Brightline could also be poised to announce its latest cease in Florida — and phrase might come as quickly as Monday.
Native leaders in Stuart, Florida, this week have signaled that the rail operator could also be making ready to disclose the town as the placement for its seventh station.
It will give riders a cease that falls between Brightline’s stations in West Palm Seaside and Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO), alongside the trail of the 170-mile extension that the corporate opened final September.
“I actually imagine it may occur,” Joe Catrambone, president and CEO of the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce, informed TPG Wednesday. “Completely.”
A little bit of intrigue
Cantrambone’s feedback got here two days after native retailers first reported that Brightline had, in actual fact, picked Stuart as the placement for its latest station, citing metropolis leaders.
Thus far, Brightline itself has made no announcement, however the firm has introduced plans to make an “necessary announcement on the location of the proposed Brightline station,” Stuart’s metropolis supervisor Mike Mortell mentioned throughout a public assembly Monday.
That announcement is now set for Monday, March 4, Cantrambone informed TPG, noting he “completely” expects the corporate to unveil plans for a brand new station in Stuart at that occasion.
A possible Brightline Treasure Coast station
If these predictions show true, Stuart can be Brightline’s first new station because the firm opened the extension of its service to Orlando final fall. A serious milestone for vacationers, the Orlando extension meant a three-plus-hour, seamless connection between Central Florida’s theme parks and South Florida’s seashores aboard modern Wi-Fi-enabled trains.
Stuart sits alongside Florida’s east coast, simply miles from the ocean and about 40 miles north of Brightline’s present West Palm Seaside station.
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Proper now, Brightline trains rumble by Stuart however do not make any stops within the area on their strategy to and from Orlando … no less than, not but.
In October, the corporate introduced it was in search of proposals for a brand new station someplace alongside Florida’s Treasure Coast, which incorporates Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties. The objective, Brightline mentioned on the time, was to start out development by 2026 and open a brand new station by 2028.
“Should you take a look at it geographically … economically, it might make sense to place it right here,” Cantrambone mentioned. “It will likely be an excellent financial increase, particularly for these retailers and eating places in our downtown.”
An increasing rail line
Brightline trains at present make stops in downtown Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Seaside earlier than making the longest (and highest-speed) portion of the journey to Orlando.
Associated: Helped by federal funds and personal funding, a serious push for passenger rail
The corporate ultimately hopes to increase its line to Tampa, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It has additionally obtained important federal funding by partnerships with California and Nevada for a wholly new high-speed Brightline West system that is anticipated to attach Los Angeles and Las Vegas by the point the 2028 Olympics arrive in Southern California.
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