of safety issues on train tracks in South Florida.

The Trump administration on Monday announced it is committing $42 million to address safety concerns along the Brightline route, as officials respond to the train’s record as the deadliest major passenger railroad in the nation.

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.