Although the new Disney Springs station — initially announced in 2020 — has not yet opened to the public, the high-speed train company has numerous other existing routes in the State of Florida, one of which was involved in a recent tragedy. Last week, a 27-year-old Florida man was killed after disregarding train track safety arms and attempting to cross while a Brightline train was speeding toward him.
WPTV 5 shared details about the unfortunate incident:
Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesman Carey Codd said an investigation revealed that Jacob Bresnahan drove around the lowered safety arms and tried to cross the railroad tracks when his Dodge Ram pickup truck was struck by an oncoming Brightline train.
The news network noted that the young man was ejected from his vehicle when the southbound Brightline train “slammed into it” around 5:30 a.m. Bresnahan was pronounced dead later that day at Broward Health North.
You can view video of the damage to Bresnahan’s truck below:
Previously, the Orlando Business Journal provided details about the partnership between Disney World and Brightline:
“Brightline will offer a car-free connection to the millions of visitors from around the state and the world who plan to make Walt Disney World Resort part of their vacation plans,” Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline, said in a prepared statement. “Our mission has always been to connect our guests to the people and places that matter, and Walt Disney World Resort is a tremendous example of this.”
The concept for the proposed Disney station includes a ground-level lobby, passenger facilities and an upper level train platform. Exact location of the the station and timeline on completion were not immediately available from Disney or Brightline.
Brightline is a privately run railway line that is designed to help Americans travel better. Their official website includes these details about their Florida train routes:
Brightline is actively constructing a new rail line to bring passengers from our Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stops to Orlando. Our team is hard at work to continue our excited expansion plans. Service connecting South Florida to Central Florida is expected to open in 2022.
We are also pleased to announce another three additional stops along our South Florida Express line including stations in Aventura, Boca Raton and PortMiami.
KEY FACTS
100% Carbon Neutral footprint (proud partners with FPL)
Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2020
2 Million passengers since inception
Metrorail, Metromover & Tri-rail access
Stay tuned to ITM for additional details about this ongoing investigation.
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Credit: Brightline
