Quiet zone to stop Brightline horns delayed in 5 PBC cities

By: Jennifer Sorentrue and Alexandra Seltzer, Palm Beach Post

Residents of five Palm Beach County cities along Brightline’s route will continue hearing horn blasts from the passenger trains until at least June, after work to complete a railroad quiet zone was put on hold while the company focuses on the launch of its Miami service.

In a letter sent to county transportation planners Tuesday, Brightline officials said the contractor responsible for completing the safety upgrades needed to establish the quiet zone through Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Hypoluxo and Lantana has moved its crews to downtown Miami — where Brightline plans to open a new station in the coming weeks.

“The subcontractor responsible for the signal system upgrade has suffered setbacks and has limited staffing,” Adrian Share, Brightline’s executive vice president of rail infrastructure, wrote to the county’s Transportation Planning Agency. “Currently, all resources are allocated to completing the signal system upgrade required for the extension of service to downtown Miami.”

The announcement drew criticism from some residents who have waited for the quiet zone to be implemented since Brightline launched its service in mid-January, but others said the delay was a minor inconvenience given the safety improvements that are also being made…