As Greyhound ads used to say, “Leave the driving to us.”
Sleep, chill, surf HORT, play cards, maybe grub and sip a few. Forget about gridlock and bozo drivers.
Florida has a brand new high-speed train; and the first fatality from being hit by said high-speed train....
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Sleep, chill, surf HORT, play cards, maybe grub and sip a few. Forget about gridlock and bozo drivers.
You're ignoring the undesirables you have to sit next to on a train.
Weeding out the stupid people
My own sense is that the proliferation of Uber and Lyft make this a lot more doable into American cities now.
Hopefully a Jax to New Orleans route comes in and links the Gulf coast to Miami.
My old man put me on that line from J-ville to Tally after watching the old AFL all star game at the Gator Bowl in the ‘60s. It was cool as hell as a kid to do that ride solo.
That route died when a hurricane knocked out the tracks near Pensacola (?). Maybe Katrina.
It would be awesome to see it resurrected. Many who run I-10 would prolly at least wonder about riding that train.
I’d ride it. That I-10 drive through north Florida and before Mobile is brutal.
It’s been out near NOLA since Katrina in ‘05 if I’m remembering correctly. Needs to come back.
With the right of way in place I’d think it will become Brightlined in time.
Would go to more concerts if it was train ride from Tally to Jax/Orlando/Tampa/New Orleans.
The comments though, lol. And 100 people killed or whatever it is in 6 years seems.....like a lot right?
Sure but it's a train. You know exactly where it's going to go and when it's approaching. It's not like the train left the tracks to run someone over
I used to live right near those tracks in PBC and drove past there last week. There is very little infrastructure separating the train tracks from cars and, at some intersections, pedestrians. The 23rd avenue crossing in Boynton Beach has slightly more infrastructure than a rural crossing. There are car arms on only one of the two lanes of traffic. There are however new video boards next to the sidewalks in both directions with a message for the suicide hotline.
Back when those tracks were used only for freight trains, there would be occasional collisions from people trying to beat the train. Twenty years ago, on the major streets, they put up the double arms so cars couldn't be driven around in the oncoming lane to get across the tracks. Now that the train is going much faster people trying to beat the train are finding out that this isn't the same as a freight train.
Updated list of fatalities. Many are the same as it has always been on those tracks, cars trying to beat the train
www.miaminewtimes.com
Suicides are 7% of Brightline deaths
Old article about two Boynton Beach fatalities. It notes that it is a highly walkable area with condos, shops and restaurants. People are regularly seen crossing the tracks on foot even as a train is approaching, This train runs through one walkable downtown district after another. Downtown Delray Beach has some very busy sidewalk restaurants and bars on either side of the Atlantic Ave crossing. Hopefully there are more barriers there.
Downtown Boynton Beach crossing at Ocean Avenue
Back when those tracks were used only for freight trains, there would be occasional collisions from people trying to beat the train. Twenty years ago, on the major streets, they put up the double arms so cars couldn't be driven around in the oncoming lane to get across the tracks. Now that the train is going much faster people trying to beat the train are finding out that this isn't the same as a freight train.
Updated list of fatalities. Many are the same as it has always been on those tracks, cars trying to beat the train
Death Train: A Timeline of Brightline Fatalities
The latest Brightline deaths include a string of 2024 fatalities along the upscale train service's new Central Florida route.
Suicides are 7% of Brightline deaths
Railway deaths: Brightline was deadliest in 2022; says safety ‘a shared responsibility’
Here’s what 97 people were doing when they were killed by a Brightline train. Suicides accounted for at least 7% of deaths.
www.tcpalm.com
Old article about two Boynton Beach fatalities. It notes that it is a highly walkable area with condos, shops and restaurants. People are regularly seen crossing the tracks on foot even as a train is approaching, This train runs through one walkable downtown district after another. Downtown Delray Beach has some very busy sidewalk restaurants and bars on either side of the Atlantic Ave crossing. Hopefully there are more barriers there.
Brightline fatalities in Boynton Beach polarize, worry local communities
After two fatalities within six days and a half-mile of each other, what's next for the high-speed rail service?
www.tcpalm.com
Downtown Boynton Beach crossing at Ocean Avenue
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It certainly seems like a lot, because we don’t talk much about 40k+ KIA and 2mm+ WIA each year from cars, so it’s difficult to put in perspective.
Blew my mind when I saw the other day that 1 in 8 FD responses are to a highway vehicle fire. That seems crazy high.
August 2022......25 million dollar federal grant to improve Brightline safety. This will ultimately be the answer. The federal government will fund the safety infrastructure improvements that should have been required from the company prior to initiating high speed service.
www.wlrn.org
328 crossings in South Florida
October 2023.....Mayor Pete pledges more money for Brightline safety
Brightline gets $25 million federal grant to improve safety measures after spate of deaths
Tracks used by the nation’s deadliest railroad will see added fencing to keep pedestrians away and safety improvements at crossings under a $25 million federal grant.
www.wlrn.org
328 crossings in South Florida
FDOT Receives Grants Totaling $37 Million to Enhance Transportation Safety
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has been awarded two grants which support Florida’s commitment to enhancing safety and supporting innovative transportation solutions. The grants, awarded in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, bring over $37 million in new...
www.fdot.gov
October 2023.....Mayor Pete pledges more money for Brightline safety
Pete Buttigieg in West Palm Beach rides Brightline and pledges federal funds for safety
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went to West Palm Beach's Brightline station to talk about the White House's transportation goals.
www.palmbeachpost.com
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The federal government is going to spend 25 million dollars trying to save dumbasses from dumbassery.
ROI seems poor.
In other choo choo news, Tri Rail will finally have service into downtown Miami
www.nbcmiami.com
‘The day has finally arrived': Tri-Rail to expanding service to MiamiCentral Station
Move over Brightline, because Tri-Rail is officially expanding service to MiamiCentral Station.
www.nbcmiami.com
I’m not advocating anything, just seemed like a lot is all. I’m sure most, if not all of the fatalities are in no way the fault of the train itself.
I prefer to think of the train splattering south Florida morons as a feature, not a bug.
In other choo choo news, Tri Rail will finally have service into downtown Miami
‘The day has finally arrived': Tri-Rail to expanding service to MiamiCentral Station
Move over Brightline, because Tri-Rail is officially expanding service to MiamiCentral Station.
That's big news! I used to have to get off the Tri-Rail and then wait for the Metro-Rail. And then do it in reverse at the end of the day.
Craziness that the City/County/State hasn’t upgraded the existing arms and equipment to prevent this.I used to live right near those tracks in PBC and drove past there last week. There is very little infrastructure separating the train tracks from cars and, at some intersections, pedestrians. The 23rd avenue crossing in Boynton Beach has slightly more infrastructure than a rural crossing. There are car arms on only one of the two lanes of traffic. There are however new video boards next to the sidewalks in both directions with a message for the suicide hotline.
Back when those tracks were used only for freight trains, there would be occasional collisions from people trying to beat the train. Twenty years ago, on the major streets, they put up the double arms so cars couldn't be driven around in the oncoming lane to get across the tracks. Now that the train is going much faster people trying to beat the train are finding out that this isn't the same as a freight train.
Updated list of fatalities. Many are the same as it has always been on those tracks, cars trying to beat the train
Death Train: A Timeline of Brightline Fatalities
The latest Brightline deaths include a string of 2024 fatalities along the upscale train service's new Central Florida route.
Suicides are 7% of Brightline deaths
Railway deaths: Brightline was deadliest in 2022; says safety ‘a shared responsibility’
Here’s what 97 people were doing when they were killed by a Brightline train. Suicides accounted for at least 7% of deaths.www.tcpalm.com
Old article about two Boynton Beach fatalities. It notes that it is a highly walkable area with condos, shops and restaurants. People are regularly seen crossing the tracks on foot even as a train is approaching, This train runs through one walkable downtown district after another. Downtown Delray Beach has some very busy sidewalk restaurants and bars on either side of the Atlantic Ave crossing. Hopefully there are more barriers there.
Brightline fatalities in Boynton Beach polarize, worry local communities
After two fatalities within six days and a half-mile of each other, what's next for the high-speed rail service?www.tcpalm.com
Downtown Boynton Beach crossing at Ocean Avenue
Many of us on the East Coast of FL are familiar with the train tracks that have paralleled US 1 for over 100 years, courtesy of Henry Flagler. It’s not like they just popped up. They run alongside Dixie Highway through Miami for heavens sake. I can hear trains running sometimes late at night even though I live over a mile east of the tracks here in Jacksonville.August 2022......25 million dollar federal grant to improve Brightline safety. This will ultimately be the answer. The federal government will fund the safety infrastructure improvements that should have been required from the company prior to initiating high speed service.
Brightline gets $25 million federal grant to improve safety measures after spate of deaths
Tracks used by the nation’s deadliest railroad will see added fencing to keep pedestrians away and safety improvements at crossings under a $25 million federal grant.
328 crossings in South Florida
FDOT Receives Grants Totaling $37 Million to Enhance Transportation Safety
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has been awarded two grants which support Florida’s commitment to enhancing safety and supporting innovative transportation solutions. The grants, awarded in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, bring over $37 million in new...www.fdot.gov
October 2023.....Mayor Pete pledges more money for Brightline safety
Pete Buttigieg in West Palm Beach rides Brightline and pledges federal funds for safety
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went to West Palm Beach's Brightline station to talk about the White House's transportation goals.www.palmbeachpost.com
Some people will never ever learn to swim out of the shallow end of the gene pool and thus will believe they are smarter than a train. Darwin would not agree.
Somebody also died a couple blocks from my house yesterday in front of the Metra Train. It's pretty slow, so people are thinking it's probably a suicide. It happens pretty frequently. I have to believe the rate of fatalities is higher than what they have listed here.ORLANDO, Fla. —
Florida's high-speed passenger train service suffered the first fatality on its new extension to Orlando on Thursday when a pedestrian was struck in what appears to be a suicide, officials said. Overall, it was Brightline's 99th death since it began operations six years ago.
A northbound Brightline train headed to Orlando struck the 25-year-old man shortly before 9 a.m. near the Atlantic Coast city of Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said at a news conference. He said the man was homeless and appeared to have intentionally stepped in front of the train.
Brightline’s trains travel up to 79 mph in urban areas, 110 mph in less-populated regions and 125 mph through central Florida’s farmland. It is unknown how fast this train was traveling, Mascara said.
Brightline officials did not immediately respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment.
Related: Brightline’s high-speed rail service from Miami to Orlando starts Friday
Brightline opened its extension connecting Miami and Orlando on Friday, though the celebration was marred when a pedestrian was struck by one of the company's trains carrying commuters from West Palm Beach to Miami.
Brightline trains have had the highest death rate in the U.S. since its Miami-West Palm operations began — about one death for every 32,000 miles its trains travel, according to an ongoing Associated Press analysis of federal data that began in 2019. The next-worst major railroad has a fatality every 130,000 miles.
Brightline reports first fatality on new extension to Orlando
It was Brightline's 99th death since it began operations six years ago.www.wesh.com
But we're "saving the planet" amirite?
TriRail service to downtown Miami starts tomorrow
www.wptv.com
Ceremonial first Tri-Rail train to downtown Miami departs from West Palm Beach
The ceremonial first Tri-Rail train into downtown Miami departed from West Palm Beach on Friday morning.
www.wptv.com
Suicide by train is the most common form of suicide in Japan. The suicide rate in Japan is incredibly high. Conductors on the trains go check for dead bodies at the front and back if the train at every stop. If you have travelled to Japan or will do so pay attention at the stops and you will see them do it
Almost 10 people per day die in Florida in cars.
But you never post about it. We consider it normal.
There is far more infrastructure protecting drivers from doing stupid things to harm themselves at all of the bridges over the Intracoastal than there are at any of the numerous high speed rail crossings.
