# MIAMI | Public Transport



## Songoten2554 (Oct 19, 2006)

*Miami's New Central Station, Expansion of Metrorail, Metromover, light rail, Tri Rail*

anyways i believe that since Miami is growing really big as i see it all the time its growing and that is cool because Miami will have the Metrorail expansions and will grow big like the LA Metro and such

well also the Tri Rail is looking for expansions as well for the system to grow and also the metromover and Light Rail will begin here in Miami as well and the people mover might get expanded as well Miami will be the King of Mass Transit here in Florida

also the Central Station will be huge like the grand central of Miami where High Speed Rail, Amtrak, Tri Rail, Metrorail, People mover to airport, buses and all that including the Car Rental Faclity will be constructed cool huh


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## Songoten2554 (Oct 19, 2006)

anyways this is Golden Glades station for the Tri Rail and i use it to transfer to the metrorail to go to downtown Miami to hop on the metromover to go to my college

anyways i like this station because it passes the Tri Rail, CSX Freight and Amtrak passes by this Station and Amtrak goes very fast passing this station fast and its cool with the clickity clack and the wind wooshing cool


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## milwaukee-københavn (Jun 21, 2006)

Have photos of the new central station or the metrorail system?


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## Songoten2554 (Oct 19, 2006)




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## clean_polo (Apr 26, 2010)

This is the map of the Metrorail right now:









This is what it should look like in the future, even though I heard that some of the plans got canceled. Atleast the line to the airport is being built right now though.









Here are some pictures of the Miami Metrorail:


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## Rail_Serbia (May 29, 2009)

The ridership is modest 61.000. Why people don't like to use it?


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Rail_Serbia said:


> The ridership is modest 61.000. Why people don't like to use it?


The Miami Metrorail does not serve alot of areas (except for Brickell, Downtown, and in the future the airport). Plus since South Florida is very car orientated most people just find it easier to drive to their destination.


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## mopc (Jan 31, 2005)

^^ Apparently this is the plague that affects all mass transit in the USA except Manhattan and maybe DC... they build good lines with good stations but the system simply does not cater to the demand in the cities...


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## nouveau.ukiyo (Sep 20, 2007)

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/...ro-extensions-dissolve-as-funding-disappears/



> *Miami’s Long-Sought Plans for Metro Extensions Dissolve as Funding Disappears*
> 
> Yonah Freemark
> 
> ...


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

mopc said:


> ^^ Apparently this is the plague that affects all mass transit in the USA except Manhattan and maybe DC... they build good lines with good stations but the system simply does not cater to the demand in the cities...


Mass Transit Systems in places like DC, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco tend to be more used since those cities grew up before the rise of the automobile so they were more dense (ie more walkable) to begin with.

Most of the cities you see in Florida, Atlanta, Texas, etc grew up when having your own car was gaining more popularity so you don't tend to see alot of people taking transit in those areas.


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## Luli Pop (Jun 14, 2010)

Miami between the most touristic places in the world, until Miami Beach wouldn't be linked with downtown/university/airport with metro, it will continue being underused.

there must be a particular interest why this isn't even planned in the short term


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## hoosier (Apr 11, 2007)

diablo234 said:


> Most of the cities you see in Florida, Atlanta, Texas, etc grew up when having your own car was gaining more popularity so you don't tend to see alot of people taking transit in those areas.


And all of those states/cities have TERRIBLE traffic problems. Miami is routinely one of the top five cities in terms of traffic congestion.

Wedding itself to the automobile has not been beneficial to the South.

At least Dallas has been aggressive in expanding it's light rail system.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Well to be fair Houston has been expanding their system, and Austin & Phoenix just installed light rail as well.


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## State of the Union (Jul 12, 2010)

Well, atleast LA is trying. We just got a voter approved tax increase that will bring whole bunch of new projects coming. I think everyone in LA knows driving to Downtown pretty much sucks, and I would love to use rail no matter how much I love my car. Sorry to see Miami lose it's funding.


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## Larmey (Jun 21, 2010)

what a pathetic system for such a large city. hno:


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## State of the Union (Jul 12, 2010)

Larmey said:


> what a pathetic system for such a large city. hno:


Agreed, and I thought LA was pretty bad.


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## Eurotram (Oct 9, 2005)

diablo234 said:


> Well to be fair Houston has been expanding their system, and Austin & Phoenix just installed *light rail* as well.


BTW,what about Miami's light rail plans?I found some info (it was put few months ago) that this project was accepted and Miami will receive funds for light rail. How looks this situation for today?

Sorry for OT,but there's no thread about Miami's light rail


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## JustinB (Aug 12, 2008)

The subway cars look identical to the Budd Cars on Baltimore's subway line. The drafters of Miami's subway plan apparently did not account for all the free parking in Miami. I remember reading when the subway was being built, the city added thousands of free parking spaces to the city.


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## FDW (Mar 9, 2010)

JustinB said:


> The subway cars look identical to the Budd Cars on Baltimore's subway line. The drafters of Miami's subway plan apparently did not account for all the free parking in Miami. I remember reading when the subway was being built, the city added thousands of free parking spaces to the city.


That's because Miami and Baltimore ordered the cars for their system's together in order to save money.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Some videos of the Miami Metrorail:


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Videos of Miami Metromover


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Eurotram said:


> BTW,what about Miami's light rail plans?I found some info (it was put few months ago) that this project was accepted and Miami will receive funds for light rail. How looks this situation for today?


I have not heard anything about the Baylink light rail that is supposed to connect Miami Beach to the mainland. I guess it is still in planning stages, maybe someone from South Florida can fill us in?


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## Dan78 (Nov 17, 2009)

mopc said:


> Apparently this is the plague that affects all mass transit in the USA except Manhattan and maybe DC... they build good lines with good stations but the system simply does not cater to the demand in the cities...


The problem sometimes lies with the fact that transit lines tend to be built where capital costs are cheapest, rather than where the transit line would have the greatest benefit. When you realize this, a lot of the odd or nonsensical arrangements in the USA's interurban rail lines make 'sense'. So if building a surface line along a highway right-of-way costs 30% as much as a subsurface line through a dense, developed area, but brings in 15% of the ridership, this is regarded as a "good deal", because it's cost is a smaller number on a balance sheet (of course, this is just a side effect of the insanely high cost of building mass transit in the U.S.).

Also, due to U.S. land-use and tax demographic patterns, we tend to develop hub-and-spoke systems that are primarily designed for moving commuters from the suburbs to the city center (and back to the suburbs in the evening). Many of our rail systems are not particularly useful for getting around a city, especially those developed from the 50's onward. San Francisco and Baltimore are good examples of this. S.F.'s BART train is okay for getting from Oakland or Berkeley to San Francisco, but not good at getting around most of San Francisco.

Interestingly, the D.C. Metro was originally conceived with the goal of being primarily a suburb-to-city center commuter system (in the 1960s-70's model of what a mass transit system should accomplish) but has evolved into a decent interurban system as well if only due to the fact that it has spurred massive urban development around its stations.


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## Dan78 (Nov 17, 2009)

diablo234 said:


> Well to be fair Houston has been expanding their system, and Austin & Phoenix just installed light rail as well.


Houston's rail system is nice enough for light rail, but very limited, sorry to say (I actually just rode on it this past week). Houston actually had ambitious plans for a new subway system in the 80's that was quickly killed off by mass-transit hater Bob Lanier when he came into office.

That city should re-examine the possibility of heavy rail again (though they probably won't). I don't think I've ever seen a more car-dependent metro area. More so than a lot of places they'll find their mobility curtailed if gas prices keep climbing.

I may be wrong, but I thought Austin had a new commuter rail line, not "light rail" in the way the phrase is normally used. I also hear the number of daily boardings are really small, in the neighborhood of 1,000.


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## mopc (Jan 31, 2005)

Dan78 said:


> The problem sometimes lies with the fact that transit lines tend to be built where capital costs are cheapest, rather than where the transit line would have the greatest benefit. When you realize this, a lot of the odd or nonsensical arrangements in the USA's interurban rail lines make 'sense'. So if building a surface line along a highway right-of-way costs 30% as much as a subsurface line through a dense, developed area, but brings in 15% of the ridership, this is regarded as a "good deal", because it's cost is a smaller number on a balance sheet (of course, this is just a side effect of the insanely high cost of building mass transit in the U.S.).
> 
> Also, due to U.S. land-use and tax demographic patterns, we tend to develop hub-and-spoke systems that are primarily designed for moving commuters from the suburbs to the city center (and back to the suburbs in the evening). Many of our rail systems are not particularly useful for getting around a city, especially those developed from the 50's onward. San Francisco and Baltimore are good examples of this. S.F.'s BART train is okay for getting from Oakland or Berkeley to San Francisco, but not good at getting around most of San Francisco.
> 
> Interestingly, the D.C. Metro was originally conceived with the goal of being primarily a suburb-to-city center commuter system (in the 1960s-70's model of what a mass transit system should accomplish) but has evolved into a decent interurban system as well if only due to the fact that it has spurred massive urban development around its stations.


Yes thats what I imagined, many of the same problems affects mass rail in Brazil, where many cities built "metros" following old railroad right-of-ways but serving the city poorly because of lower costs..

BTW the Miami trains are very similar to the old Sao Paulo Budd Mafersa trains built in Brazil but licenced from the Budd Company, USA, in the early 70's:


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## xerxesjc28 (Mar 3, 2008)

In response to another poster, miami has a really good elevated People Mover system (called Metromover) that cover most of downtown Miami, this is in addition to the tons of bus service that exist there. To read more go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metromover.
____________________________________________________________________________________

*Building Connections in Miami’s Urban Core*
Click this link to see nice maps of what he is proposing for light rail from DownTown Miami to Miami Beach : http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/11/04/rebuilding-connections-in-miamis-urban-core/

_» The city’s existing transit system doesn’t adequately address transportation needs in some of the country’s most densely populated neighborhoods.
_
Compared to more successful rapid transit systems, Miami’s Metrorail has never come to define the lifestyle of a significant portion of the metropolitan area’s population. Rather, the 22-mile elevated line, which runs from the western extent of Miami-Dade County to its southern border, has served as something as a sideshow, serving less than one third of the number of people who take the bus. The line has a future — it provides the excellent, reliable service every recent rapid transit system offers — but any investments in the medium-term will have to come in some other mode, because Miami cannot justify either the cost or the low ridership projections of a new heavy rail project.

A surprising conclusion, considering that just three years ago the Miami-Dade transit agency had plans for significant new metro lines running nine miles north to 215th Street and thirteen miles west east to Florida International University. Poor management of tax revenues meant to pay for the line expansions, little interest from the federal government in paying for a part of the costs, and the recession have doomed the proposals, and they have been scuttled, at least for now. All that’s left: a 2.4-mile fingertip of a line running from the existing Earlington Heights Station to a new stop near the airport.

Miami, in other words, is in no shape to pay for another Metrorail line. But that might be good news.

The city has seen serious growth in the last decade, building up an impressive skyline from Brickell north through downtown into Edgewater, buoyed by the strong urban real estate market. Though apartment sales were left for dead after the crash, in recent months, they appear to be coming back. Midtown Miami has evolved into an arts district. Downtown is being rejuvenated through huge government investments in new parks and cultural centers. Across the bay in Miami Beach — a separate municipality — the resorts along the Atlantic have only densified.

Yet the majority of these places have no direct access to fixed-guideway transit, either in the form of Metrorail or Metromover (which runs people-mover services downtown), despite their heavy population growth and very urban characteristics. In response, leaders on both sides of the bay have called out for new investment.

The City of Miami has since 2006 been discussing plans for a center-city streetcar, illustrated in yellow on the map above. It would circulate in a series on one-way loops through downtown, up to Midtown, and west into the Health District/Civic Center Area.

But why a streetcar, when the Metromover could easily be extended north and west, without having to duplicate corridors downtown? Metromover is a popular service, providing free transit to 30,000 riders a day who benefit from trains every three minutes. But the biggest obstacles to the network’s expansion are aesthetic: Metromover is elevated above the street, disrupting the views of pedestrians and creating an awkward interface between transit stations and the sidewalk. Similarly, it is expensive to build a system that requires a fully reserved right-of-way, such as Metromover.

So a cheap-running streetcar line has presented itself as the best option for Miami politicians.

Those advocating for new transit to Miami Beach have harped on a similarly conceived new light rail line, to run in street right-of-ways in Miami and Miami Beach but in its own corridor along the bridge between the two, as the ideal future system. That project, which is illustrated in pink above, would require a series of complex one-way loops downtown, where commuters would have to choosing between Metromover lines, a Metrorail line, and two streetcars, all running in their own corridors.

These separate proposals, though currently out of commission because of a lack of political willpower and money, are generally good ideas: they connect people from downtown to the metropolitan area’s most significant centers of activity. Yet the disordered, confused manner in which the lines have been planned would be a disservice to the residents of Miami and likely result in low ridership.

There is an alternative, and it’s based on legibility, simplification, and quality of service.

What if the plans for the Miami streetcar and the Miami Beach light rail line were incorporated into one project? The two lines could run together downtown for about 1.5 miles on parallel streets until reaching Government Center station, where an interchange with Metrorail would be possible — as would a connection to Tri-Rail commuter services if a planned extension into downtown is developed. This shared track would ensure that customers know to find all light rail service offered downtown in the same place. There will be no confusion about which tracks lead where; rather, riders will simply have to wait for the right train.

Instead of planning a disorderly series of midtown streetcar routes, Miami could offer its residents a simple three-mile north-south line running parallel to the bay to the Design District, following 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard for most of the time, with a switch to Miami Avenue at the northernmost segment of the line. Though the branch to the Health District articulated in the city’s streetcar plan has some merits, it ultimately seems wasteful, considering that Metrorail already provides service to the area; the same could be said of the proposed line running through Overtown. This is especially true because the city’s primary density is on the waterfront, and transit should be located there.

A light rail line to Miami Beach is entirely reasonable, but the large loop previously proposed would be confusing, especially since clockwise and counter-clockwise services would operate differently. A simpler approach would bring trains seven miles across the MacArthur Causeway, east-west along 5th street, and then north-south along Washington and Collins Avenues, continuing as far north as the famed Fontainebleau Hotel at 44th Street.

Future extensions south into Brickell or west into Little Havana from the downtown line at Government Center would be relatively simple to plan, since the main downtown tracks for light rail would already be reserved.

The overall approach for this first phase: a 11.5-mile project whose scope would dramatically alter the provision of transit to Miami’s urban core. But implementation would only be successful if the city abandons the streetcar approach that puts trains in mixed traffic and adopts a more expensive strategy that would require handing over vehicular lanes to transit vehicles, closing some side streets to through traffic, and incorporating automated traffic-light-changing mechanisms — all necessary steps if transit is to be quick enough to attract a sustainable number of passengers. Fortunately, this can be accomplished pretty easily and with few negatives using the scheme noted above, which would place one-way lines on parallel streets. Most of the streets considered for operation are wide enough to lose one vehicular lane without any serious effect on traffic.

A focus on the waterfront may seem unreasonable for a transit investment of this scope. Shouldn’t inland neighborhoods benefit? Will there be enough ridership along the thin strip of land bordering the bay and ocean? In Gold Coast, Australia, those questions are being tested. There, an eight-mile light rail system is being constructed, with operations planned for 2014. With similar densities as Miami, and with an alignment just blocks from the coast for most of the route, the city expects 40,000 daily riders.

If Miami could replicate the investment, with light rail lines running to Miami Beach and to Midtown, it would probably benefit as many people. One major advantage of the massive build-up of residential units along the metropolitan area’s dual coastlines is that it has basically ensured success for any fixed-guideway system positioned there.

Yet there appears to be no political constituency for a project of this nature in Miami. Yesterday’s election of Tomás Regalado as the city’s mayor is likely to introduce a new era of fiscal austerity and an end to the big plans that defined the administration of previous mayor Manny Diaz. Miami-Dade Transit is hardly capable of financing its present services, and it will be unable to plan any new extensions for the next ten years at least.

But these facts don’t mean the need for better public transportation along the city’s waterfront will disappear. One can only hope that if and when such new transit is offered, its routes are legible, simple to understand, and of high quality.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Dan78 said:


> I may be wrong, but I thought Austin had a new commuter rail line, not "light rail" in the way the phrase is normally used. I also hear the number of daily boardings are really small, in the neighborhood of 1,000.


Austin's new system is sort of a hybrid between light rail and commuter rail.


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## Sky Harbor (May 4, 2008)

^^ I'm imagining Ottawa's O-Train. :tongue2:

Anyway, it's kinda sad seeing Miami's metro being underused. And I thought the T in Pittsburgh was underused. hno:


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

*Photos of the recent construction progress being made at the Miami Intermodal Center*

Also Tri-Rail will suspend service to Miami Airport Station (and terminate at Hialeah Market) for two years to facilitate the construction of the Rail Station.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Some more photos:


Under the Metrorail by Melissa Venable, on Flickr


Guy on metro rail playing classical guitar by smilinggoat, on Flickr


MAY 1089 by Vik Cuban, on Flickr


Chevron Skylight by ImageMD, on Flickr


090224metrorail_clock by alanconnor, on Flickr


Metro Rail by Bob B. Brown, on Flickr


HPIM4128 by vxla, on Flickr


HPIM4134 by vxla, on Flickr


HPIM4148 by vxla, on Flickr


Sometimes we feel just like machines (Hialeah) by ohhector, on Flickr


HPIM4146 by vxla, on Flickr


HPIM4113 by vxla, on Flickr


Metro Rail by Bob B. Brown, on Flickr


Looking southbound by emdurso, on Flickr


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

DSCF1758 by the undergraduate, on Flickr


MetroMover 3 by COSMOSNEXUS, on Flickr


MetroMover 21 by COSMOSNEXUS, on Flickr


MetroMover 14 by COSMOSNEXUS, on Flickr


MetroMover 15 by COSMOSNEXUS, on Flickr


MetroMover 5 by COSMOSNEXUS, on Flickr


Metrorail leaving by emdurso, on Flickr


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

diablo234 said:


> [/url]


Queerly uninspiring interior for folks living in an unquestionably trend-setting city :uh: Maybe it's one of the reasons why ridership's so low there :dunno:


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

More like poor coverage, lack of Metro expansion until recently, auto centric sprawl dominating Miami landscape etc.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

LtBk said:


> More like poor coverage, lack of Metro expansion until recently, auto centric sprawl dominating Miami landscape etc.


With the large amount of TOD's being developed along the existing line in addition to Downtown becoming more mixed use it will be inevitable that there will be a gain in ridership. 

Right now the only thing that is missing is a line to Miami Beach and a line to FIU, in addition to Tr-Rail being expanded to the FEC corridor.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Some photos of the Metrorail extension to Miami Airport, taken from the Miami Airport forum.



1201111313 by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111303a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111303b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111314a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111322b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111322 by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111322c by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111322d by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111321b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111321c by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111325b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111320b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111320a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111321a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1201111323 by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr

SR112 eastbound


1208111541a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111541b by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111541c by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111541d by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111541e by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111541f by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111542 by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


1208111544a by Daniel Christensen, on Flickr


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

diablo234 said:


>


Playful  What's going to be the name of this station?


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

trainrover said:


> Playful  What's going to be the name of this station?


Miami International Airport

The station will also house the relocated Tri-Rail and Amtrak station in addition to housing the Rental Car facility for MIA.


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## dwdwone (May 7, 2004)

Will it actually go into the airport or just adjacent to it?


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## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

mopc said:


> BTW the Miami trains are very similar to the old Sao Paulo Budd Mafersa trains built in Brazil but licenced from the Budd Company, USA, in the early 70's:


A very late answer, but the Miami trains were built by Budd. Together with the Baltimore Metro trains, which were made to the same design under a joint order, they were the last rolling stock Budd ever built.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

dwdwone said:


> adjacent to it


See the RR signage?


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

^ thanks for the article desertpunk. Miami has had issues since the transit tax was imposed a decade ago starting with the North corridor which would have extended for 9.5 miles/15.3 Km north of the Dr. King station all the way to the Broward County ( Ft. Lauderdale metro) line. The reason this was chosen first is because the county already owns the right-of-way & environmental impact studies are complete.
However the Federal Government turned it down twice even though it would serve the largest campus of the Miami Dade college with tens of thousand of students, another connection to the Tri-Rail commuter line and would wind up where the Miami Dolphins stadium is and serve many residents from Broward county as well.

The East-West corridor still doesn't have the property assembled needed to even begin planning for it &the "BayLink" line which was supposed to connect Metrorail to South Beach was rejected by the former Mayor of Miami Beach a few years ago even though around 70% of the voters on the beach supported the transit tax.

As for a decrease in bus service the article left out that the Feds came in and Audited the financial books of the transit agency and they suspended Federal grant money for almost 2 years forcing the agency to cut back on bus service as well!
Throw in the recession as well and it's been hellish for the agency to say the least but at least they got this line to the Airport open.
By the way the article is off saying that it's going to take 30 minutes to wait for a train at the Airport!


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Bobdreamz said:


> By the way the article is off saying that it's going to take 30 minutes to wait for a train at the Airport!


Take a look at the Metrorail schedule for nights and weekends (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/rail_schedules_entire.asp) and you might even discover that the one who is "off" is you!


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

^ yes you are correct and I was off!


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

> *New Metrorail line popular with airport travelers*
> 
> _While it’s easier to get to and from MIA now, some regular commuters complain it has put the squeeze on regular service._
> 
> ...


..


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

^ *diablo234* thanks for posting the above article. The first two passengers from Peru won't have to make a double transfer on Metrorail when the new Tri-Rail commuter station that goes to West Palm Beach opens right next to the new Metrorail station in about a year. They will just dismembark at the Inter-modal center and by pass the Metrorail station then board a train at the Tri-Rail station to W. Palm Beach.


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## IanCleverly (Nov 24, 2010)

Paul305 said:


> Transit Miami made a post showing a dozen or so renderings of the new Metrorail cars. Here's a preview:





Paul305 said:


> Some new photos of the Miami Intermodal Center from micdot.com:


Taken from the South Florida Transportation (II) Miami thread in the USA section.


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## BJC450Chicago (Dec 25, 2007)

Are people really supposed to walk up all those stairs? It looks like its 6 stories tall?


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## kilosandwich (Jan 1, 2012)

I see Miami went with the lowest bidder with their new railcars, let's see how those hold up in 25 years after minimal maintainence


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

I wonder how South Florida would been shaped if they built up the Metro system they original planned.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

kilosandwich said:


> I see Miami went with the lowest bidder with their new railcars, let's see how those hold up in 25 years after minimal maintainence


I was gonna say, I just read on the Dutch HSR thread about the problem rate with the AnsaldoBreda rolling stock. Oi. Can't say I think they're very pretty cars, either.


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## aquablue (Mar 18, 2006)

aquaticko said:


> I was gonna say, I just read on the Dutch HSR thread about the problem rate with the AnsaldoBreda rolling stock. Oi. Can't say I think they're very pretty cars, either.


Pretty rolling stock is the least thing Miami cares about. I think they would like some new lines before they start worrying about how 'cute' their trains look.hno:


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## dwdwone (May 7, 2004)

I like the tunnel in the first pic. Something tells me Miami has no underground sections.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

aquablue said:


> Pretty rolling stock is the least thing Miami cares about. I think they would like some new lines before they start worrying about how 'cute' their trains look.hno:


Just saying, if you're going to buy trains from a company that isn't known to be good at making them, at least make them _pretty_ trains.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Those stairs are way too long. Maybe an escalator will go there?


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Woonsocket54 said:


> Those stairs are way too long. Maybe an escalator will go there?


Well they did leave some extra space on that column so I think they are going to place an escalator there at some point.


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

The Government Center station has an unused and partially completed ghost platform for an unbuilt East-West Metrorail line adjacent to the third level (the mezzanine level) below the current Metrorail Station.


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

Metromover:


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

Metrorail:

















Line diagram:


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)




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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

*Metro alongside the massive Brickell CityCentre megadevelopment:*


Downtown Miami by vasek.burian, on Flickr


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Will these be articulated trains?


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*4th Quarter 2015 Daily Ridership numbers for South Florida *

*Heavy Rail *
Miami / Metrorail - 75,300 (2015) : 0.23%

*Commuter Rail *
South Florida / Tri Rail - 14,200 (2015) : 1.53%

*Bus Ridership*
Miami / MDT Bus - 176,887 (2015) : -N/A
Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Transit - 121,400 (2015) : -10.69%
West Palm Beach / Palm Beach County STD - 35,400 (2015) 4.49%
Pompano Beach / South Florida RTA - 3,800 (2015) : 1.44%

*Automated Guideway*
Miami / Miami-Dade Transit Agency - 34,600 (2015) : 2.90%


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Miami rail expansion plans










http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article73220862.html


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## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

Miami-Dade Transit not only operates in Miami, but also operates in the Keys as well. The 301 Monroe Express runs from Florida City to the Marathon Key, although most buses end as Islamorada, with a couple at Tavernier. It is contracted to America's Transportation (also known as Safeguard America) and utilizes MCI D4500 that formerly operated for GO Transit of Toronto.








IMG_2883 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2987 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2997 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2999 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

That should go from Dadeland South to Key West.


----------



## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

Me thinks so as well.

But luckily, there is still a shuttle run by Key West Transit that runs from Marathon to Key West (pay no attention to the destination sign).


IMG_2965 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


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## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

*Metrorail*


IMG_2410 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2413 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2418 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2434 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2472 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


A section of Government Center that was built for a never built second line:


IMG_2423 by GojiMet86, on Flickr























*Tri-Rail*


IMG_2474 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2476 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2494 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2516 by GojiMet86, on Flickr























*Miami Metromover*


IMG_2428 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2431 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2433 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2436 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2437 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_3118 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_3129 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_3137 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

















*Metrobus*


IMG_2446 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2451 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2452 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2454 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2473 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2652 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2738 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_2791 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


IMG_3928 by GojiMet86, on Flickr


----------



## fantasyridge (Feb 3, 2016)

P3 Bulletin announced today that three consortia had submitted RFQ docs to build the Miami Beach LRT/Streetcar. 

The details are behind a paywall. Any one have an open source link to who these companies might be? I can't find anything online.


----------



## fantasyridge (Feb 3, 2016)

Nevermind. Just posted to the Miami Beach city procurement page. 

Connect Miami Beach (CMB) Team
OHL
Globalvia
COMSA

Greater Miami Tramlink Partners
Alstom Transportation, Inc.
Alstrom Transport SA
Archer Western Contractors LLC
InfraRed Capital Partners Limited
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
Serco Inc.
Walsh Investors LLC

Miami Beach Mobility Partners (MBMP)
SACYR
John Laing
AECOM


----------



## MrAronymous (Aug 7, 2011)

Hopefully the one with Alstom wins, and hopefully Alstom will have had a big say in it and will have it built to its full potential.


----------



## fantasyridge (Feb 3, 2016)

To my knowledge, Alstom has not won a Citadis project yet in the U.S.

Ottawa is their only win thus far in North America though they started marketing the product three years ago. 

They have a very strong consortium though, but as with every project these days it will come down to price.


----------



## MrAronymous (Aug 7, 2011)

Alstom also designs and constructs infrastructure.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

preliminary Miami Beach streetcar map










http://www.thenextmiami.com/south-beach-streetcar-stops-will-look-like-theyll-located/


----------



## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

^^Another city-toy, which wont really help ppl move around and will just cost a lot?


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

bus service to the zoo was discontinued effective 2016.06.19.

The zoo was previously served by bus 252 (Coral Reef MAX), which made a deviation from its regular route on Coral Reef Drive/SW 152 St. It may still be possible to access the zoo by getting off the bus and walking down SW 124 Ave. It's about a 25-minute walk down a palm-lined pedestrian pathway.

The bus was photographed by Google Maps last year at the intersection of SW 124 Ave and SW 152 St. It's not clear why the zoo deviation has been discontinued, but it's likely due to low-ridership reasons. The zoo is in a remote auto-centric part of the far southwest suburbs of Miami.










https://www.google.com/maps/@25.626...4!1snpceL47PpBf5MCKbpOv_AA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656










http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/alignments/2016-june/252-detail.pdf


----------



## subbotazh (Feb 4, 2015)

*Miami Beach votes to negotiate light rail contract with French firm *



City Manager Jimmy Morales will now negotiate an interim agreement with Alstom

Morales could move to second- and third-ranked teams if negotiations fall through with Alstom

City decided not to compare prices from all three at the same time in order to move faster
In Miami Beach’s fast-moving process to build an estimated $380 million light rail loop in South Beach, city commissioners voted to negotiate an interim agreement with the French rail company that sparked the bidding process almost a year ago.

The decision was the city’s biggest step yet toward building a local modern streetcar system that Beach officials want to see break ground within four years.

Alstom, as part of a consortium of firms, submitted an unsolicited proposal last year to build a local streetcar system that would be one-third of a future rail system that would connect to downtown Miami. The city used that proposal as the basis for a bidding process that attracted Alstom and two other teams who competed on the basis of their designs and technologies for a streetcar — not the price.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article89464957.html


----------



## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

Horrible decision, Citadis trams are the worst pseudo modern trams on the market, with their unchangeable 25 meter curve radius, completely rigid bogies destroying tracks and squealing constantly. Pseudo 100% low floor when all the seats are on huge podiums. APS ground level power supply also a stupid expensive toy which Miami doesn't need at all. Also it limits the speed to 50 km/h.

The people who make such decisions have no idea about technical stuff of trams unfortunately.


----------



## tampasteve (Aug 8, 2007)

Tramwayman said:


> Horrible decision, Citadis trams are the worst pseudo modern trams on the market, with their unchangeable 25 meter curve radius, completely rigid bogies destroying tracks and squealing constantly. Pseudo 100% low floor when all the seats are on huge podiums. APS ground level power supply also a stupid expensive toy which Miami doesn't need at all. Also it limits the speed to 50 km/h.
> 
> The people who make such decisions have no idea about technical stuff of trams unfortunately.


Some of those issues should be examined, however, the 50km/h will not be an issue in this case. I doubt it will ever get to that at normal operation in this area of the city. Also, turning radius will not be an issue as the tracks run basically on a straight line.


----------



## MrAronymous (Aug 7, 2011)

You're forgetting that they are planning this loop as a first phase. Plan is to extend the line over the causeway to downtown Miami. And how are turning radii not important when it's specifically a _loop_ configuration.


----------



## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

tampasteve said:


> Some of those issues should be examined, however, the 50km/h will not be an issue in this case. I doubt it will ever get to that at normal operation in this area of the city. Also, turning radius will not be an issue as the tracks run basically on a straight line.


Turning radius is always the main thing cause with a standart tramway line is planned with 25 meter radius. If there is needed at some point lower then the cars should be able to handle them.

Alstom always plans the tram lines only compatible to the tram they themselves produce that no other supplier wins another tender or so.

Choosing French consortium is the worst thing Miami ever did, French do not have experience and what they have is unchangable unadaptable tram family Citadis over 16 years.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Miami-Dade’s light-rail tab could be $6 billion. Solution: Extend Metrorail down to the street*"

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article120723273.html


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Miami Beach puts $400M light rail system on hold*"

http://therealdeal.com/miami/2016/1...system-on-hold-ending-talks-with-french-firm/


----------



## saiho (Jun 28, 2009)

Woonsocket54 said:


> "*Miami-Dade’s light-rail tab could be $6 billion. Solution: Extend Metrorail down to the street*"
> 
> http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article120723273.html


So you will have at grade crossings with third rail power delivery? Aren't these things supposed to be grandfathered in not newly created?hno:


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Brightline passenger train revealed (service to start between Miami and West Palm Beach later this year)









https://twitter.com/JenSorentrue/status/819561016702992387









https://twitter.com/GoBrightline/status/819254070670147586









https://twitter.com/GoBrightline/status/819254070670147586









https://twitter.com/GoBrightline/status/819254070670147586









https://twitter.com/TCPalm/status/819314234400055296









https://twitter.com/SFBWmag/status/819294090156195842









https://twitter.com/GabrielleSarann/status/819218987850596353









https://twitter.com/GabrielleSarann/status/819218987850596353


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Tri-Rail frustrated by maintenance issues, duct tape repair*"

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/tr...-rail-on-time-performance-20170224-story.html


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Update on Fort Lauderdale Brightline station





































http://gobrightline.com/progress/bringing-train-travel-fort-lauderdale/


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Metro Report

http://www.metro-report.com/news/ne...hitachi-delivers-first-miami-metro-train.html

*Hitachi delivers first Miami metro train*
29 Mar 2017










USA: Hitachi Rail Italy has delivered the first of 68 two-car trainsets that it is supplying for Miami-Dade Transit’s Metrorail network. The trainset arrived at Metrorail’s Lehman Center depot from HRI’s Medley plant in northwest Miami.

Dynamic testing is due to begin in the next few weeks. The second and third pre-series trainsets are undergoing tests at Medley, and are due to arrive at the Lehman Center in June or July

...


----------



## Alphamayo (Apr 30, 2013)

*new trains*

from Hitachi Rail italy website:


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Dade Plans To Further Reduce Metrorail Service In 2018*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/dade-plans-reduce-metrorail-service-2018/


----------



## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

They haven't learned their lessons it seems. Reducing service as a reaction to dropping usership numbers means a further drop in usership numbers which justifies a further reduction in service until service levels are so low that usership collapses entirely altogether. Given that I wonder why they do not close down the whole system right away it would be more honest.


----------



## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

Americans prefer driving to public transit.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Fifth Brightline Trainset Traveling Cross Country to South Florida*"










http://gobrightline.com/fifth-brightline-trainset-traveling-cross-country-south-florida/


----------



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*CRRC is making inroads on sales to US transit networks*
China Daily _Excerpt_
November 8, 2017 

CRRC has been on the express track lately when it comes to its business in the United States.

Train car maker CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, a subsidiary of State-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, is racking up some big US contracts and looking for more.

CRRC recently was featured in an address to a business group by the Miami-Dade mayor, who is interested in the company's "trackless trains".

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is pushing the Florida metro area to give up expanding its Metrorail in favor of high-tech buses made by CRRC, The Miami Herald reported.

Gimenez made Metrorail a major part of his re-election campaign last year, but on Nov 1, he decided to state a case for CRRC's trackless trains to run on dedicated lanes north and south of Miami.

"I believe we are on the cusp of unbelievable transformation, driven by new technology that will place us ahead of other cities because we are in the midst of creating a transportation infrastructure with those new technologies in mind," Gimenez told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

He then showed a video on high-tech buses as a cheaper alternative to rail, the Herald reported. "It's a solution we can implement now, not one that will take decades to complete."

The trackless trains are electric buses with interlocking cars that can hold about 300 passengers and are designed for platform-level access, group boarding and other rail-like features.

Gimenez said he plans to travel to China to visit CRRC. For the mayor's chamber presentation, the Dade County communications office used its own narration over footage provided by CRRC, which rolled out the trackless train in the summer, the Herald reported.

CRRC says the vehicles will be guided by autonomous technology, allowing them to "follow" painted lines.


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## HARTride 2012 (Apr 1, 2007)

Gimenez is a clown. The ongoing political games are screwing over Miami big time.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Connection Made: Tri-Rail One Step Closer To Rolling Into Downtown Miami*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/connection-made-tri-rail-one-step-closer-rolling-downtown-miami/


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Woonsocket54 said:


> "*Connection Made: Tri-Rail One Step Closer To Rolling Into Downtown Miami*"
> 
> https://www.thenextmiami.com/connection-made-tri-rail-one-step-closer-rolling-downtown-miami/


Excellent! Hopefully they will extended to downtown Miami station sometime in 2nd quarter 2018 or so.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

cross-post from Southeast USA forum.



UrbanImpact said:


> http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/transportation/fl-reg-brightline-start-20171128-story.html
> *New Brightline express trains to roll in December, report says
> *
> 
> ...


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

*New Metrorail cars have arrived*

Miami Metrorail: Hitachi test train at Government Center (Nov. 21, 2017):






New Metrorail Cars First Day in Service (Dec. 1, 2017):






Miami-Dade county government spent $313 million USD on 136 new trains from Hitachi that were locally built in a plant in nearby Medley, FL.
No Federal funding and the cars were fully paid for by the local 1/2 cent transit tax passed in 2002.


----------



## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Wow! Cool! Can't wait to come down there. I definitely will ride on new metrorail cars.


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## Scizoid.Trans.Prog. (Mar 25, 2006)

Hitachi opened a plant almost near by the subway depot in Miami? Where? I am looking on google earth but can't find anything...


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Scizoid.Trans.Prog. said:


> Hitachi opened a plant almost near by the subway depot in Miami? Where? I am looking on google earth but can't find anything...


Excuse me! There is no subway in Miami. This is only Metrorail in South Florida. They has already brought new metrorail cars by replace the older trains cars. They will phase out the old metorail cars.


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## Scizoid.Trans.Prog. (Mar 25, 2006)

But where's the plant?


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## marcvader (Nov 26, 2013)

11150 NW 122nd St, Miami, FL 33178 Not much to see on Google earth.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Brightline finally announces when it will launch. But how much will it cost to ride?*

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article192009464.html


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Woonsocket54 said:


> *Brightline finally announces when it will launch. But how much will it cost to ride?*
> 
> http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article192009464.html


It will be $37 fare. If you pay one-way or roundtrip ticket. It's your choice.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Brightline rail service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach begins this weekend*

weekday schedule










weekend schedule










https://gobrightline.com/trip/schedule

pricing










https://gobrightline.com/?search=open


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

Not bad if you ask me.


----------



## mensolú (Jul 27, 2015)

Bobdreamz said:


> Miami-Dade county government spent $313 million USD on 136 new trains from Hitachi that were locally built in a plant in nearby Medley, FL.
> No Federal funding and the cars were fully paid for by the local 1/2 cent transit tax passed in 2002.


What do you mean, 136 new _trains_? 136 new formations or 136 new cars? Either way, it's a heck of a lot. Are you sure about that figure?


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*The second new Metrorail train has launched — and it’s half the size of the first one*"

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article197347574.html


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

mensolú said:


> What do you mean, 136 new _trains_? 136 new formations or 136 new cars? Either way, it's a heck of a lot. Are you sure about that figure?


I meant new cars and the figure is actually higher :

*"The new cars are part of a $380 million replacement of the entire Metrorail fleet".*

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article197347574.html


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

Woonsocket54 said:


> "*The second new Metrorail train has launched — and it’s half the size of the first one*"
> 
> http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article197347574.html


*Alice Bravo, the county’s transportation director, said Tuesday that a new replacement schedule would be released this week to account for production delays tied to flooding last spring at the Missouri factory of a manufacturer of some train components. She said Hitachi, the maker of the trains, exercised its Act of God clause in the county contract last summer, after the original schedule was published.*
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article197347574.html


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8BH_J0SDHc


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Bobdreamz said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8BH_J0SDHc


Nice! Can't wait to come down there. Hopefully they will delivered more metrorail cars. If they bring a brand new metrorail cars. Be sure if they have a safely inspection.


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## towerpower123 (Feb 12, 2013)

Woonsocket54 said:


> pricing
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those prices for 47 miles are quite affordable when compared to existing lines like NJ Transit's commuter lines. Also, 47 miles in 40 minutes means an average of 70.5 miles per hour including stops, which would mean speeding on the highway the entire way in no traffic to keep up in a car. That is some decent speed that will hopefully draw more riders, especially once the Miami station opens and it connects farther north.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*First Brightline train arrives at Miami station during final stage of construction*

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/busin...al-stage-construction/IFGR4inVu1OzPxsYUdl28I/


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## Scizoid.Trans.Prog. (Mar 25, 2006)

Massive cars


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

*Brightline test train arrives at downtown Miami station*





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCoTt19QwQo


----------



## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Bobdreamz said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCoTt19QwQo


It's very short video. Can you try to play it more next time?


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

N830MH said:


> It's very short video. Can you try to play it more next time?


Sorry but it's not my video and I didn't upload it to Youtube.


----------



## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

It's completely shameful that this new train service is diesel-dirty powered.


----------



## BoulderGrad (Jun 29, 2005)

CB31 said:


> It's completely shameful that this new train service is diesel-dirty powered.


Outside of the North East, there is almost no electrified intercity rail in the US (I think San Fran is just implementing it now for CalTrain?). Implementing it is a billions of dollars and many years project (Edit: Caltrain Electrification started in July 2017, expected to finish in 2021, costing $1.9bil). It's definitely not ideal, but I don't really consider it "shameful" (Even in train happy Europe, I've ridden on diesel power trains.). Hopefully some day rail travel returns to its old prominence in the US and catches up with the technology in the rest of the world, but I'm pretty okay that a company has made it possible for Floridians to leave the car behind and take a train between cities, even if its not as clean as it could be.


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## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

I do consider it completely shameful because diesel is a dirty and contaminated source of energy, and to keep building this kind of dirty projects at this point of history is totally shameful.

The problem is not the budget, the problem is that in the US they don't f**king care.

In Europe they even banning diesel and petrol cars and buses.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

BoulderGrad said:


> Outside of the North East, there is almost no electrified intercity rail in the US (I think San Fran is just implementing it now for CalTrain?). Implementing it is a billions of dollars and many years project (Edit: Caltrain Electrification started in July 2017, expected to finish in 2021, costing $1.9bil). It's definitely not ideal, but I don't really consider it "shameful" (Even in train happy Europe, I've ridden on diesel power trains.). Hopefully some day rail travel returns to its old prominence in the US and catches up with the technology in the rest of the world, but I'm pretty okay that a company has made it possible for Floridians to leave the car behind and take a train between cities, even if its not as clean as it could be.


The interurban line between Chicago-Millennium and South Bend Airport is also electrified. Along with Metra's "Electric District" in southern suburbs of Chicago.


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## BoulderGrad (Jun 29, 2005)

Woonsocket54 said:


> The interurban line between Chicago-Millennium and South Bend Airport is also electrified. Along with Metra's "Electric District" in southern suburbs of Chicago.


Yes...



BoulderGrad said:


> Outside of the North East, there is *almost no* electrified intercity rail in the US (I think San Fran is just implementing it now for CalTrain?).


Chicago was a big city in the time of rail dominance in the US. So maybe I amend it to "The North East and Chicago". But the point still remains. Its not very common in the US. I DO wish it were more common, but I don't lament the fact that it isn't at the moment, or that this project didn't include electrification of the line. Baby steps folks. Lets see travel by train get popular again and then you'll start to see the diesel lines replaced with electrified lines.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Years After Station Built, Amtrak Still Negotiating With FDOT To Serve Miami Intermodal Center*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/years-...g-with-fdot-to-serve-miami-intermodal-center/


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Brightline Adds Miami Into Schedule, Service Starts Within Weeks*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/brightline-adds-miami-into-schedule-service-starts-in-weeks/


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

*More Brightline test trains at the downtown Miami Central station*









https://instagram.fmia1-1.fna.fbcdn...86995_193897548079342_56692258342174720_n.jpg









https://instagram.fmia1-1.fna.fbcdn...540_213550289409974_1167230652009938944_n.jpg









https://instagram.fmia1-1.fna.fbcdn...330_752294108298989_1188941252129718272_n.jpg


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Brightline trains look empty? PB Post counts how many were on board*"

https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/bus...s-how-many-were-board/WeNuCY7pgphQYy7Ywv6jFO/



> On average, 50 riders took the trains reviewed by The Post, enough to fill about 20 percent of the seats.


They could have put everyone on a coach bus, LOL.


----------



## [atomic] (Oct 12, 2013)

Not surprising. Brightline connects urban sprawl with urban sprawl. I'm sure it will change once they reach Orlando.


----------



## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

[atomic] said:


> Not surprising. Brightline connects urban sprawl with urban sprawl. I'm sure it will change once they reach Orlando.


Wow! No real surprise. Hopefully they will be busy again right before Summer.


----------



## BoulderGrad (Jun 29, 2005)

^^Yeah, hard to judge until the whole line is done. Eager to see how it does once downtown Miami is connected to the Orlando Airport.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*A Miami monorail? County seeks private transit projects during Metrorail stalemate*"

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article210140734.html


----------



## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

BoulderGrad said:


> ^^Yeah, hard to judge until the whole line is done. Eager to see how it does once downtown Miami is connected to the Orlando Airport.


Guess they have wait for Orlando airport station construction is completed. They won't start sometime in 2020 or 2021 during at that time.


----------



## marcvader (Nov 26, 2013)

The Brightline train will get a substantial increase once Miami is online but like others have said you can't judge till it is fully realized to Orlando.


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

[atomic] said:


> Not surprising. Brightline connects urban sprawl with urban sprawl. I'm sure it will change once they reach Orlando.


So you call downtown West Palm Beach & Ft. Lauderdale urban sprawl?

:nuts:

By the way the Orlando station will be at OIA which is truly surrounded by sprawl.


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

Woonsocket54 said:


> "*Brightline trains look empty? PB Post counts how many were on board*"
> 
> https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/bus...s-how-many-were-board/WeNuCY7pgphQYy7Ywv6jFO/
> 
> ...


They would also be stuck in the traffic hell hole that is I-95 too !


----------



## Manitopiaaa (Mar 6, 2006)

I took an Uber from FLL to Miami Beach last month and the traffic was horrendous. Miami really needs to connect the dots with frequent mass transit, and this is a piece of the puzzle. I think adding Miami will improve the numbers. I think the piece to Orlando Airport will be a big dud. They would have done better connecting directly with Downtown Orlando or, hell, even the Theme Parks.


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

^ Well Sunrail will connect with Brightline at the Orlando airport so there will be a connection to downtown.


----------



## MrAronymous (Aug 7, 2011)

If I'm not mistaken the theme park buses will also serve the intermodal facility? That's not a bad transfer.


----------



## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

MrAronymous said:


> If I'm not mistaken the theme park buses will also serve the intermodal facility? That's not a bad transfer.


Correct.


----------



## elliot42 (Feb 22, 2007)

I flew into Orlando from St. Louis in march. If they aren't building the station that's a surprise to me because they are building...something, and it's big. And the rail extension to Tampa area (AIUI) is under construction as well.


----------



## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Manitopiaaa said:


> I took an Uber from FLL to Miami Beach last month and the traffic was horrendous. Miami really needs to connect the dots with frequent mass transit, and this is a piece of the puzzle. I think adding Miami will improve the numbers. I think the piece to Orlando Airport will be a big dud. They would have done better connecting directly with Downtown Orlando or, hell, even the Theme Parks.


Please! Don't take Uber. It's very expensive. You must take Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport station to Transfer Metrorail station. You pay Easy Card and get through the gate. Take Metrorail to Government Center and then take on metrobus Route S. It's very cheaper and is more convenient.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

N830MH said:


> Please! Don't take Uber. It's very expensive. You must take Tri-Rail from Ft. Lauderdale Airport station to Transfer Metrorail station. You pay Easy Card and get through the gate. Take Metrorail to Government Center and then take on metrobus Route S. It's very cheaper and is more convenient.


How in the world is that more convenient than taking an Uber?


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Woonsocket54 said:


> How in the world is that more convenient than taking an Uber?


Actually, I knows how to used a public transportation. I knows how to take on Tri-Rail, metrorail, and a few other things, as well. You should considering this. You can take a Tri-Rail. It's very easy for you. It will save a lots of time. The traffic is so horrible. You could stuck on I-95.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Fort Lauderdale streetcar project cancelled*

"*Broward follows Fort Lauderdale to end Wave streetcar project*"

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/b...rns-to-broward-commission-20180507-story.html


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

If you happily use modern slave labour of pseudo entrepreneurs, Uber is for you.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Slartibartfas said:


> If you happily use modern slave labour of pseudo entrepreneurs, Uber is for you.


Uber certainly has many ethical issues and should be avoided if possible, but to suggest that the following itinerary is more "convenient" than Uber is nonsensical:

1. take shuttle bus from FLL airport to FLL rail station
2. take Tri-Rail from FLL rail station to Metrorail
3. take Metrorail to Government Center
4. take bus from Government Center to South Beach


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Brightline service to Miami begins May 19*

https://twitter.com/nmcrooks/status/994949102499659776


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Ridership is down.... a lot










https://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/rtr/2018-03-Ridership-Technical-Report.pdf


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Woonsocket54 said:


> Uber certainly has many ethical issues and should be avoided if possible, but to suggest that the following itinerary is more "convenient" than Uber is nonsensical:
> 
> 1. take shuttle bus from FLL airport to FLL rail station
> 2. take Tri-Rail from FLL rail station to Metrorail
> ...


I am not going to pretend to know better about those connections. Just saying that if Uber is the best you have in Miami, that there is a serious problem.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

From a practical standpoint, public transportation does not exist in Miami. Even where it does exist, there is an apprehension towards smelling sweaty while you wait in the humidity at a bus stop or outdoor rail platform. And then you smell like sweat at your destination. It's disgusting.

That is why Uber/Lyft is the most sensible choice for nearly any journey.

Again, this is not a value judgment as to the ethical concerns surrounding these ride-hailing services. It's just a statement of fact.


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

Woonsocket54 said:


> *From a practical standpoint, public transportation does not exist in Miami. Even where it does exist, there is an apprehension towards smelling sweaty while you wait in the humidity at a bus stop or outdoor rail platform. And then you smell like sweat at your destination. It's disgusting.*
> 
> That is why Uber/Lyft is the most sensible choice for nearly any journey.
> 
> Again, this is not a value judgment as to the ethical concerns surrounding these ride-hailing services. It's just a statement of fact.


Ever ridden the NYC subway? I didn't know NYC was devoid of humidity in the middle of August.
People do use anti-perspirant too.

hno:


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

https://miami.curbed.com/2017/2/17/14647988/miami-metromover-miami-beach-smart-plan




> Miami-Dade has mapped out the six corridors of its Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) plan, per Miami Today, with a potential cost of up to $3.6 billion.
> 
> 
> While the funding sources haven’t been sorted out yet, among the plan’s highlights is an elevated Metromover along 3.3 miles of the MacArthur Causeway, connecting Museum Park Station in downtown Miami to a new station at Fifth Street and Alton Road in Miami Beach.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

The Miami government is quite skilled at drawing maps of metro lines but rather lacking in experience in actually building them.


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

Were there any service cuts to the bus network in that time?


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Owner says preferred site for Boca’s 2nd Tri-Rail station isn’t for sale*"










https://therealdeal.com/miami/2018/...referred-site-for-bocas-2nd-tri-rail-station/


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Eminent domain and be done with it... well I suppose not in the US. The land of the unlimited impossibilities.


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## Dale (Sep 12, 2002)

Slartibartfas said:


> Eminent domain and be done with it... well I suppose not in the US. The land of the unlimited impossibilities.


... or not stealing.


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## Dale (Sep 12, 2002)

New Metrorail cars. New Metromover cars. Refurbished stations. Rail link to airport. It's not like they aren't trying.


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## ssiguy2 (Feb 19, 2005)

Those ridership stats are absolutely depressing. How large is the Metrorail and why is it so unattractive to potential riders? Is it viewed as unsafe? What are the frequencies?


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## JohnDee (May 20, 2015)

Falubaz said:


> Oh, really?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Your just a hater, ranting and raving about America. Stupid photo too, that's not representative of all of America and neither is the picture you paint of suburbs (many are not that isolated, including mine). You are not worth my time honestly. Don't like the way America operates? Stay in Europe. Nobody cares about your egaterated and biased rants.


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## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

Well, Falubaz is not wrong.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*To Meet Demand, Brightline Is Adding More Service*

https://www.thenextmiami.com/to-meet-demand-brightline-is-adding-a-lot-more-trains/



> . . .
> Demand for Brightline tickets has been growing since service started, and the company is responding with a big increase in service.
> 
> In early August, the number of roundtrip trains from Miami to West Palm Beach will increase nearly 50 percent. There are currently 11 daily roundtrips, which will increase to 16.
> ...


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

JohnDee said:


> Your just a hater, ranting and raving about America. Stupid photo too, that's not representative of all of America and neither is the picture you paint of suburbs (many are not that isolated, including mine). You are not worth my time honestly. Don't like the way America operates? Stay in Europe. Nobody cares about your egaterated and biased rants.


An important point I think you miss is that the photo the other poster shared is very old and misleading in indeed. A more recent view of that area would show substantial new development. New development that demonstrates reinvigorated interest in urban life. likewise in that same area are two new intersecting light rail lines.

My point is that the US is not permanently 'suburbanized' nor is the existence of suburbs mutually exclusive with having healthy cities. We can have both.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Rail Or Bus To South Dade? Big Decision Expected August 30*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/rail-or-bus-rapid-transit-big-decision-expected-august-30/


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## ssiguy2 (Feb 19, 2005)

Miami, like so many other cities, is making decisions on an illogical narrative. There should be no question of 'should we spend $350 million on BRT or $1.5 billion on heavy rail' but rather the politicians should state we have a budget of $1.5 billion and then ask the question 'should we spend the $1.5 billion on 100 km of BRT or 20km of heavy rail?' 

Then you can get a logical answer based on facts and not which is fancier. Perhaps the heavy rail will get 35,000 new passengers and the same BRT alignment only get 15,000 but the other 80km of BRT for the same heavy rail price would bring in another 50,000 riders and serve hundreds of more office, shopping, education, health, and entertainment destinations. 


Comparing one system that will cost 5x as much to build with beautiful new trains, stations, Park n Rides to a far less fancy one is a ridiculous comparison. In order to make a decision that is based on sound transit and planning criteria you must work from the same budget and then compare which of the two scenarios best serve the people and communities.


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## marcvader (Nov 26, 2013)

They decided on BRT.


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## jay stew (Nov 5, 2009)

You would think with the amount of ex-Northerners in Miami, there would be some demand for more heavy rail like back home.


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

jay stew said:


> You would think with the amount of ex-Northerners in Miami, there would be some demand for more heavy rail like back home.


There is demand for it but it comes down to money and we need the FEDS to pay 50% to expand heavy rail. Unfortunately the environment in Washington DC right now isn't conducive to giving Miami billions of dollars for mass transit.


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## marcvader (Nov 26, 2013)

Wait I thought Trump told Gimenez he’s hook him up? Especially after the whole sanctuary city BS.


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## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

> Public transportation in Miami is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and SFRTA, and includes commuter rail (Tri-Rail), heavy-rail rapid transit (Metrorail), an elevated people mover (Metromover), and buses (Metrobus). Miami has Florida's highest transit ridership as about 17% of Miamians use transit on a daily basis.[125] The average Miami public transit commute on weekdays is 90 minutes, while 39% of public transit riders commute for more than 2 hours a day. The average wait time at a public transit stop or station is 18 minutes, while 37% of riders wait for more than 20 minutes on average every day. The average single trip distance with public transit is 7.46 mi (12 km), while 38% travel more than 8.08 mi (13 km) in each direction.
> 
> Miami's heavy-rail rapid transit system, Metrorail, is an elevated system comprising two lines and 23 stations on a 24.4-mile (39.3 km)-long line. Metrorail connects the urban western suburbs of Hialeah, Medley, and inner-city Miami with suburban The Roads, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami and urban Kendall via the central business districts of Miami International Airport, the Civic Center, and Downtown. A free, elevated people mover, Metromover, operates 21 stations on three different lines in greater Downtown Miami, with a station at roughly every two blocks of Downtown and Brickell. Several expansion projects are being funded by a transit development sales tax surcharge throughout Miami-Dade County.
> 
> Tri-Rail, a commuter rail system operated by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), runs from Miami International Airport northward to West Palm Beach, making eighteen stops throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.












300548038


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Can they build a new metrorail expansion? Will they ever consider it?


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Miami-Dade Transportation board has been approved. They will extended the metrorail via NW 27th Ave to Hard Rock Stadium. 

http://news.wjct.org/post/miami-dade-transportation-board-approves-train-line-north


> The proposed elevated train will run along Northwest 27th Avenue up to the Broward County line. Much uncertainty lingers as there's no timetable for the project. The county must still determine how to fund it and decide what form of an elevated train to add—the commissioners noted the train may not be like the Metrorail.


What do you think?


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

^^ Are the FEDS going to fund this? If not it won't get built.
Remember that after the 2002 local transit tax passed this was the first line that was going to be built and the FEDS rejected funding.
They said that the North corridor line wasn't dense enough to support a heavy rail extension.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*First Look: Downtown Miami’s First Ever Tri-Rail Station Is Nearly Complete*"



















https://www.thenextmiami.com/first-...rst-ever-tri-rail-station-is-nearly-complete/


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*VIRGIN TRAINS NOW SAYS NEW STATIONS WILL BEGIN CONSTRUCTION BY YEAR END 2019 (AVENTURA, PORTMIAMI & BOCA COMING)*"

https://www.thenextmiami.com/virgin...year-end-2019-aventura-portmiami-boca-coming/


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## marcvader (Nov 26, 2013)

> *BEACH TRANSIT WORKSHOPS*: The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works will hold two workshops this month to present, discuss and review alternatives for the Beach Corridor of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan – the first from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 12 at the New World Center, 500 17th St. and the second from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, 1633 N Bayshore Dr. County commissioners were to have considered authorizing Mayor Carlos Giménez’s office to advertise a 180-day request for proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a rapid mass transit solution on the Beach Corridor trunk line of the SMART Plan connecting Overtown to South Beach. A consortium including casino giant Genting and China’s BYD submitted an unsolicited proposal to the county May 2 to build monorail on the corridor.





> *TPO PLAN CLOSING*: Concerned residents wishing to review and provide feedback on the draft version of Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization’s (TPO) Long-Range Transportation Plan have until Sept. 16 to do so, a TPO release says. The plan, which will lay out the comprehensive agenda of the TPO through 2045 for highway, transit, freight and non-motorized transportation infrastructure, will serve as an update to the long-range transportation plan adopted by the county in October 2014 that ran until 2040. “The 2045 [long-range plan] emphasizes strategic rapid transit, land use, increased population and density, connectivity, multimodal shared mobility, and innovative financing throughout the long range transportation planning process,” the plan’s introduction says. “A connected and efficient multimodal transportation system in Miami-Dade County is the backbone to our economic mobility.” Details: https://miamidade2045lrtp.com/the-plan.


https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2019/09/03/fyi-miami-september-5-2019/


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

What about metrorail expansion? Any news on this? Will they extended from Miami International Airport station to FIU West?


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Tri-Rail have no idea when it will open. This is for extended from Metrorail transfer station to Downtown Miami. 

https://www.thenextmiami.com/tri-ra...sceNhA7UU_80YY89EyK2wx-Ma15zpxsuGH2oODiUR8BhI


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

N830MH said:


> Tri-Rail have no idea when it will open. This is for extended from Metrorail transfer station to Downtown Miami.
> 
> https://www.thenextmiami.com/tri-ra...sceNhA7UU_80YY89EyK2wx-Ma15zpxsuGH2oODiUR8BhI


Here is a summary of the current situation for intercity rail in Miami:

The *Miami International Airport railway station* has platform areas for two different train operating companies (TOCs) - "_Amtrak_" and "_Tri-Rail_." However, "_Amtrak_" refuses to use this station. Only "_Tri-Rail_" uses this station. Amtrak continues to use its own station (see below). This station also serves the Miami metro (Orange Line).

The *Miami Central railway station* is in downtown Miami and is within short walking distance to Metrorail and Metromover metro lines. It has platform areas for two different TOCs - "_Tri-Rail_" and "_Virgin Trains_." Only _"Virgin Trains_" uses this station now. The introduction of "_Tri-Rail_" services to this station has been repeatedly delayed.

The *Miami Amtrak railway station* is in an industrial area on the border of Miami and Hialeah. It is used by _"Amtrak_" and no other TOC. Amtrak dispatches a couple trains a day to New York City. 

The *Metrorail Transfer railway station* has two levels - one for the _"Tri-Rail"_ TOC on the lower level, with Miami metro Green Line on the upper level. "_Tri-Rail"_ uses this station, with all trains using the Miami International Airport railway station as well.


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## JohnDee (May 20, 2015)

tenderforever said:


> You guys fantasizing about an underground system are completely delusional. Will never happen in Miami, no chance at all.
> 
> Anyway, Metromover is great, just expand.


then it will forever look messy, like a Japanese city with overhead railways.


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## Lw25 (Aug 6, 2014)

JohnDee said:


> then it will forever look messy, like a Japanese city with overhead railways.


Japanese railways have one big advantage over Metromover. Those are not proprietary unlike Metromover which is ADtranz/Bombardier Innovia.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Brightline regional rail (Miami-West Palm Beach) will resume service in November 2021. It has been shut down during the pandemic. Construction of Orlando extension is underway. Boca Raton infill station will open in summer 2022.









Brightline to resume train service, add ride sharing to South Florida depots. What to know.


The company will require passengers to wear masks on trains and in stations when service resumes. Workers must be vaccinated against the coronavirus.



www.palmbeachpost.com


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Woonsocket54 said:


> Brightline regional rail (Miami-West Palm Beach) will resume service in November 2021. It has been shut down during the pandemic. Construction of Orlando extension is underway. Boca Raton infill station will open in summer 2022.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great! I can visit my cousin in Boca Raton. Hopefully Aventura station will be ready anytime soon. Let see how it goes.


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Four Companies Want To Build A Metororail Expansion North To Broward


Miami Real Estate, Construction And Architecture




www.thenextmiami.com


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Orange Line resumes on Halloween









Orange Line service to Miami International Airport resumes Oct. 31


Starting Oct. 31, Orange Line will resume service between Dadeland South station and Miami International Airport station.



www.miamidade.gov


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## APOQUINDO (Jul 17, 2007)

Anybody has additional news on the Metrorail North Corridor?


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

APOQUINDO said:


> Anybody has additional news on the Metrorail North Corridor?


No, we haven't hear any news about metrorail North Corridor yet. Not yet. They haven't received approved from commissioner yet. I am sure they will be approval real soon.


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## APOQUINDO (Jul 17, 2007)

N830MH said:


> No, we haven't hear any news about metrorail North Corridor yet. Not yet. They haven't received approved from commissioner yet. I am sure they will be approval real soon.


¨Soon¨ sounds like really good news!


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## coreyt (Dec 25, 2005)

APOQUINDO said:


> ¨Soon¨ sounds like really good news!


Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but soon in Miami means never.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Brightline regional rail (West Palm Beach-Miami) resumes service 2021.11.08. 



https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article255126522.html


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Tri-Rail commuter rail will resume full service 2021.10.25









Tri-Rail to restore service to pre-pandemic levels on Oct. 25 - Trains


MIAMI — South Florida commuter rail operator Tri-Rail will restore service to full pre-pandemic levels as of Monday, Oct. 25, operating 25 round trips on weekdays and 15 on weekends. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority announced the schedule change on Wednesday. WFOR-TV reports...




www.trains.com


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## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

Tri-Rail is set to be extended into Downtown using the Brightline platforms, but Tri-Rail trains are too wide and heavy for the platforms.

This is not to be confused with the Amtrak station built some years ago that was too short for its trains.




https://news.yahoo.com/delayed-years-tri-rail-miami-014249248.html



*Delayed for years, Tri-Rail’s Miami station has a new problem: The trains won’t fit*​​Douglas Hanks​Fri, December 10, 2021, 8:42 PM​​Tri-Rail on Friday revealed another setback to launching the $70 million tax-funded extension to downtown Miami’s Brightline depot: the trains are too wide for the station, and may be too heavy as well.​​A railroad engineers report hired by the government-run rail line between West Palm Beach and Miami International Airport said the platform built by Brightline using public dollars has spots where the structure would hit the steps that stick out from trains’ exit doors.​​“It’s inches,” said Steven Abrams, the former Tri-Rail board member and lawyer who has served as Tri-Rail’s director since 2018. “But it’s inches that will clip our steps.”​​Abrams said it’s not clear what needs to be done to fix the situation for a Tri-Rail extension that was originally supposed to start operating in 2017. Trains could be modified to narrow the steps that form the outermost edge of the vehicles, he said.​​The Dec. 2 report by the Railroad Consultants firm out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, said the platform would need to be rebuilt if the trains can’t be altered.​​“As a result of the platforms not being built per the design plans and specifications, extensive modifications, which include concrete/rebar removal and reconstruction, will need to be made to the entire length of the platform or the Tri-Rail [trains] will need to be modified to avoid impact to the platform when service commences,” the report reads.​​Brightline has not responded publicly to Tri-Rail’s stance that the problem stems from construction errors in the public-private venture. Representatives of the for-profit company were not available for comment.​​Various governments in Miami-Dade contributed $43 million toward the $70 million station, with Brightline covering the difference, according to an October report by the county inspector general investigating delays in the project.​​Problems with the planned Tri-Rail station have been known since March, board members said. They were only made public by Abrams Friday during a meeting of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which serves as the Tri-Rail board. Directors said they were stunned to be just learning of the issue.​​“We were all shocked. They did not brief us on this,” said Raquel Regalado, a board member and Miami-Dade county commissioner. “I think we can fix this...Whoever is responsible needs to be held accountable.”​​If Tri-Rail or Brightline can find a way to make the trains narrower or the platforms wider, there could still be a problem at the downtown station. The trains also could be too heavy for the ramp — known as a “viaduct” — connecting ground-level tracks to the second-story Brightline station.​​“The consultant is calling for further study on that,” Abrams said.​​In the report, Railroad Consultants wrote Brightline used a multiplier for train loads that was “roughly 90% less than what is required by AREMA,” the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association. Brightline said it used a different standard used by high-speed rail, according to the report, which recommended testing to see if the trains can safely go up and down the ramp.​​Delays stretched for years. Brightline needed to implement track safety controls known as Positive Train Control for Tri-Rail service. Brightline also shut down for 20 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, restarting service in November. With PTC installed, Tri-Rail would be getting closer to delivering the promised service.​​Billed as the Downtown Miami Link, the nine-mile extension would bring the lower-cost Tri-Rail service to Brightline’s more upscale, for-profit rail line running a parallel route to West Palm Beach, but closer to the coast.​​Once Brightline began building its Miami station, elected leaders in Miami and Miami-Dade agreed to pay for what looked like an affordable option to tack on a Tri-Rail platform as well.​​Funders of the 2015 agreement to bring Tri-Rail to downtown Miami included Miami-Dade County government ($14 million), Miami ($7 million) and Miami’s Overtown redevelopment agency spending property-tax dollars ($18 million). Tri-Rail, which receives state, county and federal revenues, paid an additional $22 million for the improvements needed to use the existing tracks running to downtown.​​Four years late, now the Tri-Rail downtown link faces more delays. Abrams said he couldn’t provide a timetable for how long it would take to get the Brightline station ready for commuter trains. “There’s going to clearly be some delay,” he said.​​In an email to board members after Friday’s meeting, Abrams cited a “lapse” on his part for not “disseminating information to the Board in real time” about the alleged defects at the Brightline station and problems that, for now, have left trains unable to use the agency’s signature expansion project.​​Carlos Penin, an engineer and member of the Tri-Rail board, said Friday’s disclosure left him questioning what he can trust from Tri-Rail leadership.​​“If you lack transparency in an item that large,” he said, “what else are you hiding?”​


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## N830MH (Jun 26, 2015)

Tri-Rail Now Expected to Begin Service To MiamiCentral In Late 2022


Miami Real Estate, Construction And Architecture




www.thenextmiami.com













Vital Tri-Rail snafus due a fast airing


Miami-Dade County’s commissioner representative on Tri-Rail’s governing board, Raquel Regalado, has insisted on a meeting being held before the holidays to discuss major issues Tri-Rail is facing in bringing its commuter service into downtown Miami. Miami’s




www.miamitodaynews.com


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Miami MetroRail by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr

Brightline by Chris Stritzel, on Flickr


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## Zaz965 (Jan 24, 2015)

^^^^^
I am disappointed to see this rail line is not eletrified yet 😭


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## glksc (Sep 5, 2021)

*Brightline Affiliate Pays $245M For Access Rights To Build Miami-Dade, Broward Commuter Rail System*










> Brightline is moving forward with plans to build a commuter rail system from downtown Miami through Aventura and Broward.
> 
> In a report to investors released on Friday, the company said it sold the commuter rail access rights in Miami-Dade and Broward for $245 million.
> 
> ...


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## UrbanImpact (Jan 10, 2005)

Zaz965 said:


> ^^^^^
> I am disappointed to see this rail line is not eletrified yet 😭


It shares the tracks with two story freight trains. Brightline is a private business that pays for use of the tracks


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## APOQUINDO (Jul 17, 2007)

Hope Brightline ends soon the Aventura Station and moves forward with their project of a new station near Midtown.I still can't believe how the city is so mild in terms of public transportation. With a metro area of around 6K inhabitants and a traffic issue everybody complains about, seems surreal to have nothing in mind.

Even latin american cities have better transport.


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## UrbanImpact (Jan 10, 2005)

APOQUINDO said:


> Hope Brightline ends soon the Aventura Station and moves forward with their project of a new station near Midtown.I still can't believe how the city is so mild in terms of public transportation. With a metro area of around 6K inhabitants and a traffic issue everybody complains about, seems surreal to have nothing in mind.
> 
> Even latin american cities have better transport.


How do you convince anti tax people to pay more in taxes for better transit?


----------

