Florida’s Brightline trains to resume operations in November

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s higher-speed passenger rail service Brightline will resume operating sometime in November, 20 months after it closed because of the pandemic. The company also said Tuesday that it is installing safety measures that it hopes will curb a spate of fatal collisions that has plagued it since it opened in 2017. President Patrick Goddard said the privately run company will resume with hourly service between Miami and West Palm Beach. Goddard said Brightline will require all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 and follow federal regulations that mandate masks for crew and passengers inside its trains and stations. To curb suicides, Brightline is installing infrared detectors that will warn engineers if anyone is lurking near the tracks.