Brightline to add Florida train station in Cocoa
COCOA, Fla. - Another Brightline station is in the works, and this time it'll be in Cocoa.
Brightline executives and the City of Cocoa are ready to move forward with negotiations for the station located near State Road 528 and US-1, Cocoa Mayor Michael Blake confirmed to FOX 35 in a statement.
Next steps include coordinating with community stakeholders to present a financial proposal to the high-speed rail company.
"A Cocoa in-line station represents a significant infrastructure investment and will have great economic impact on our community, with the goal of improving connectivity and accessibility for residents and visitors to the Space Coast," Blake said.
Brightline Director of Public Affairs Katie Mitzner confirmed to FOX 35 that the Cocoa station was in the works.
"Brightline is ready to begin the formal process with Space Coast stakeholders to fulfill our vision for a Brevard County station," Mitzner said. "The Space Coast TPO, Brevard County, City of Cocoa and other community leaders have started to bring the region together to identify potential federal, state and local resources for a station to be located in Cocoa. We agree the time is now to finalize a plan."
Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray said he's thrilled about the addition.
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"We’re projecting over seven million passenger movements this year and we are thrilled that our guests will have another transportation option to embark on a cruise from Port Canaveral," he said in a statement to FOX 35.
News of the Cocoa station comes about a week after Brightline officially announced a new train station would be coming to Florida's Treasure Coast in Stuart.
The Stuart station marks the seventh in Florida, and Cocoa would be the eighth.
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"We’ve seen significant demand and support for a Brightline Station in the Treasure Coast which was evident during this process. It was a difficult decision and we’re grateful for everyone’s support and efforts to make this happen," said Brian Kronberg, Brightline’s Senior Vice President of Development and Construction. "We couldn’t be more excited to make the City of Stuart our hub for Brightline along Florida’s Treasure Coast."
Next steps for developing the station, which will sit on 2.35 acres in Stuart's historic downtown district about 40 miles north of the West Palm Beach Brightline station, include starting the design and engineering of the station, parking structure and necessary rail infrastructure.
Brightline is also exploring a connecting route to Tampa. A proposal from Senate Transportation Chair Nick DiCeglie calls for land to be set aside along Interstate 4 to extend train service from Orlando to Tampa, according to The News Service of Florida.