Starting Saturday, January 13, 2024, public transit users in Miami have the ability to Tri-Rail to Downtown, with the opening of MiamiCentral Station. The announcement was made by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA).
Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado said that with this new feature, users of this commuter train can plan their direct trips in and out of downtown Miami aboard Tri-Rail trains.
The SFRTA advised that “the new service will be introduced as a train-to-train transfer at the Metrorail transfer station in Hialeah, where a shuttle train will depart from the South Florida Rail Corridor (SFRC) to the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) for direct service to Central Miami and vice versa.”
How does Tri-Rail contribute to public transportation in Miami?
Tri-Rail will operate six trains to and from the new MiamiCentral Station. More trains will be added over time before completing the schedule with 26 weekday trains, thirteen outbound and thirteen return from this same location, the transportation authority said.
This public transportation system in Miami has 19 stations on a single straight line between Mangonia Park, in Palm Beach, and Downtown, on a route of approximately 75 miles, and passing through other traditional places in South Florida such as West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami International Airport.
The advantage of Tri-Rail is that it has a connection with other systems that are part of Miami’s public transportation, such as the Metrorail, which connects with sectors of Miami-Dade County such as Kendall, South Miami, Coral Gables, Brownsville, Liberty City, Hialeah, Medley and Broward; and the Brightline, which opened at the end of 2023 and covers the route between Miami and Orlando.
How much does it cost and how long does it take to travel on the Tri-Rail?
The value of the ticket on the Miami Tri-Rail depends on the number of zones traveled on the route chosen by the user. For example, a one-way trip between Mangoria Park and MiamiCentral, Monday through Thursday, costs $8 and takes about an hour and a half.
This is excellent news for Miamians and visitors who are now finding more options to get to and from Downtown and other places of interest in the city and South Florida.
References:
- Telemundo (2024). https://www.telemundo51.com/noticias/decision/local-decision/tren-tri-rail-llega-al-downtown-de-miami-por-primera-vez/2501388/
- Tri-Rail (2024). https://www.tri-rail.com/pages/view/downtown-miami