MELBOURNE, Fla. – After two deadly crashes involving vehicles and Brightline trains, Melbourne’s mayor says he is working toward safety improvements.
On Facebook Thursday, Mayor Paul Alfrey announced he had a closed-door meeting with the high-speed rail company to brainstorm solutions.
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Last week on Wednesday, a collision killed a 62-year-old man when a train hit his vehicle at a railroad crossing and injured three others.
Then, another collision killed two people on Friday.
Both collisions happened at the same crossing, near South Harbor City Boulevard and WH Jackson Street.
Then on Sunday, a News 6 viewer shared a video of a Brightline train narrowly missing a bicyclist who was trying to beat the train in Downtown Melbourne on East New Haven Avenue.
Alfrey said he and Brightline are looking for $45 million in grants and from Brightline funds.
The money would be used to make safety improvements at five crossings in Melbourne as well as others in Brevard County where there are no quad gates. Those are barriers that can’t be driven around.
The city also plans to add temporary “red-light” cameras to identify drivers who go around crossings.
Alfrey says he will provide more details at a city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.
Brightline has been running trains continuously through Brevard County since opening its line between South Florida and Orlando International Airport last September.
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