Photo: Getty Images North America
A Florida Congressman is calling for a pause in the expansion of Brightline to Orlando.
Republican Brian Mast is asking the Federal Railroad Administration to hold off on moving the high-speed rail through the Treasure Coast until after the NTSB finishes its investigation into a deadly crash last week. Two people were killed when a Brightline train crashed into their SUV, while it sat on the tracks in Delray Beach.
In a letter to the FRA, Mast writes that the expansion will put more than a million people at risk, citing a number of crashes.
Authorities say that most of the accidents involving Brightline trains are due to suicide attempts or drivers ignoring warning signs at the tracks, often in an attempt to beat the train even after the crossing arms are down.
The rail line currently runs between Miami and West Palm Beach, but plans to extend it to Orlando this year.