WLRN News, Miami Herald

Killer Train

News EN ↓ 8 episodes

Brightline, the first private passenger train to open in the U.S. in more than a century, is hailed as a national model for the future of rail. Since 2018, Brightline has sold millions of train tickets in Florida, and now the company is expanding to the West Coast. A yearlong investigation from WLRN News and the Miami Herald uncovers a glaring dark side: Brightline remains the deadliest passenger train in the country by far. According to federal data, someone is killed on average once every 13 days of operation. While the company has claimed most deaths are suicides, in fact, the majority were...

Author

WLRN News, Miami Herald

Episodes

Over / under 30.12.2025 29:55

The future of Brightline may depend upon public dollars for safety upgrades, critical infrastructure and for keeping the company's struggling finances afloat.

Sitting ducks 20.11.2025 27:16

Why are some railroad crossings more dangerous than others, according to federal data? Drivers who survived collisions with Brightline trains argue the infrastructure around the tracks put them in harm's way.

The high price of quiet trains 30.10.2025 28:21

The tracks Brightline trains run on were already the deadliest stretch of railroad in the nation in the 1980s and 90s, according to federal data. Have local governments learned anything from that history?

'You never think that you'll die in that way' 29.07.2025 31:24

Hear the stories of three people who lost their lives on the tracks, in the words of the loved ones they left behind.

Bonus Episode: Cracking open Brightline’s books 22.07.2025 31:35

Brightline hasn’t yet turned a profit — and it’s billions of dollars in debt.

Should tax dollars pay for a private train? 22.07.2025 27:46

Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of millions in costs related to Brightline, despite the company’s initial claims that the train would be fully funded by private investment.

Emergency 15.07.2025 30:48

Early on, the promise of a private passenger train connecting South Florida’s cities was tempered by the reality: People were dying on the tracks.

Introducing Killer Train 14.07.2025 5:25

Florida’s Brightline has been hailed as a model for the future of U.S. rail. It’s also the deadliest passenger train in the country by far, according to federal data.