The Brightline passenger train suffered significant damage in the Dec. 28 collision with a Delray Beach aerial ladder fire truck that was crossing the tracks downtown despite lowered crossing arms. At top is the escape hatch the train's engineer used
brightline (52)
The crossing gates where the Brightline train and Delray Beach fire truck collided do not entirely block the traffic lanes, as they do at many other intersections. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
I didn’t think I would be using my first editorial for
By Mary Hladky
Brightline soon will “reintroduce” a commuter pass after it discontinued one in June, a move that angered South Floridians who used that monthly pass to get reduced fares.
In a Jan. 10 announcement, the rail service said it expects to
Police body camera video from the scene of a June 2023 crash involving firefighter David Wyatt in downtown Delray Beach. Wyatt was also the driver of a city aerial ladder fire truck Dec. 28 that was hit by a Brightline train. Police video provided b
A mangled and split Delray Beach fire truck lies along downtown railroad tracks after being struck near Atlantic Avenue by a Brightline train on Dec. 28. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By John Pacenti
In a dramatic collision that made national headline
A Delray Beach Fire Rescue ladder truck sits demolished along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks downtown after being struck by a Brightline passenger train on Saturday morning. Three firefighters and a dozen train passengers were taken to the ho
The images presented to the city by Terra/Frisbie for the proposed overhaul of the Boca Raton City Hall campus and surrounding area included a community center built into a hill with large sculptures.
By Mary Hladky
Moving into high gear to redevelop
By Mary Hladky
The number of commuters using Brightline continues to slide downward, exacerbated by the company’s decision to eliminate on June 1 a reduced-fare monthly trip pass.
While long-haul ridership to and from Orlando sets records, short-haul
By Mary Hladky
Ever since the Brightline station opened in 2022, Boca Raton’s leaders have eagerly anticipated that developers would want to redevelop the area around it.
For that to happen, the city needed to create land development regulations for
By Mary Hladky
People who use Brightline to get around South Florida were shocked to learn that the rail line was eliminating a monthly trip pass with greatly reduced fares and is de-prioritizing riders who use the train as a commuter service in favo
By Mary Hladky
Mill Creek Residential has abandoned its plans to build a 13-story luxury apartment project on a city block immediately south of the Brightline station.
Mill Creek’s proposal was notable as it signaled that the long anticipated redevel
By Mary Hladky
Four years after the Boca Raton City Council gave up on having a transit system in the downtown, current council members are pushing to get an on-demand service in place quickly.
City officials will request proposals from interested co
Brightline will double its train service between Miami and Orlando starting Oct. 9, with 15 daily round-trips for a total of 30 trains.
The increased service comes two weeks after the privately funded rail line, whose speeds reach 110 miles per hour,
By Mary Hladky
Parking meters will not be installed in the Brightline station garage and nearby surface parking, at least for now.
City Council members on Feb. 14 rebuffed a city staff recommendation to install meters intended to prevent Brightline pa
By Mary Hladky
Four-year-old Brightline is the shiny new thing, offering high-class rides in sleek trains.
But 33-year-old Tri-Rail’s no-frills commuter line transports far more passengers.
Tri-Rail’s ridership totaled nearly 3.4 million in 2022, while
The opening of Brightline stations in Boca Raton and Aventura has boosted ridership.
The new stations generated 17,682 rides, representing 24% of Brightline’s ridership since the Boca station opened on Dec. 21 and the Aventura station on Dec. 24, the
The station opened Dec. 21 as Boca buyers led a surge in ticket demand. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Mary Hladky
On Dec. 6, the promised end-of-year opening of Brightline’s Boca Raton station looked like a deadline certain to be missed.
Construct
The long-anticipated launch of Brightline’s rail service to Boca Raton will take place on Dec. 21.
Brightline will host ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the new Boca Raton and Aventura stations on Dec. 20.
Speakers at Boca event will include Mayor Scott
By Mary Hladky
Fran Nachlas, who won election to the City Council on Nov. 9 when she was the only candidate who filed to run for a vacant seat, won’t be waiting until March to take her place on the dais.Council members voted unanimously on Nov. 22 to
Expect frequent train horns and longer traffic delays the rest of this month as Brightline upgrades track and signal systems at railroad crossings in Boca Raton in preparation for the Brightline Boca Raton station.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 17, flaggers
