Florida high speed train gets grant to improve safety

By FREIDA FRISARO
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Tracks used by the nation’s deadliest railroad will see added fencing to keep pedestrians away and safety improvements at crossings under a $25 million federal grant. Brightline and government officials announced the grant on Monday as the privately owned passenger line continues to be plagued by deaths along its tracks between Miami and West Palm Beach. Trains have killed three in the past two weeks, and 68 since the service began its first runs five years ago. It has the worst fatality rate among the nation’s more than 800 railroads, an ongoing Associated Press analysis of Federal Railroad Administration data shows.