The commuter rail system that Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County officials have for years been working to create remains in limbo after a judge on Thursday paused the lawsuit that had been standing in its way.
Florida East Coast Railway (FECR), the company that owns the railroad tracks Brightline trains run on, sued Brightline in August over an alleged breach of contract. FECR argues the private passenger train company violated its agreement with the railway by negotiating a commuter rail deal with the county governments without bringing FECR into the conversation.
Since FECR owns the tracks, it has a joint use agreement that lets Brightline run its trains on those tracks. FECR says Brightline should have included the company in its conversations with Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County, and that a commuter rail service is not feasible on the same railroad that FECR’s freight trains run on…