MELBOURNE, Fla. — Changes are coming to Melbourne railroad crossings following two deadly crashes last week. The crashes happened at the crossing near WH Jackson Street near U.S. 1, and both involved Brightline trains. 

The new fast-speed train is fairly new to the area, beginning its operations across parts of Central Florida in late September 2023.

What You Need To Know

  • A Brightline train was involved in two separate deadly crashes in Melbourne last week, after drivers in both instances went around the guard gates

  • Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey said city leaders and Brightline have discussed new safety improvements to enhance railroad crossings across the city and county

  • At least five railroad crossings in Melbourne don't have guard gates, and officials say that will be addressed with the $45 million in grant funding and Brightline funding as a part of a plan for new improvements

  • More details on the new safety measures will be discussed during Tuesday's city council meeting

In both of the recent crashes, drivers were seen on a local business' camera going around the guard gates after they already had come down. That has prompted Melbourne city leaders to look at safety improvements at railroad crossings as a whole.

On Thursday, Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey took to Facebook sharing that safety and improvements have been at the top of mind for city leaders since the two crashes. He said in a “closed meeting” with Brightline they've essentially agreed on measures that he's pleased with and hoping to further discuss at the city council meeting next Tuesday. 

With more crossings than any other city in Brevard County, Alfrey said some of those changes will include at least five railroad crossings that currently do not have quad gates; with around $45 million in grant funding and Brightline funding being used to achieve it.

However, Alfrey said in an interview with Spectrum News 13 following one of the crashes last week that drivers also have to do their part by being aware of their surroundings.

“I mean, safety is paramount," Alfrey said. "They need to understand that there’s no good outcome with a train. So, people have to know their surroundings and they can’t, you know, they have to be careful around train crossings.”

Officials said until the improvements are made, “red-light” cameras will be temporarily installed at certain crossings to help identify drivers that go around the quad gates when they're down. An additional safety campaign used to educate drivers will also be implemented.