Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Monday touted the administration's investment in safety improvements at Brightline Florida's express train.
After the U.S. Department of Transportation "expedited" a $25 million investment in the train, trespassing incidents and train-vehicle collisions on Brightline Florida are down 30% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, the office said.
"We're going to continue to partner with Brightline Florida and FDOT to cut trespassing incidents with new crossing technology and safety enhancements and expand this success nationwide," Duffy said in a press release.
The passenger train has such a poor safety record that
Duffy said Monday that under his leadership the Federal Railroad Administration has allocated $42 million to "get dirt moving on key rail safety projects" along Brightline corridor. Some of the grants were awarded during the Biden administration, the DOT said.
The money has to been used to upgrade 327 highway-rail grade crossings along 195 miles of the Brightline/Florida East Coast Railway corridor, among other improvements like signage and fencing, the administration said.
The safety improvements come as the $5.5 billion
Monday is the deadline for a mandatory tender of $985 million of "commuter" bonds, which are secured by future commuter-rail access rights payable by three Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.
The June 15 tender deadline is followed by a July 1 debt payment due on the so-called senior Opco municipal bonds, and a July 15 payment on the AAFO, or Holdco, muni bonds.
