Metrorail (Miami)

Metrorail (Miami)
Metrorail
Miami-Dade County logo since 1985
Metrorail livery circa 2011
A southbound train entering Tri-Rail station.
Info
Locale Greater Miami
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines      Green Line
     Orange Line (under construction)[1]
Number of stations 22
23 (2012)
Daily ridership 65,300 (2011)
96,000 (2011, including Metromover)[2]
Website Metrorail
Operation
Began operation 20 May 1984
Operator(s) Miami-Dade Transit (MDT)
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) Standard gauge
Top speed 57 mph (92 km/h)
System map
MDT Extension.svg

The Miami Metrorail, officially Metrorail and commonly called the Metro, is the heavy rail rapid transit system of Miami, Florida, United States, serving the Miami metropolitan area. The Metro is operated by Miami-Dade Transit, a departmental agency of Miami-Dade County. Opened in 1984, it is Florida's only rapid transit metro system, and is currently composed of 22.4 miles (36.0 km) line with 22 stations.

The Metro serves the urban core of Miami, connecting the central business districts of Downtown Miami, Brickell and the Civic Center with the Greater Miami neighborhoods of Hialeah and Medley to the northwest, and to Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami, ending at Dadeland in suburban Kendall. The Metro connects to the Metromover in Downtown, which provides metro service to the entirety of Downtown. The Metro has seen increased ridership growth over the years, with an average daily ridership of 65,300 passengers, as of February 2011 (96,000, including Metromover).[3]

In 2012, the Metro will open its 23rd station, Miami Central Station, at Miami International Airport (MIA), opening a 16-station re-branded Orange Line between the MIA and Dadeland South stations. The new line is expected to increase ridership significantly, allowing residents and visitors alike direct access from the MIA to Downtown Miami, and greater connectivity between various modes of transit throughout Miami-Dade County. Central Station will provide direct service to Amtrak inter-city rail services, Tri-Rail commuter rail, Greyhound Lines intercity bus, and the Rental Car Center. Miami Central Station is expected to attract 150,000 daily commuters and travellers.[4]

The Metro is one of only two rapid transit systems in the Southeastern United States (the other system being MARTA in Atlanta).

Contents

History

Metrorail viaduct under construction along South Dixie Highway (US 1) in Coral Gables during the early 1980s.

In 1971, a study completed by the Miami Urban Area Transportation Study (MUATS) recommended the construction for a rapid transit system for the county; having experienced a prolonged post-World War II population boom, metropolitan Dade County's permanent population rose by 35% to nearly 1.3 million residents within a decade, among the fastest population growth rates in the United States.[5] Within a year of the study, county residents approved a $132.5 million ($695.6 million, adjusted for current inflation) bond dedicated to transit, with additional funding approved by the Florida Legislature for transit which, up until that time, operated solely on fare revenue. In 1976, with preliminary engineering completed for the system, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA, then, the Urban Mass Transit Administration) committed 80% of the costs for the first stage of rapid transit system, with the county and state incurring the remaining cost.

In April 1979, the Interstate Commerce Commission ratified an agreement between the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) and Dade County to transfer the then-FEC right-of-way along US 1 to Miami-Dade Transit, then named the Metro Transit Agency (MTA), with groundbreaking for the system the county commission voted to be named "Metrorail" taking place at the site of what would become University Station in June. Construction began in December 1980 with placing of a double-tee guideway girder near the University of Miami. In June 1983, the first segment of Metrorail from Dadeland South to Overtown (now "Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre") was completed with the construction of the Miami River bridge, with free first-day service from Pinecrest to Overtown commencing May 20, 1984 with over 125,000 riders.

Additional segments opened subsequently in December 1984 between Earlington Heights and Okeechobee stations in May 1985. In March 1989, temporary station was opened to provide a connection to the newly-opened Tri-Rail commuter rail line, with the station officially opening in June of that year. Preliminary engineering for a rapid transit extension to the Palmetto Expressway began in 1996 with Palmetto station opening in May 2003. Revenues expected for 2006 were $17.15 million. Expenses budgeted for 2006 were $41.29 million. These historic figures became the last the Miami Dade Transit Authority ever disclosed, and in fact are the figures still displayed in today's Miami-Dade Transit webpage as of July 2011.[6]

Construction on Metrorail's 23rd station at the Miami Central Station at Miami International Airport began in May 2009, with service projected to begin in late 2011/early 2012.[7][8]

Train and track information

Metrorail
Legend
Urban head station
Palmetto
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZu"
(SR 826)
Unknown BSicon "uÜST" Continuation backward
to West Palm Beach or New York
Urban stop on track Abbreviated in this map
Okeechobee
Unknown BSicon "uÜST" Abbreviated in this map
Urban stop on track Abbreviated in this map
Hialeah
Track turning from left Unknown BSicon "WBRÜCKE1q" Unknown BSicon "umTHSTo" Track turning right
Tri-Rail (transfer to Tri-Rail)
Track change Urban stop on track
Northside
Stop on track Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Hialeah Market (Tri-Rail)
Track change Urban stop on track
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza
Straight track Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Unknown BSicon "exSTRrg" Unknown BSicon "eABZrf" Urban stop on track
Brownsville
Airport
Unknown BSicon "exCPICle" + Hub
Middle end station of cross-platform interchange + Hub
Unknown BSicon "uexCPICra" + Hub
Urban straight track
Airport (transfer to Amtrak and Tri-Rail; op. 2012)
Unknown BSicon "uexhWSTR" Urban straight track
(Miami River)
Unused straight waterway Urban straight track
Unknown BSicon "uexAKRZo" Urban straight track
(SR 112)
Unused waterway turning left Unknown BSicon "ueABZlg"
Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Urban stop on track
Earlington Heights
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZo"
(SR 112/I-195)
Urban stop on track
Allapattah
Urban stop on track
Santa Clara
Urban stop on track
Civic Center
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZo"
(I-395)
Urban stop on track
Culmer
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZu"
(I-95)
Urban stop on track
Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre
Urban railway Unknown BSicon "uINT"
Government Center (transfer to Metromover)
Unknown BSicon "uhWSTR"
(Miami River)
Urban railway Unknown BSicon "uINT"
Brickell (transfer to Metromover)
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZu"
(I-95)
Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Urban stop on track
Vizcaya
Urban stop on track
Coconut Grove
Urban stop on track
Douglas Road
Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Urban stop on track
University
Urban stop on track
South Miami
Urban stop on track
Dadeland North
Unknown BSicon "uAKRZo"
(SR 878)
Unknown BSicon "uÜST"
Unknown BSicon "BUS2" Urban End station
Dadeland South (transfer to South Miami-Dade Busway)
A Metro train entering University Station
The new Metro maps with the new Orange Line. As of November 2011, these new signs are being installed in all stations. All signs in the stations are being updated from the old green color to a neutral grey to allow for both lines at stations.

Metrorail runs from the northwest in Medley through Hialeah, into the city of Miami, the downtown area, through Coral Gables and South Miami, and ending in southwest Miami-Dade at Dadeland Mall. There are 22 accessible Metrorail stations, one about every 1.25 miles (or 1.9 kilometers). Metrorail connects to the Metromover system at Government Center and Brickell stations and to South Florida's Tri-Rail suburban system at the Tri-Rail Station (see below).

Trains are stored at the Palmetto Yard just west of Okeechobee Station. The yard houses 136 cars built by the Budd Company; Miami-Dade's subway cars were among the last orders Budd filled before shuttering its railcar manufacturing business. The cars are identical to those used on the Baltimore Metro (save for the modifications made to Baltimore's cars during their refurbishment in 2005), as the two systems were built at the same time, and the two agencies were able to save money by sharing a single order.

The cars are operated in 2-car units, and joined up to form 6-car trains, which is the normal train length. For the 10-minute interval peak time service (2011 schedule), 12 such trains are required, the journey takes 50 minutes from end to end, with a 10 minute standing time at each end. Therefore 72 cars are required for the daily service. It will be seen that the 136 cars built for the system were therefore a considerable overprovision. For the 15-minute interval weekday daytime service, 7 trains are required, and 5 trains are thus stored after each rush period. Only four trains are used to provide the weekday evening 30-minute service. All trains are scheduled to run from end to end of the route.

Along the Metrorail system, the tracks are mostly elevated. Three sections are not: under I-95 between Vizcaya and Brickell stations, under I-95 just east of Culmer station, and from just east of the Palmetto Expressway heading west into the Palmetto station and tail track. In each of these cases, the tracks ride on ground level for a brief amount of time.

The platform at each Metrorail station is long enough to accommodate six-car-long trains; the Dadeland North and Government Center station platforms are long enough to accommodate eight-car-long trains. In-service trains are usually either four or six cars long; in the evening it is not uncommon for Miami-Dade Transit to link two out-of-service trains together before returning them to Palmetto Yard.

Fares and service

Inside a Metro car

The current standard fare on Metrorail is $2 and reduced fare is $1. A standard monthly pass costs $100 and $50 for reduced fare. The monthly EASY Cards are sold at over 50 sales outlets. Reduced fares are available only to Medicare recipients, people with disabilities, and Miami-Dade students in grades 1-12. Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) that sell EASY Cards and EASY Tickets are found in all rail stations. All Miami-Dade senior citizens aged 65 years and older and with Social Security benefits, and Veterans residing in Miami-Dade and earning less than $22,000 annually ride free with the reduced fare monthly EASY Card. All of the stations except the five in the downtown area have dedicated parking available.

On July 16, 2008, Miami-Dade Transit announced that it would be replacing all fare collection methods with the EASY Card system by late 2009. The system replaces the old cash-/token-based system with one that automatically deducts fares at Metrorail fare gates from a reloadable card.[9][10][11] The final station to start fare gate installation was Government Center on August 2, 2009.[12] Since the system launch on October 1, 2009, all passengers utilizing Metrorail must use either an EASY Card or EASY Ticket to enter stations.[13]

Metrorail runs from 5 a.m. until midnight seven days a week. Trains arrive every 8 minutes during weekday rush hours, every 15 minutes at midday, and every 15–30 minutes after 6 p.m. until midnight. Weekend service runs every 30 minutes until midnight. For a brief period from 2003 to April 2004 there was 24-hour service; between midnight and 5 a.m., trains arrived every 60 minutes.

A limited-stop bus route, Route 500 Midnight Owl, operates hourly between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. trip between Dadeland South and Government Center Metrorail stations. This bus service replaces the 24-hour Metrorail service cancelled due to a lack of ridership.

Construction on the first segment of the Orange Line, Metrorail's AirportLink[14] began in June 2009; service to Miami International Airport is scheduled to begin in spring 2012.

The Miami-Dade County Government is working with the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust to receive money from the half-penny sur-tax approved by voters in 2002 in order to purchase new Metrorail cars.

Stations

Varying transit modes operating simultaneously at Government Center
Miami Central Station under construction in June 2011

Metrorail currently operates 22 stations, and combined with the Metromover in Downtown Miami and Brickell, the entire Metro system operates 44 stations. Metrorail stations are located at about a mile apart along the line, and Metromover stations are located at approximately every two blocks in the greater Downtown area.

Current stations

Travel times provided are approximate for travel to and from Government Center in the CBD of Downtown; additional station, passenger, and transfer information available on respective Wikipedia pages:

Number Station Lines Time to Downtown Opened Average weekday ridership
(02/2011)[15]
Connections
1 Palmetto      Feature parking.svg 31 min May 30, 2003 1,169 Metrobus: 87
2 Okeechobee      Feature parking.svg 26 min May 19, 1985 1,414 Metrobus: 73
3 Hialeah      Feature parking.svg 23 min May 19, 1985 1,710 Metrobus: 29, 37, 54, L
4 Tri-Rail      21 min June 5, 1989 1,578 Tri-Rail

Metrobus: 42, L

5 Northside      Feature parking.svg 19 min May 18, 1985 1,804 Metrobus: 12, 21, 32, 79 79 St Max, L
6 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Plaza      16 min May 19, 1985 1,494 Metrobus: 27, 62, 97 27 Ave Max
7 Brownsville      Feature parking.svg 14 min May 19, 1985 891 Metrobus: 27, 46 Liberty City Connection, 54, 254 Brownsville Connection
8 Earlington Heights           Feature parking.svg 11 min December 17, 1984 1,574 Metrobus: 17, 22, 95X, 150 Airport Flyer, 238 East-West Connection
9 Allapattah           Feature parking.svg 9 min December 17, 1984 1,883 Metrobus: 12, 21, 36, J, 246 Night OWL
10 Santa Clara           Feature parking.svg 7 min December 17, 1984 747 Metrobus: 12, 21, 32, M, 246 Night Owl
11 Civic Center           6 min December 17, 1984 6,462 Metrobus: 12, 32, 95X, M, 246 Night OWL
12 Culmer           4 min December 17, 1984 1,315 Metrobus: 77, 211 Overtown Circulator, 277 NW 7 Av Max
13 Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre           2 min May 20, 1984 1,499 Metrobus: 2, 7, 95X, 195 Dade-Broward Express, 211 Overtown Circulator, 243 Seaport Connection
14 Government Center           0 min May 20, 1984 11,513 Metromover: Downtown, Omni, and Brickell Loops

Metrobus: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 21, 24, 77, 95x, 51 Flagler MAX, 93 Biscayne MAX, 120 Beach MAX, 195 Dade-Broward Express, 207 Little Havana Connection, 208 Little Havana Connection, 246 Night OWL, 277 NW 7 Ave MAX, 500 Midnight OWL, C, S
Broward County Transit: 95x

15 Brickell           1 min May 20, 1984 4,106 Metromover: Brickell Loop
Metrobus: 6, 8, 48, B, 248 Brickell Key Shuttle
16 Vizcaya           Feature parking.svg 4 min May 20, 1984 1,345 Metrobus: 12, 17, 24
17 Coconut Grove           Feature parking.svg 7 min May 20, 1984 1,836 Metrobus: 6, 22, 27, 249 Coconut Grove Circulator, 500 Midnight OWL
18 Douglas Road           Free parking 9 min May 20, 1984 4,086 Metrobus: 37, 40, 42, 48, 136, 249 Coconut Grove Ciruclator, 500 Midnight OWL

Coral Gables Trolley

19 University           Free parking 12 min May 20, 1984 2,159 Metrobus: 48, 56, 500 Midnight OWL
20 South Miami           Free parking 14 min May 20, 1984 3,345 Metrobus: 37, 57, 72, 500 Midnight OWL
21 Dadeland North           Free parking 16 min May 20, 1984 6,388 Metrobus: 52, 87, 88, 104, 204 Killian KAT, 272 Sunset KAT

288 Kendall KAT, 500 Midnight OWL

22 Dadeland South           Free parking 18 min May 20, 1984 6,994 South Miami-Dade Busway

Metrobus: 31 Busway LOCAL, 34 Busway Flyer, 38 Busway MAX, 52, 73, 136, 252 Coral Reef MAX, 287 Saga Bay MAX, 500 Midnight OWL

Future stations

Number Station Lines Time to Downtown Opened Average weekday ridership Connections
23 Miami Central Station      Feature parking.svg ~16
min
April 30,
2012
N/A Miami Intermodal Center: Rental Car Center

Amtrak: Silver Meteor and Silver Star
Tri-Rail
MIA Mover
Metrobus

Ridership records

Passengers at Government Center

Historic ridership records

Date Passengers[16]
20 May 1984 125,000 (inaugural day)
February 1989 40,000 (month average)
July 1990 36,200 (month average)
October 1990 48,400 (month average)
November 1990 50,300 (month average)
December 1990 101,000 (single day)
1 January 1991 101,000 (single day)

Monthly ridership averages

Year Passengers[17]
Metrorail only
Passengers
with Metromover
1998 44,871 58,140
1999 46,774 60,654
2000 47,256 61,639
2001 46,664 63,514
2002 47,064 63,508
2003 51,248 76,769
2004 55,294 83,486
2005 59,700 88,173
2006 58,358 85,400
2007 59,708 87,767
2008 63,710 90,392
2009 59,992 85,875
2010 59,900 87,075
February 2011 65,300 96,000

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/improve_signage.asp
  2. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/news_technical_reports_archive.asp
  3. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/news_technical_reports_archive.asp
  4. ^ http://www.dsiamerica.com/references/commercial-buildings/modern-transportation-hub-at-miami-airport-usa.html
  5. ^ http://www.censusscope.org/us/s12/c86/chart_popl.html
  6. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/about_metrorail.asp
  7. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/corridor/mic-e_corridor/mic-e_home.asp
  8. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/1028513.html
  9. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/advisories/08-07-14-easy_card_google.asp
  10. ^ http://miamidade.gov/wps/PA_1_TC5RNSJDM7JC0027AB79NQ10L5/ondemand_view.jsp?itemid=47503
  11. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/pdfs/misc/easy_card_brochure011209.pdf
  12. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/pdfs/misc/govt_center_easyc_fcs_install_flyer.pdf
  13. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/easy_card/conga_line_letter_size.pdf
  14. ^ http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=23605
  15. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/rtr/2011-02_Ridership_Technical_Report.pdf
  16. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/about_history_1990.asp
  17. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/news_technical_reports_archive.asp

External links


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