WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has released more than $42 million in federal grants to bolster safety along Florida’s Brightline high-speed rail corridor, addressing what Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy called “unnecessary danger” posed by delayed funding from the previous administration.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the funding Monday, obligating four grants that were initially awarded under President Joe Biden but had not been finalized due to a backlog. The money will support upgrades to hundreds of rail crossings, new technology for detecting trespassers, additional safety gates, and enforcement efforts in high-risk areas.
“The latest consequence of the unprecedented Biden-Buttigieg backlog? Safety grants sat in limbo for years,” Duffy said in a statement. “Their failure to execute on these rail grants — some of which stretch back years — put Brightline’s three million annual passengers and Florida communities in unnecessary danger.”
Brightline, which operates passenger trains between Miami and Orlando, has been plagued by safety concerns since its launch in 2018. More than 180 people have been struck and killed by its trains, making it the deadliest major passenger railroad in the nation, according to a Miami Herald and WLRN investigation cited during a July congressional hearing. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., described the fatality rate as a “crisis” at the hearing.
The largest grant, nearly $25 million, announced in 2022, goes to the Florida Department of Transportation for improvements at 330 highway-railroad crossings over 195 miles, including fencing, delineators, crisis support signage, and other measures to prevent intrusions.
A $15.4 million grant from 2023 will fund safety enhancements at 21 grade crossings, including the installation of additional gates and delineators. Another $1.6 million will develop a trespassing identification system with real-time alerts and heat maps of potential collision spots along the corridor from Miami to Cocoa.
Up to $150,000 will support overtime for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to enforce pedestrian trespassing laws at identified hot spots.
The corridor’s numerous exposure points to pedestrian and vehicle traffic have contributed to higher collision rates, officials said. The funding is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to clear over 3,200 unobligated grants inherited from the Biden era.
Brightline officials welcomed the investment, noting it will enhance safety for passengers and communities along the route.
