Brightline (All Aboard Florida) Orlando - Miami FL FEC fka Virgin Rail

This incident apparently occurred South of the entertainment district, which from my first hand observations, is centered around Atlantic Avenue.

But, since AAF presently exists for Disneyland joyrides at greatly reduced rates (again my prediction; full fare MIA-WPB one way $45 Coach; $65 Business; 24hr of parking $10); someone, within or without the enterprise, will say "time to shut 'er down" until such time as meaningful transportation can be provided.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:This incident apparently occurred South of the entertainment district, which from my first hand observations, is centered around Atlantic Avenue.

But, since AAF presently exists for Disneyland joyrides at greatly reduced rates (again my prediction; full fare MIA-WPB one way $45 Coach; $65 Business; 24hr of parking $10); someone, within or without the enterprise, will say "time to shut 'er down" until such time as meaningful transportation can be provided.

NONSENSE!!!!!!!!!!
Noel Weaver

Mr. Weaver, what is nonsense? The fares I note, that they might consider shutting down, or both?

Let me again reiterate. I am not opposed to Brightline; just astounded it has come this far. Both my joyrides were pleasant experiences aboard a "class act".

Noel Weaver wrote:

Gilbert B Norman wrote:This incident apparently occurred South of the entertainment district, which from my first hand observations, is centered around Atlantic Avenue.

But, since AAF presently exists for Disneyland joyrides at greatly reduced rates (again my prediction; full fare MIA-WPB one way $45 Coach; $65 Business; 24hr of parking $10); someone, within or without the enterprise, will say "time to shut 'er down" until such time as meaningful transportation can be provided.

NONSENSE!!!!!!!!!!
Noel Weaver

I agree Mr. Weaver. Whatever Mr. Norman is regarding AAF, he is definitely at best a skeptic and at worse someone who seems ready (or hopeful that) for it to stop running. Maybe he wishes it to somehow shutdown in order to tell all of us who support and believe in the concept of AAF that he was correct and we were wrong. It just seems that way anymore.

And by the way, it's been reported elsewhere that it could be a possible suicide per a Brightline source. BL would know. Also it happened 100 ft from any grade crossing. Not the fault of BL at all. Fences won't stop morons or suicidal people.

Yeah, and no one cares about the engineers and what this does to them. Hell, the way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if one of them was involved in a couple of these.

Suicide or not it can still cost Brightline a lot of money. There are lots of cases where entities get judgments against them for things many of us would not imagine to be their fault, including suicides and attempted suicides.
"You put up a 10 foot fence and a 'danger' sign so you obviously knew it was dangerous. You should have put up a 20 foot wall."

Will this be enough?

Gilbert B Norman wrote:This incident apparently occurred South of the entertainment district, which from my first hand observations, is centered around Atlantic Avenue.

But, since AAF presently exists for Disneyland joyrides at greatly reduced rates (again my prediction; full fare MIA-WPB one way $45 Coach; $65 Business; 24hr of parking $10); someone, within or without the enterprise, will say "time to shut 'er down" until such time as meaningful transportation can be provided.

Doesn't matter how much money they are or are not making. This is a railroad operating its own trains over its own tracks. Tracks which moreover have been in continuous and heavy use for freight since 1895. I can not think of any legal precedent that would allow the *local* authorities to shut down passenger service-- and only passenger service-- on a railroad because trespassers disregarding warning signs and devices were killed by a train.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Will this be enough?

And that gap where the gate is? If you're going to "light up" a car, driving it through that gate would be half the fun.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Let us take a closer look at the photo noted most recently by Mr. Boylan. Note the train has not even cleared the switch point leading to the platform. It simply looks like a publicity stunt so they can say "we ran a train in there during March".

Who knows what kind of obstructions lay between the locomotive and the bumper post. Only the hard hated dignitaries know.

Finally Mr. Skymba, Lexus taxicabs in Miami? Not that I'm about to ride any taxicab when I go down (Metro Rail and Mover along with Mr. Shank and Miss Mare fill my needs) but, from those I see around the Biscayne Bay Marriott, Miami taxicabs look like "Crown Vic's last stand".

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Well, well, well. What have we here Mr. Norman. At the 0:11 mark in the video you will see that the leading Charger and half of the first coach are under the building. Please also note how far the tracks extend further south beyond the building. Based on the photograph of the same train taken in the opposite direction that was posted last week, it would seem that the current 4 car trainset with two Chargers will easily clear the switch that you are so concerned about. Brightline will indeed start service into MiamiCentral soon, perhaps in a few weeks. Much like your post regarding shutting down the service due to the recent trespasser fatality (actually it was a suicide), your comment (or desire?) that MiamiCentral won't be ready for many more months seems to be a bit premature. What was it you said some years ago about eating your hat?

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Will this be enough?

panels of the original fence were repeatedly stolen and there were regular reports of young people setting light to cars on grassland next to the embankment and pushing them through gaps in the fence and onto the railway. This led to delays in rail services as trains had to travel slowly and cautiously through the area until the vehicles were removed.

£3,000 That's cheap! We should have them build us a wall or fence This article is funny & smh.

Brightline has a new schedule that goes in effect this Saturday.

My guess is they are operating dry runs to Miami, while still carrying passengers between WPB and FTL.

Also, you can't book a ride for any date starting May 12th. My guess, service is penciled in to start that date.

Yes, that is what is happening.

Source for above: MyPalmBeachPost.com

Brightline to begin simulated service to Miami; plans schedule change

Posted: 12:25 p.m. Thursday, April 26, 2018

Brightline will begin simulated service to its station in downtown Miami on Saturday, a sign the company is moving closer to shuttling passengers beyond its stops in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
...
In preparation for its Miami launch, Brightline announced Thursday that it will change its daily schedule for trains operating between its stations in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

Beginning Saturday,weekday trains depart from West Palm Beach on the hour, except for the first train that departs at 5:30 a.m., and from Fort Lauderdale at 37 minutes past the hour, except on Fridays when there is an additional departure at 11:57 p.m.
...

Cox's Palm Beach Post published an article by, so far as I'm concerned, their respected Business reporter Jennifer Sorrentrue, regarding the "less than stellar" Brightline ridership observed by a team of their reporters.

Fair Use:

Before dawn on a Tuesday in late March, a four-car Brightline train — capacity 240 — pulled out of the company’s West Palm Beach station and headed south to Fort Lauderdale.

Just eight passengers were on board.

A few weeks later, an early-morning Sunday train carrying six people made the same trip.

While Brightline’s service has been touted as a model for the future of passenger rail in the United States, opponents have questioned whether the company can make money with so many empty seats, with one even derisively referring to them as “ghost trains.”

Not all the trains run near-empty. A Palm Beach Post review of ridership found at least three trains during a six-week period that carried more than 100 passengers, including a Saturday afternoon run in March with 144.

Eight trains carried 20 or fewer passengers.

Brightline doesn’t release ridership counts. To get a glimpse into the rail line’s early progress, a dozen Palm Beach Post reporters rode 44 randomly selected trains over a six-week period and counted how many people were on board.

On average, 50 riders took the trains reviewed by The Post, enough to fill about 20 percent of the seats.

Naturally, this "introductory period" could only have low ridership that I'm certain that AAF management was ready to accept during such. But unfortunately at this time, I can only conclude the history of AAF is that it's providing "Disneyland rides on the cheap" - and, party at fault notwithstanding, killing people in the process. The opening of Miami Central, which could happen closer to Easter than Xmas and contrary to my prediction, could well produce enough passengers actually using the service to get from "Ehh to Bee" to justify it's continuation as a public accommodation rather than what could well at present meet the legal standard of Public Nuisance.