Roughly 60 Deaths Attributed To Brightline Since Service Started Five Years Ago. Astonishing Statistic For Company That Operates Just A Few Trains.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The brand new Brightline Train Station is now open in Boca Raton, and as of a few hours after service started, no one has been killed. It may sound snarky, but it’s not. Brightline has left nearly 70 people dead in South Florida since service began five years ago. It is an astonishing number for a rail service that operates just a few trains a day and serves just a handful of stations. SEPTA, which operates trains, trolleys, and subways in Philadelphia and its suburbs, counts far fewer deaths for all rail services over the same time period. New York City, however, does have Brightline beat. At least 50 deaths were subway-related during the first half of 2022. The Associated Press, in a study, stated that Brightline has the worst “per mile fatality rate in the nation.”
In Boca Raton, the Brightline Sation is located at 101 NW 4th Street. In promotional material, Brightline states the following about its Boca Raton station: “As part of the Brightline Boca Raton Station opening, the City enhanced NW 1st Avenue with a $3.9 million beautification project, which was completed within 12 months. Improvements include: New signalized intersection to improve traffic at NW 1st Ave. and NW 2nd St.; Landscape and irrigation upgrades; New shade trees, lighting, bike racks and benches; Pedestrian enhancements including sidewalks and shared use paths ranging in width from 6′ – 12′; Shared travel lanes for bicyclists with the addition of bike boxes.”
Part of the Brightline schedule from Miami to Boca Raton. (Courtesy: Brightline).
Learn more about Brightline and its services here. The service currently runs from Miami to West Palm Beach which takes roughly 90 minutes. The routing is Miami to Aventura to Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton to West Palm Beach.
