Stuart station is a future

Brightline Brightline (reporting mark BLFX) is an intercity rail route in the United States that runs between Miami and Orlando, Florida. Part of the route runs on track owned and shared by the Florida East Coast Railway. Brightline is the only privat ...

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

station in

Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The station would be located near the Old Martin County Courthouse in the downtown area of the city, having a station size of on a 2.35-acre site. Service at this station will begin by 2028.

History

Brightline had originally expressed interest in adding a station on Florida's

Treasure Coast The Treasure Coast is a region in the southeast of the U.S. state of Florida. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and comprises Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet that was lost ...

, as part of their route between

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

. In 2018, Brightline reached a

legal settlement In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in ...

with Martin County and residents that a station would be constructed on the Treasure Coast within five years of the completion of the Orlando extension. Later that year, the company asked cities in the area to submit proposals for viable station locations.

Fort Pierce Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It is also known as the Sunrise City. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, which last had passenger train service on July 31, 1968, had expressed interest. The City of

had also indicated that it will be negotiating for a potential station. Brightline had originally indicated that Stuart could be the most likely location for a Treasure Coast station. However, neither city's station proposals had been committed in writing as completion of the line to Orlando was the top priority for Brightline. After completing the Orlando extension, Brightline had indicated that their focus was on the Treasure Coast to receive a station, with the company formally launching request for proposals. Stuart and Fort Pierce were the candidates to receive the Brightline station. By February 26, 2024, Stuart city officials confirmed that Brightline had expressed that Stuart would be chosen for the station location. On March 4, 2024, Brightline officially announced that Stuart had won the bid for the Treasure Coast station. In the months to follow, however, financial concerns began to arise, with some residents mentioning that the station would be too costly for taxpayers of the City of Stuart. On September 9, 2024, Stuart commissioners voted 3-2 to rescind agreements with Brightline for the station. The following day, Martin County commissioners unanimously voted to renegotiate the deal between Brightline and the City of Stuart for the potential station. On November 12, 2024, Martin County commissioners unanimously voted to move forward with the station and fund up to $15 million. The county then submitted a request for a $45 million Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) grant from the

Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...

(FRA) by a December 17, 2024 deadline, with the total cost of the project expected to be $60 million. The Stuart station is planned to be an

infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...

along the Florida route. Martin County, along with the anticipated FSP grant from the FRA, would fund constructing the station and its platform, a surface parking lot that would accommodate Brightline passengers, improvements to rail infrastructure, and access and zoning requirements and costs. The total project cost is estimated to be $60 million, and the county will contribute up to $15 million, while the FSP grant could fund up to $45 million. Construction of the station could begin in the coming years, with service planned for 2028.

References

External links

Stuart station proposal
{{Brightline rail Brightline stations Florida East Coast Railway Transportation buildings and structures in Martin County, Florida