This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.
The long awaited Tri-Rail expansion into downtown Miami launches Saturday – but it will still require a transfer.
For years, southbound train commuters who wanted to travel downtown had to transfer to Miami Metrorail in Hialeah and suffer through its local stops. Now they can hop on another Tri-Rail at the same station and head into downtown that will be an express route.
The shuttle train will travel on the South Florida Rail Corridor into the Florida East Coast Railway tracks – the same used by Brightline – for direct services to the MiamiCentral station and back.
READ MORE: Ridership of high-speed rail service Brightline is on the rise
Tax-funded Tri-Rail is quite a bit less expensive – albeit slower – than Brightline. The downtown spur has been in the works for seven years, delayed partly by a platform built by Brightline that was too wide for Tri-Rail trains. Like Brightline, Tri-Rail trains are equipped with Wi-Fi.
“The day has finally arrived when the public can plan their direct trips in and out of Downtown Miami onboard Tri-Rail trains,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, SFRTA Governing Board Member.
“It has been years of hard work and coordination with many supporting partners throughout the region, so we celebrate this news with them, our suppoRrters and mostly our loyal passengers.”
Saturday’s soft launch will start with six trains out of MiamiCentral for two weeks with more trains incrementally added until there are 13 weekday trains out of MiamiCentral. The new connecting service will be available 7 days a week, including holidays.
For additional information and updates on the new service, visit www.tri-rail.com, call 1-800-TRI-RAIL (874-7245) or follow Tri-Rail on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
