Pete Buttigieg in West Palm Beach rides Brightline and pledges federal funds for safety

The nation's top transportation official pledged federal backing for Brightline safety measures but stopped short of backing its expansion plans as he prepared to ride the privately owned passenger rail line on Tuesday from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg offered a reminder that his boss, President Joe Biden, is a longtime commuter rail fan who last year signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill with about $66 billion earmarked for modernizing and repairing railways, including Amtrak, which has 19 stations in Florida.

"We're an administration led by a president who passionately believes in passenger rail. It has economic benefits and climate benefits, safety benefits, and I want to see that for myself," Buttigieg said, in front of the West Palm Beach station.