Brightline will devastate Vero Beach, Stuart? Nine years later, claims remain unfounded

Back in early 2015, Brightline (then known as "All Aboard Florida") had few friends on the Treasure Coast.

An Indian River County commissioner declared that the passenger rail project would “bring devastation to the area.” A retired Coast Guard captain predicted that Brightline “would be the end of the marine industry.” In Stuart, store owners put placards in their windows depicting a scowling train engine, pleading to stop Brightline “from destroying Stuart.”

Worst of all, Indian River and Martin counties voted to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on predictably ill-fated lawsuits seeking to stop this privately funded project from proceeding on a private railroad that had been operating trains through the Treasure Coast since the 1800s.

As a winter resident of Hobe Sound and a director of the Regional Transportation Authority in Chicago, I was flabbergasted by this parochial resistance to a rail project hailed everywhere else as a cutting-edge and long overdue project.

'Our grandchildren will thank us'

An opposing view: Brightline Treasure Coast future bright? Not with deaths, lagging ridership, huge debt

I wrote three guest columns in this publication (February 2015, “All Aboard Florida an Opportunity, Not Threat;” June 2015, “Sky is Falling Chorus About All Aboard Florida Simply Misinformed,” and June 2017, “Brightline Project Offers Great Potential for Our Region”).

These columns talked about the proven economic, environmental, and transportation benefits of such a project. I cited as examples three thriving communities similar to the Treasure Coast that experience far  more trains and want even more: Brookfield, Illinois (60 freight and 102 passenger trains daily); Oceanside, California (4 freights, 114 passenger), and Greenwich, Connecticut (242 passenger trains daily). These communities experience none of the horribles predicted by Brightline critics.

Rather than fighting the project, I argued, the Treasure Coast would be better served by embracing it and seeking a sought-after station stop. “Our grandchildren will thank us," I wrote.

Well, what a difference a few years has made!

Brightline began in 2018 by ferrying passengers between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach as a commuter-like service. Starting last September, after surviving COVID, its passenger trains began running all the way up to  Orlando International Airport. Brightline double-tracked its line all the way up to Cocoa and built a dedicated straightaway from Cocoa to Orlando, on which its trains can operate up to 125 mph.

Boca Raton and Aventura wisely lobbied for and obtained new stations and stops. Grade-crossings were vastly improved, and Brightline began offering van service to local area destinations and events.

Now, a new bridge over the St. Lucie River is abuilding. And the Treasure Coast, thankfully, has also learned and grown. Stuart and Fort Pierce just engaged in a spirited and sometimes bitter competition try to land a Brightline stop. These cities finally have recognized the considerable economic value such a station brings to towns. Stuart celebrated its victory.

What does the future portend?

As knowledge of the Brightline services spreads, ridership should gradually grow. Brightline has announced that it is adding passenger cars to meet the demand. Real estate values near the stations will increase, as will the property tax revenue.

The train service will remove thousands of cars from our jammed highways. This will no doubt reduce the incidence of accidents and will save lives. Floridians. however, need to be educated to mitigate the too-often suicidal behavior as vehicles and pedestrians approach the railroad’s private right of way. This is a national issue.

Shoppers, theatergoers and diners will be able to come up to Stuart by train. Stuart businesses will thus advertise and brag about their location near the train station (and that the trains have not destroyed Stuart). Cocoa is also building a train stop, so northern Florida and the Port Canaveral cruise port will be reachable by rail. Rental car businesses will no doubt spring up near all these new stations to offer local transportation.

All these benefits are quite predictable, based on experiences elsewhere.

The Brightline model’s next project is being planned from Las Vegas to the Los Angeles area, using all that Brightline has learned in Florida (but without the local opposition).

So, Treasure Coasters, I am delighted that you have finally seen the light. This project will benefit all of you. And I urge those you who fought this project to take your grandchildren on a Brightline ride ― they will thank you for it!

William R. Coulson is a winter resident of Martin County and was a board member of the Chicago area’s Regional Transportation Authority.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Indian River, Martin counties wasted millions. Embrace Brightline