ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume testing at speeds up to 110 mph in Martin County, Fla., Wednesday through Friday of this week, June 21-23 — testing that will also impact the St. Lucie River drawbridge in Stuart, Fla. It had initially been scheduled to being today (Monday, June 19).
Testing is scheduled for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Testing will result in an additional one to two trains per hour crossing the bridge. During the testing period, Brightline will post a monitor at the bridge who will communicate with marine traffic via VHF-FM Channel 9.
A new operating plan for the bridge is scheduled to begin June 21 that will require the bridge to be open twice each hour for up to 15 minutes at each opening [see “Coast Guard to impose twice-hourly bridge openings …,” Trains News Wire, June 9, 2023]. Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway have said they will take whatever steps are necessary to overturn that plan.
For road traffic in the area, flaggers will be present at grade crossings where active high speed testing is under way; Brightline is also working closely with local law enforcement areas. Testing with flagging is planned for Wednesday, June 21, and Thursday, June 22, with Friday, June 23, as a backup day. Flagging is planned at four separate crossings of State Route A1A, along with Monterey Road, Seaward Street, Salareno Road (County Road 722), and Broward Avenue.
Residents can receive updated text alerts on testing schedules by texting “RR110” to 888-384-0037.
Maybe Rep Brian Mast, the Coast Guard and the the boat owner syndicate of Stuart are plotting another scheme or tactic this time to keep Brightline from ever running trains anywhere or any time. They would love to see Brightline fold up or just go away. We know that Rep Mast is no friend of the railroad and has his powerful and rich friends and backers working with hime to stop progtress
Joseph C. Markfelder