TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers are looking to tie-on tighter safety rules on All Aboard Florida's Brightline weeks ahead of when the West Palm Beach to Miami passenger service is expected to begin operations. According to FloridaPoliti...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/11/15-brightline-bill
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
My somewhat misanthropic take on this: if politicians and their NIMBY supporters fail to get Brightline shut down in planning, and then in construction, let’s try the old public-safety ploy. Next will come amicus-curiae style lobbying from usual-suspect tie-in groups like trial attorneys, and then likely sensationalized newsworker ‘coverage to order’
All this might count as ‘there is no bad publicity’ to Brightline’s marketing/promo people, and they may ignore actively commenting on the issue thinking they are secure in Federal policy overriding any local or state action. That might be the right way to proceed, but I still have bad feelings from the way CSX handled the defense in the Midnight Rider civil matter.
Having read the original story and the feedback of the committee members this is just a matter of going through the motions. There is a very vocal local minority who don't like trains. Period. Bringing this bill to the State Senate floor will allow for a public debate and noisy death. Ergo, in the future, when similar measures are suggested we can all say, "Been there, done that." That's just the way we do things here.
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
NIMBY BANANA ripe for peeling.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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