I don’t want to tempt fate by posting a competing link to NewsWire… now that NewsWire is a paid service. Lets just say you can Google. Having said that. Rather interesting that FEC had no commuter rail in the Brightline agreement. I would think as long as Brightline paid for the consumed capacity expansion that FEC would not care one way or another.
Yes paid. You have unlimited Trains.com membership apparently. Not everyone has that. I can’t see paying for it. Perhaps you did not realize you may have clicked on the free trial button, which potentially means a bill later.
Click the Trains article. To see in entirety, you can get a "Free’ membership. Or the trial membership at a different click point. I don’t want either. I especially don’t like automatic renewal ones.
I read the newspaper link. Seems like FEC wants to share in the revenue or increase the rental Brightline pays it. Follow the money.
If I have it, it certainly isn’t something I contracted for, and I think I would know if I’d paid for it… and I would remember if I clicked on any ‘free trial’ offer.
Perhaps I shouldn’t say anything publicly… but are people actually seeing those stories paywalled, or is that just an expectation?
I experienced a paywall. But I read fast. I will read slowly…
I just clicked the link in my own post, and had no trouble scrolling all the way to the bottom. I did get one of those ‘Trauns Unlimited’ advertising popups after a second or two, but just closed it.
I apparently had no problem screenshotting down the page (including the comments) – PM me.
I don’t have a paid account, and I was able to read the complete article. I also had a popup wanting me to register. I just clicked the ‘X’ and it allowed me to read the article.
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I got the screenshots. I am not wanting to sign up as one gets a bunch of notifications ads.
Some irritating small screen video also showed itself.
It’s paywalled for me.
Paywalled exactly how? What screen does it show you? (Screenshoot it and let’s see if we can figure out why some people are being denied access…)
The question concerns FEC & Brightline - not paywalls.
The bigger question is the US Government currently ‘by and for the people’ or is it ‘by and for the dollar’?
I screenshot it above.
Who would have thought Brightline and FEC would be having such a breakup. Didn’t that used to be lauded as such a great partnership?
On both questions, stay tuned. Rough roads ahead.
I don’t think we have access to the original agreements between FEC and Fortress/Brightline, so the grounds for the suit may not be easy to determine.
Does anyone here have a definitive statement regarding ‘local’ commuter service?
It started as a great partnership but then FEC changed hands (sold off by Fortress) and the new owner inherited what was in place prior to the sale. I find the allegations of Groupo Mexico a little hard to believe. They read like a business organization used to doing business within Mexico. Just my interpretation though. 
I don’t know how you can conduct meetings in secret with a government agency on a public issue. Though I don’t live in Florida. That allegation just reads suspect to me. Not being invited to the meetings is another story but also…so what?
No trains running yet and I am not sure the trains could run without FEC participation.
When the ‘agreement’ was originated - Brightline & FEC were the right and left hands of nominally the same organization. Now that they are two separate organizations with two different ownerships - that look at the agreement in totally different lights.