PODCAST · news
Killer Train
by WLRN News, Miami Herald
Brightline, the first private passenger train to open in the U.S. in more than a century, is hailed as a national model for the future of rail. Since 2018, Brightline has sold millions of train tickets in Florida, and now the company is expanding to the West Coast. A yearlong investigation from WLRN News and the Miami Herald uncovers a glaring dark side: Brightline remains the deadliest passenger train in the country by far. According to federal data, someone is killed on average once every 13 days of operation. While the company has claimed most deaths are suicides, in fact, the majority were found to be accidents or their causes were undetermined. And while it’s a private venture, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being earmarked for Brightline projects. In Killer Train, our team of journalists offers the most comprehensive answer yet to the question: Why is Brightline so deadly?
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Over / under
The future of Brightline may depend upon public dollars for safety upgrades, critical infrastructure and for keeping the company's struggling finances afloat.
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Sitting ducks
Why are some railroad crossings more dangerous than others, according to federal data? Drivers who survived collisions with Brightline trains argue the infrastructure around the tracks put them in harm's way.
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The high price of quiet trains
The tracks Brightline trains run on were already the deadliest stretch of railroad in the nation in the 1980s and 90s, according to federal data. Have local governments learned anything from that history?
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'You never think that you'll die in that way'
Hear the stories of three people who lost their lives on the tracks, in the words of the loved ones they left behind.
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Bonus Episode: Cracking open Brightline’s books
Brightline hasn’t yet turned a profit — and it’s billions of dollars in debt.
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Should tax dollars pay for a private train?
Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of millions in costs related to Brightline, despite the company’s initial claims that the train would be fully funded by private investment.
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Emergency
Early on, the promise of a private passenger train connecting South Florida’s cities was tempered by the reality: People were dying on the tracks.
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Introducing Killer Train
Florida’s Brightline has been hailed as a model for the future of U.S. rail. It’s also the deadliest passenger train in the country by far, according to federal data.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Brightline, the first private passenger train to open in the U.S. in more than a century, is hailed as a national model for the future of rail. Since 2018, Brightline has sold millions of train tickets in Florida, and now the company is expanding to the West Coast. A yearlong investigation from WLRN News and the Miami Herald uncovers a glaring dark side: Brightline remains the deadliest passenger train in the country by far. According to federal data, someone is killed on average once every 13 days of operation. While the company has claimed most deaths are suicides, in fact, the majority were found to be accidents or their causes were undetermined. And while it’s a private venture, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being earmarked for Brightline projects. In Killer Train, our team of journalists offers the most comprehensive answer yet to the question: Why is Brightline so deadly?
HOSTED BY
WLRN News, Miami Herald
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