Brightline Moves Forward With Plans For Train Service To Treasure Coast

Brightline has formally launched an RFP process to select a new train station location in St. Lucie or Martin counties.

The goal is to eventually add a new station on the Miami to Orlando route that launched September 22.

A Request for Proposals for the new station was issued on October 26.

Both private and public land owners that control property along the Brightline/FEC Railway corridor will be permitted to respond to the RFP.

The company will host meetings with potential applicants in November.

Submissions are due December 26. Brightline will then begin evaluations, with a goal of entering negotiations with the property owners in the first quarter of 2024.

The potential site must be big enough to accommodate a platform of at least 500 feet, the RFP states. It also must have space for at least 200 parking spaces, along with room for pick up and drop off, rideshare, and/or local bus/trolley.

Renderings of Brightline’s Boca Raton and Aventura stations were included in the RFP documents.

The company noted that it was able to obtain the land rights in a lease of just $1 per year in Boca (and $1 per month in Aventura), while also obtaining “significant capital contributions toward the design, engineering and construction of these stations.”

 

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ParkingHater
1 month ago

so many ignorant Floridians don’t know their own history, the coast was BUILT by rail. We should champion its return

Rah
1 month ago

Not too ignorant, they voted for it twice. Remember?

Anon
1 month ago

All the way up to JAX with a stop in St Augustine to restore what we had in Florida a century ago (actually back then you could take rail from Jax to Key West, but you get the point).

Chuloe
1 month ago

Downtown Miami’s 8th Street deserves to have more appeal with SuperStores and Outlets to further appeal train travel demands via consumer vendor resources.

Adding Metro-Dade Police office instead of current failures is key!

Anonymous
1 month ago

It’s Brightline, not Spirit Airlines.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Don’t forget Buc-ee’s and strip clubs.

Anonymous
1 month ago

I understand your idea. Adding better quality retail and outlet stores to the west of I-95 on 8th Street could indeed be a great addition, especially for residents in downtown Miami who would appreciate having convenient outlet shopping options nearby. It’s a good suggestion!👍

No thank you
1 month ago

The water, weather, food, and entertainment options are enough to attract tourists. We don’t need to fill downtown with low end super stores and outlets. Let the cruise crowd stay in bayside marketplace and build nicer stores and restaurants for those of us that live here.

30kmillionMIA
1 month ago

Stuart, Melbourne, Cocoa, Daytona, St Augustine, and Jax should be the Atlantic route stations. Disney, Lakeland, Plant City, and Tampa should be the CFL route stations. Will take cars off i95, i4, and the turnpike 💰 💰 💰

Wat da
1 month ago

Who knew we would see 24 likes for plant city lol

Anonymous
1 month ago

Also, Naples to Pensacola. The Gulf should be the next frontier for Florida.

Why?
1 month ago

Stuart? No, Fort Pierce.

Brad
1 month ago

You mean crime ridden Ft. Pierce?

Richard Norwood
1 month ago

No more crime than any other city.

Anonymous
1 month ago

The more stops the longer it’s going to take to travel between Miami and Orlando, unless they launch a nonstop express service.

Cover the Podiums
1 month ago

sounds like you never been on the brightline. Stops take less than 2 minutes

huh, what? wait a minute
1 month ago

does that include the time for deceleration and acceleration after the station?

Don Juan
1 month ago

It doesn’t take long for speed change

anonymous
1 month ago

Let’s say the stops take two minutes each. We now have Aventura, Boca Raton, and now a possible St. Lucie stop added. That will make it six minutes extra plus the deceleration and acceleration factor added on. That easily adds thirty minutes to the trip. A trip that takes more than four hours from Miami to Orlando it’s NOT a high-speed train. We need express service between Miami and Orlando to cut the trip time by an hour and make it more competitive with other forms of transportation.

Name*
1 month ago

The time to Tampa will be terrible, too. Not only will there be more than one Orlando and Tampa area stop, it really takes the long way there, staying east and going too far north to go back south. A more direct line crossing over from Miami/Fort Lauderdale, skipping Palm Beach and Orlando, would cut more than an hour, and be more like the true Florida High Speed Rail that was started in the 2000s.

Anonymous
1 month ago

It’s called Port Saint Lucie / PSL

Why?
1 month ago

Miami already has trains and busses. Everyone forgets that.

Don Juan
1 month ago

Non stop with a mostly empty train

Richard Norwood
1 month ago

Ooh 6 minutes. Ft. Pierce is the best option. Trains generally decelerate through Ft. Pierce and the FEC yard there. The intermediate stops are needed to service other areas than Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm. Not every train will stop at Treasure Coast each trip, so you can pick an ‘express’ train. Not all trains stop at Aventura and Boca Raton either. Ft. Pierce is not the crime ridden place you envision. I have lived here for 38 years.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Boca and Aventura added a bunch of time. But we all need to retire somewhere and Miami is too expensive for older people.

Mmmm
1 month ago

Just need to triple track in some sections which I think it already does and provide different services.

Outside the box
1 month ago

That is a small disadvantage compared with the benefits. This station would exponentially increase connectivity within florida. People from treasure cost would now have rail access to the 2 biggest cities in FL and opening a market of around 400,000 residents to Brightline.

Why?
1 month ago

Hmmm will they though?

Don Juan
1 month ago

5 minutes stop won’t kill you

Anonymous
1 month ago

Cool. Can’t wait for the Tampa segment. Possibly the most profitable until L.A. to Vegas.

anonymous
1 month ago

LA to Vegas will be a true high speed rail system with speeds of up to 186 mph.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Good luck getting tracks out of LA. The “true” Commiefornia HSR currently built is to like… Fresno?

Tony P
1 month ago

Space Coast gets overlooked yet again!!!

Name*
1 month ago

No it doesn’t the train track turns west at Cocoa with a stop that was already thought of being there?

Fern
1 month ago

Five years to completion!!! WHAT?! It should not take that long to find a suitable location to built the station and then build it. The tracks already exist and so do the trains. The hard work has been done.

All the relevant governments should fast track, or better yet remove, anything that slows down construction. Environmental impact studies should not be necessary for passenger rail on existing RoWs.

Fern
1 month ago

Anyway it should be placed in Stuart. The train has to slow down already to cross the St. Lucie River so it’s a great spot

Why?
1 month ago

No Fort Pierce.

FLORIDAGAL70
1 month ago

So what do you think about where the Martin County Fair was? Since the Fair location is moving that is a prime location.

permitting
1 month ago

How do we avoid Brughtline becoming Amtrak 2.0 with a station every 30-45 minutes?

Why?
1 month ago

Agree.

Why?
1 month ago

Renounce my reapply.

Gator
1 month ago

Any plans developing on Orlando to Tampa connection? Anyone?

Denise Goodin
1 month ago

St Lucie County we need this here

Melo is sigma and Chad
1 month ago

Makes sense since alot commute from there to west palm beach

Gator
1 month ago

Like someone already stated the track and train in place.
Shouldn’t take long to acquire enough land for maybe two stations between Orlando to Tampa.

Evelys vega
1 month ago

This will be so amazing for the treasure coast and we welcome it with open arms. We have the train run through here all day so why not have a stop here which will give us more tourism

Todd
1 month ago

No stop anywhere close to the world’s largest cruise ship port in Port Canaveral? Is that a smart business decision? Just asking!

Why?
1 month ago

No, I disagree. It’s not needed. Miami has enough and other trains already come through there city.

Gaby Frederick
1 month ago

We need between Jax and Hollywood Fl

Emma
1 month ago

They have a lot available where the Martin County Fair was. Since the Fair is not going to be there anymore that lot is available.

Jeff
1 month ago

How about a station in Brevard County/Space Coast first. It’s the biggest unserved gap on the line as it runs between Orlando and SoFlo. It goes right through Melboune with no plans for a stop there.

I am missing a variable
1 month ago

How does a private land owner gain any benefit from leasing for $1 per year plus capital contribution?

Miami Winning
1 month ago

Jeff Besos is moving to Miami! We’re about to see more cool tech in Florida 🚀 hope to see more Seattle transplants move to Brickell 🍾 🎉

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/jeff-bezos-is-leaving-seattle-moving-to-miami/

Why?
1 month ago

No, move back. It’s not needed.

Why?
1 month ago

He coming to work or for other reasons. Because Florida does not need new tech.

Anonymous
1 month ago

I wish there would be a stop in Vero Beach!!!