Cameron on Transportation
Dudaweyll Dietmar Rabich

Faster Trains Are More Dangerous Trains, and When They Have a Lot of Railroad Crossings …

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Much has been written in praise of Brightline, the modern, stylish privately owned railroad serving Miami to West Palm Beach to Orlando with fast, comfortable trains. But the railroad also has the highest death rate of any railroad in the U.S., having killed 108 people since it began operations in 2017 — not its passengers but people crossing the railroad’s tracks. Last week alone at one grade crossing in Melbourne, Florida there were two accidents causing three deaths in as many days. Those “accidents” are under investigation by the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board. But all indications are these deaths, like the others, were caused by stupidity: people driving around the crossing gates that lower before the train roars through.

Cameron on Transportation
Brightline railroad train

Comparing a Shiny Florida Railroad to the Gritty Metro-North: Prepare To Be (Mostly) Envious

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The railroad world is abuzz with the opening of the new Brightline high speed rail service to Orlando, an extension of that private railroad’s existing train service down Florida’s east coast to Miami. This is really big news. The $5 billion expansion to Orlando was privately financed but with generous tax exempt bonds the railroad will have to pay back. Still, this is the first for-profit passenger railroad in the U.S. in forty years. How does Brightline compare with Metro-North?

Cameron on Transportation
Brighline railroad train

Talking Transportation: Railroad Leaders Need to Keep in Mind That Trips on Trains Extend Beyond Stations

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Imagine this: using an app to book a car, a train ride and another car to your destination in one step. Such a service has just been announced by the innovative Brightline rail service in south Florida. It’s the “last mile” that’s always been a challenge for would-be rail riders. Assuming you can get to your “home” train station (maybe if you’ve waited 5+ years for a parking permit), when you get off the train in an unknown town, how do you get to your final destination? Visit the smallest town in Europe and on arrival at the train station there will be a map to help you orient yourself.