JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — Brightline officials said Monday that testing of their trains on the Treasure Coast will start a couple of days later than anticipated.
The company initially said that testing would begin Monday but now it will start — weather permitting — on Wednesday.
When WPTV asked about the reason for the delay, Brightline just said there are a lot of moving parts to coordinate.
The trains will be traveling at maximum speeds of 110 mph in both Martin and St. Lucie counties this week. Currently, the trains travel at about 80 mph in South Florida.
This first phase of testing is expected to take place over a six-week period along an 11-mile section of track, spanning nine railroad crossings in Martin and St. Lucie counties.
One test train could pass through the corridor anywhere from 10 to 16 times each day through Saturday.
The testing comes as Brightline gets ready to expand service to Orlando next year.
The trains are expected to go even faster once they pass Cocoa Beach, possibly reaching 125 mph.
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The testing will occur at the following crossings:
St. Lucie County
- Savannah Road/Waterplant Road
- Midway Road (County Road 712)
- Walton Road
- Riverview Drive
Martin County
- County Line Road
- Skyline Drive (County Road 722)
- Pitchford Landing
- Jensen Beach Boulevard (State Road 707A)
- Palmetto Avenue
"All of the gates will come down. The flaggers will get into place. We will have law enforcement at every crossing, and those corridors will be completely locked down before that train does its test run from one end to the other," Brighline Director of Public Affairs Katie Mitzner said.
This could lead to delays of at least five minutes each time. Drivers and pedestrians will be ticketed and fined if they try to go around closed rails. Law enforcement will be stationed at all six crossings between Jensen Beach Boulevard and Walton Road.
"If the gates are down and they go around them, if they're lucky, they'll get a citation," acting Assistant Port St. Lucie Chief of Police Carmine Izzo said. "The other consequence could be a lot worse. They're taking a huge risk by driving around the gates."
Police said the fine for driving around the crossing gates is $206.
During the testing period, which will occur from 7 a.m. to about 4 p.m., flaggers will also be present at the crossings.
Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists should be aware that rail traffic will run on both tracks in both directions.
