EXCLUSIVE: Brightline train derailed in Feb., causing $408K in damage

By: Jennifer Sorentrue, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

A Brightline train derailed in February as it moved through the company’s rail repair yard in West Palm Beach at a speed of 4 miles per hour, causing $408,000 in equipment damage, according to an accident report filed with the Federal Railroad Administration.

A Florida East Coast locomotive was leading All Aboard Florida’s Brightline train into the company’s maintenance facility just north of the city’s downtown on Feb. 11 when a section of the train derailed as it moved through a “switch point” in the track. The Brightline train was returning from “signaling compatibility test” when the accident occurred.

Federal officials said Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway officials “promptly” notified the Federal Railroad Administration of the incident.