Martin County and Brightline have an agreement that there will be a train station built on the Treasure Coast.
The County is currently working to bring passenger rail service to Martin County, but important funding and planning steps must happen before lease agreements and construction begin.
The negotiated agreement allows for up to $15M from the County for design and development of the station and the appraised value of the land.
Most of the total project cost goes toward safety, rail and infrastructure improvements that protect residents, regardless of whether they use the train.
The major safety improvements include:
Martin County owns the land that the proposed station will go on, while Brightline would lease the property by entering into a contract such as a public purpose lease.
After two grant cycles, Martin County and Brightline will no longer have a mandatory obligation to build a station on the Treasure Coast.
Martin County has applied for the Federal Railroad Administration Rail Improvement Grant for 2026.
This grant is funded by federal tax dollars that residents currently pay into through federal taxes. These funds can only be used for rail improvement projects.
This is an opportunity to bring federal dollars back into Martin County to fund local infrastructure and safety improvements rather than going to another community.
A Brightline station would provide transportation, economic and quality of life benefits.
