Melbourne, Florida East Coast Rail at odds over closing rail crossings in the city

Melbourne, rail line at odds over closing crossings

Railroad safety upgrades are stalled on the Space Coast after the City of Melbourne and Florida East Coast Rail (FEC) disagreed about shutting down rail crossings.

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Railroad safety upgrades are stalled on the Space Coast after the City of Melbourne and Florida East Coast Rail (FEC) disagreed about shutting down rail crossings.

Melbourne leaders say the FEC recently told them they won’t support new quad gates unless the city closes two crossings first. One is at Prospect Street, and the other is at Jernigan Avenue. The city says it will not be told by an outside agency to shut off part of its community.

Melbourne has the most railroad crossings in Brevard County, but new opposition to making them safer has just emerged.

"Florida East Coast, at this point, has not been a very good partner in this process," said one city official during a recent city council meeting.

City leaders say the FEC pulled out of a grant opportunity with the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization that could have provided millions of dollars in funding to install new quad gates at several spots in the city.

"When you start eliminating crossings and roads just for an outside entity, it’s very concerning," said Mayor Paul Alfrey. "Our first responders, public safety, use these roads to respond to calls."

The railroad wants the city to close two rail crossings in South Melbourne.

"This is just plain downright strong-arming. There’s no other way to put this," said council member Mimi Hanley.