Florida East Coast Railway transported trainloads of rails through St. Lucie County and amassed mountains of railroad ties at its Fort Pierce railyard for the Virgin Trains USA passenger rail project.
The sight of rail shipments and work trucks running past their houses brought home the potential hazards of the higher-speed passenger trains to several St. Lucie Village homeowners who live along the tracks.
“A train going 100 mph, I wouldn’t really feel safe here if it derails,” said Paul Tausch, whose Old Dixie Highway home sits about 50 yards from the tracks.
“I’m concerned what it will do to the property value too because I’m sure it’s going to lower it (because of) the noise, the danger and the congestion,” Tausch said. “I guess I we can sum it up by saying we’re not too happy with it, but I don’t think there’s a hell of a lot we can do.”
Virgin Trains stepped up its construction activity in a variety of ways this week on the 170-mile-long rail connection between Orlando and West Palm Beach, including 35 miles in St. Lucie County.
Virgin Trains plans to run 32 passenger trains per day – at speeds of up to 110 mph on the Treasure Coast – between Miami and Orlando starting in 2022.
The passenger train company began service between Miami and West Palm Beach in May 2018. It started out as All Aboard Florida only to be rebranded as Brightline and ultimately Virgin Trains USA.
Technicians driving pickup trucks bearing the HSR Constructors logo – a joint venture of three railroad construction companies – have been working along the tracks for several weeks throughout St. Lucie County.
Contractors were to start work this week clearing the railway corridor along State Road 528 for the construction of two new tracks between Cocoa and Orlando, Virgin Trains said in a statement Sunday.
The work is being done along the south side of SR 528, also known as Beachline Expressway, from State Road 520 to U.S. 1, the statement said.
Virgin Trains last week posted an Instragram message reiterating its June announcement about starting construction on new tracks between Orlando and West Palm Beach. “Can you believe ties are already currently staged for delivery in Fort Pierce?” said the July 30 message on the company’s GoBrightline Instagram account.
Massive stacks of railroad ties last week could be seen at the Rinker Materials Corp. concrete plant on South 3rd Street in Fort Pierce and the adjacent FECR railyard.
FECR Friday positioned several pieces of track maintenance and construction equipment on a rail spur along Old Dixie Highway, just south of Michigan Street and north of the St. Lucie Village line. By Monday they were gone. The equipment included machines that spread and compact rock ballast in the railroad bed and remove and replace concrete railroad ties.
Surveyors also spray-painted utility line locations on the pavement at several railroad crossings in northern St. Lucie County.
Virgin Trains acknowledged questions emailed by this reporter about the Instagram message and timing of the track construction in Indian River County, but had not addressed the questions by close of business Monday.
In addition to the construction of a second track, plans call for the reconstruction of 18 bridges between West Palm Beach and Cocoa, including the historic St. Sebastian River Bridge, federal records show. Improvements are planned at 16 public railroad crossings in St. Lucie County..
However, several Treasure Coast government officials last week said train company officials have not yet provided them precise timelines for the track and crossing construction.
Construction in the FECR right-of-way in downtown Vero Beach is still set to start late this year or early next year, said Acting Public Works Director Matthew Mitts.
Virgin Trains and/or FECR would be expected to provide two weeks’ notice prior a crossing being closed for construction so the public can be advised to seek other routes, local officials said.
Mike Tyson, who bought his home on Old Dixie Highway seven years ago because of his fondness for St. Lucie Village, said he believes the higher-speed passenger train service will spoil its Old Florida charm.
“It will ruin everything,” Tyson said. “Even getting to the marina will be a problem.”
“I remember as a child driving through and seeing St. Lucie Village and all the old homes. It was a quiet little nook of Florida that still existed,” Tyson said.
“It’s going to be ruined. I won’t live here anymore. I’ll move.”