This May, Virgin Trains USA will begin constructing a controversial high-speed passenger railroad spanning from South Florida to Orlando. This comes after the company closed its bond sale on April 19, which raised $1.75 billion for construction costs.

Previously, Virgin Trains USA needed approval to sell the tax-exempt bonds from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Florida Development Finance Corp (FDFC). While they received FRA approval in 2018, the FDFC’s approval didn’t come until April 5, 2019. The line will be 170-miles long, upgrading and double-tracking existing railroads and constructing new tracks from West Palm Beach directly to the Orlando International Airport.

This news has been met with some backlash by those who have safety concerns about the new tracks. With these concerns in mind, Florida’s Indian River County filed an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling regarding Virgin Trains USA’s bonds sales. The appeal brief claims that Virgin Trains is not eligible for tax-free bonds, it fails to follow the National Environmental Policy Act standards, and there are safety concerns associated with the company: “the safety record of Phase I, which began operations in 2018, is alarming.” According to the brief, 20 accidents and 15 fatalities have occurred since Virgin Trains began operations in Florida in early 2018.

Indian River County has already spent over $3 million fighting Virgin Trains’ expansion plan, and the County Commission has already agreed to spend up to $400,000 more on the appeal. Virgin Trains has until June 6 to respond to the appeal, which could then take over a year to resolve. For now, however, Virgin Trains will be cleared to move forward with its construction and expansion.

While the process in implementing the new railroad has been slow, the successful bond sale and FDFC approval secure that Virgin Trains USA will be able to begin construction and renovation of the lines. In the meantime, many Florida residents remain fearful of the unknown number of casualties that Virgin Trains’ trains will cause in the future.