97 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

I  think that in all those communities between the Palm Beaches and Cocoa, there will always be two opposing schools of thought.  Some will be against any passenger rail service despite the fact that the Brightline trains will be much shorter and faster than the Florida East Coast freight trains people have to wait for a grade crossings now.  Their argument will be that 16 round trips will mean 32 more occasions of trains activating their grade crossings.

 

Others are going to say that since these passenger trains pass through their towns, why don't they stop there?   It's the latter group that should be pushing for two things:  TriRail Coastal Link (as far north as possible, but probably won't go further north than Jupiter), and also long-discussed Amtrak service that would run through coastal towns between Jacksonville and Miami.  Then Brightline could continue to run nonstop through this area as it was conceived to do to provide fast service between the Gold Coast and Orlando.

[Sloan]

From RPA February 16, 2018 newsletter:

 

 

In Florida, officials in Martin and Indian River counties, along with CARE (Citizens Against Rail Expansion), filed a new lawsuit in an attempt to halt the expansion of Brightline’s higher-speed rail servicefrom West Palm Beach to the Orlando Airport. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., against the U.S. Department of Transportation and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. Brightline won approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to sell $1.15-billion in Private Activity Bonds (PABs) in December, and the complaint describes the agency’s approval to issue PAB’s, “as arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, in excess of statutory authority and otherwise contrary to law.”

“Brightline brings not only an exciting service to Florida, but a critical one that people throughout the state have a need for,” said RPA President Jim Mathews.

CARE issued a press release on the suit, which said the USDOT, “cast aside their responsibility to take a hard look at its (Brightline’s) environmental impacts, rigorously explore and objectively evaluate all reasonable alternatives, and identify all reasonable means to mitigate the harms from the Project. Instead, they (USDOT) acted as its cheerleaders.”

Brightline officials responded to the lawsuit in a statement that said, “This is the seventh lawsuit Treasure Coast counties have filed to stop a privately funded transportation project that is critical to Florida’s growth. The anti-progress vision of the Treasure Coast has already cost taxpayers $7 million. Apparently, there is no limit to how much more taxpayer money they will waste.”

RPA has started an online campaign for our Florida members to reach out to their local elected representatives and offer support for the Brightline project. This link will take Florida members directly to a campaign page that will connect them to their representatives. RPA will keep the campaign active throughout Florida’s legislative session.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading,10/9/18:

 

Report: Brightline finalizes construction bids for Miami-Orlando segment

 

Brightline is a step closer to constructing a new rail line between Miami and Orlando, Florida.

The intercity passenger-rail company finalized bids last week from three contractors to lay rail lines between Orlando International Airport to existing Brightline track in Cocoa, according to a report by thenextmiami.com.

Construction of the new line will be separated into sections, each with its own contractors. Brightline now has financing in place to build the route, the website reported.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

WFTV, Orlando, FL 10/5/18:
 

Brightline train from Orlando to Miami is one step closer to reality

 

 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Brightline is taking another step toward sending high-speed trains between Orlando and Miami.

 

The train could be a game-changer for people in Central Florida who want to visit Miami but want to avoid I-95 or the Turnpike.

 

The company finalized bids from three contractors Friday to lay part of the rail lines between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa.

 

Continue here w/video report.

[CNJRoss]

TC Palm, Stuart, FL 12/11/18:
 

Indian River will file new lawsuit against Virgin Trains, seek to avoid crossing-maintenance costs

 

 

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The county is poised to sue Virgin Trains again, and this time, the cost of improving and maintaining crossings is likely to be the focus.

 

SNIP

 

At question is whether Indian River County — which for decades has maintained the crossings on the historic Florida East Coast Railway tracks — should pay for crossing changes needed for Virgin Trains to run 32 higher-speed passenger trains along the corridor daily. Maintenance costs vary, but since 2011, it has cost Indian River County about $235,000 a year, according to the railroad.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

TC Palm, Stuart, FL 12/26/18:
 

Judge tosses out Indian River County's lawsuit against All Aboard Florida

 

 

A federal court judge on Monday rejected each of Indian River County's legal challenges to All Aboard Florida, throwing out the county's latest lawsuit against the passenger railroad, formerly Brightline and now known as Virgin Trains USA.

 

Dismissal of the lawsuit apparently clears the way for construction of the new rail corridor through the Treasure Coast and Space Coast. Officials of the railroad have said construction would begin early next year, with completion of the $2.1 billion extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando eyed for sometime in 2021.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Sun Sentinel, Deerfield Beach, FL 4/4/19:
 

Virgin Trains lines up funding for expansion to Orlando

 

 

Virgin Trains USA has raised the money it needs to expand the high-speed rail line from South Florida to Orlando and expects to complete the project within three years, top executives announced Thursday.

 

The announcement came as British billionaire Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, appeared in downtown Miami to christen the rebranding of the regional train service previously known as Brightline.

 

Virgin had been seeking to raise up to $2.7 billion in bond funding to build the Orlando extension.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

TC Palm, Stuart, FL 4/2/19:
 

Opinion

 

State agency should deny bonds for Virgin Trains USA passenger rail project

 

 

On April 5, the Florida Development Finance Corp. will meet in Orlando to consider approval of an additional $950 million in private-activity bonds for Virgin Trains USA, formerly known as Brightline.  

 

The FDFC should not authorize the issuance of additional tax-exempt bonds. 

 

Not only would the $2.7 billion of private-activity bonds be the largest amount ever awarded to a single project, but the facts demonstrate that this project is not financially feasible. Despite what the Wall Street Journal described as an “IPO Boom,” the private sector recently rejected the proposed initial public offering for this project. 

 

As explained by Bloomberg, the “money-losing Florida railroad running behind schedule on its own projections” had to “put off what would have been the year’s biggest initial public offering so far.” Bloomberg noted that the “IPO decision follows previous delays for Virgin Trains” which had lost “$87.1 million on $5.2 million in revenue in the first nine months.”

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Orlando Sentinel, 4/3/19:
 

Let Virgin Trains connect with Orlando, just leave taxpayers out of it | Editorial

 

 

Remember back in 1999, when Central Florida was just one Orange County Commission vote away from building a light rail line along Interstate 4?

 

Remember back in 2011 when newly elected Gov. Rick Scott turned down $2 billion in federal money for high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa?

 

Let’s hope we’re not going to remember 2019 as the year Florida passed up yet another opportunity to kick our addiction to roads.

On Friday, a quasi-government agency is scheduled to decide whether Virgin Trains USA — the new name for Brightline — should be allowed to sell $950 million in tax-exempt bonds to complete a rail project linking Miami and Orlando. The agency already approved $1.75 billion in bonds for the project.

 

The bond proceedings themselves would be a crashing bore to the average person. But they’re key to Virgin Trains’ plans.

 

We’ve been on board with this idea from the start, in part because Florida desperately needs transportation options. A state with this many people cannot continue to rely so heavily on roads to move people around. It’s a losing proposition.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

The Bond Buyer, 4/3/19:
 

‘Wowed’ investors snap up bonds for Florida’s Virgin Trains USA

 

 

The Virgin Trains USA name made a hit with qualified investors who eagerly scooped up its high-yield bonds to finance Florida’s privately owned passenger train project.

 

In the largest municipal bond deal of the week, the $1.75 billion of unrated private activity bonds priced Monday with the Florida Development Finance Corp. as the conduit issuer on behalf Virgin Trains USA, formerly known as Brightline.

 

The deal, upsized from $1.5 billion initially proposed in bond documents, priced a day ahead of schedule because of strong demand.

 

Continue here.