Brightline trespassing incidents, train vehicle collisions down 30% year-over-year
Trespassing incidents and train-vehicle collisions on Brightline were down 30% year-over-year in Q1 2026. The agency received a $25 million investment to modernize infrastructure at railroad crossings from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).
“We’re going to continue to partner with Brightline Florida and [the Florida Department of Transportation] to cut trespassing incidents with new crossing technology and safety enhancements and expand this success nationwide,” said USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy.
Improvements under the federal funding include:
- Upgrading 327 highway-rail grade crossings along 195 miles of the Brightline/Florida East Coast Railway corridor from Miami to Cocoa.
- Installing 33 miles of fencing, rail dynamic envelopes, roadway striping, delineators, crisis support indicators.
- Deploying "do not stop on tracks" signage.
“Grade crossing collisions and pedestrian events are responsible for 96% of rail-related deaths in the U.S.,” said Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator David Fink. “We are confident that these investments will help prevent further needless deaths and injuries due to grade crossing collisions and trespassing.”
The FRA has invested a total of $42 million on rail safety projects along Brightline’s rail corridor. As of June 5, 2026, the project has upgraded 173 of the 327 crossings (53%) and installed 116-plus crisis support signs. FRA is working closely with all stakeholders on this project.