Brightline Launches Selection Process for Treasure Coast Train Station
By Chava Gourarie October 27, 2023 3:07 pm
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Railway firm Brightline has begun the process to select the site of its next station in Florida’s Treasure Coast, just north of Palm Beach County, fresh off the successful launch of its Miami to Orlando line in September.
Brightline issued a request for proposals on Thursday from public and private landowners in Martin and St. Lucie counties, where cities like Stuart, White City and Fort Pierce have already shown interest, to host the new station. Submissions are due by December, and the winning city can expect train service to begin in 2028.
The high-speed rail company is specifically looking for a site adjacent to the Florida East Coast Railway that’s at least 2 acres, can accommodate a 150-meter long platform and two sets of tracks, as well as a 200-space parking garage and other pick-up and drop-off areas. Brightline is also seeking information on public subsidies and financial considerations.
Its last two stations, in Boca Raton and Aventura, were built on city-owned land and offered at little cost to the private company.
Brightline currently operates stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando. The Treasure Coast station would be a stop along the route from West Palm Beach to Orlando.
While Brightline has had its share of troubles, including high-profile accidents and an extended shutdown during COVID-19, but it recently opened its Orlando station and launched the long-awaited Miami to Orlando route last month. Ridership has been ticking upwards, with 57,797 long-distance riders in the first 25 days (Sep. 22 to Oct. 16), per Brightline data.
That’s a far cry from the 4.3 million annual long-distance riders Brightline has previously projected — but it’s early days yet. The system carried 1.2 million passengers in 2022, and had hit 1.3 million straphangers by August, prior to the Orlando opening.
Chava Gourarie can be reached at cgourarie@commercialobserver.com.
