BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brightline will begin higher-speed train testing in more parts of Brevard County in preparation for its extension to Orlando next year.
Flaggers will begin working 18 railroad crossings at 6 a.m. Oct. 29 and continue until 6 p.m. Nov. 5, with trains currently traveling at 79 mph starting Nov. 1 and later increasing in speed to 110 mph and 125 mph in early 2023.
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According to Brightline, work known as signal and track cutover will be conducted to integrate a new second railroad track into the existing corridor along a 13-mile section of track spanning the 18 rail crossings.
This testing will incorporate flaggers and law enforcement at the following crossings:
Sharpes
- Camp Road
- Canaveral Groves Boulevard
City Point
- Cross Road
Cocoa
- Cidco Road
- Beau Gest
- Michigan Avenue
- Dixon Boulevard
- West Highland
- Peachtree Street
- King St. – State Road 520
- Rosa L. Jones Boulevard (Poinsett Drive)
Rockledge
- Barton Boulevard
- Eyster Boulevard
- Rinker Way
- Gus Hipp Boulevard
- Barnes Boulevard (State Road 502)
- Carver Road
- Ansin Road
“Safety around railroad tracks starts with the way in which people interact with the railroad,” Katie Mitzner, director of public affairs at Brightline, said. “We are reminding the public — pedestrians, motorists and cyclists — to be vigilant about rail safety. Never drive around crossing gates, don’t try to beat a train, always stay off the tracks and only cross at a designated crossing. The safety message is simple: look, listen, live.”
Brightline warns drivers, pedestrians and cyclists that once the second track is commissioned, rail traffic could run on both tracks.
On Friday, Brightline added that a Brevard station is a strong possibility in the future, but for now, the rail line’s priority is completing the route to Orlando and ramping up the speeds.
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