Orange Line (MDT)

The Orange Line will be a 24.4 mile (40 km) heavy rail Metrorail line in Miami, Florida, USA that will be operated by Miami-Dade Transit. It will consist of three corridors, totaling 24.4 miles of rapid transit. The three segments that have completed the planning phase and are ready to enter into final design and construction are the North Corridor, Earlington Heights-MIC Connection, and East-West Corridor, all of which will be parts of the Orange Line [cite news| url=http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=3&id=468| title=Miami Metrorail Project Receives Big Federal Boost| publisher=Miami Herald| author=Associated Press| accessdate=2007-11-22| ] .

Recently, Miami-Dade County commissioners have been discussing using Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or light-rail instead of heavy rail for the North Corridor of the Orange Line. This is due to the of the lack of funds, and the current budget deficit Miami-Dade Transit is currently going through. In September 2008, Miami-Dade County has submitted their application to the FTA for matching federal funds to build the North Corridor. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will make their decision in February 2009 whether or not Miami-Dade Transit will be eligible for funding for the Orange Line project.

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The line will be constructed in three phases and separated into three corridors:

*The Earlington Heights-MIC Connection is a 2.4-mile extension from Earlington Heights Metrorail station to the Miami Intermodal Center. It is estimated at $290 million for construction and is being funded using state and local funds (which comes from a half-penny sales tax increase in 2002). [ [http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/080605/story1.shtml County commission faced with yet another increase in transit consulting fees ] ] Construction will begin in Fall 2008, with completion scheduled for late 2011 and opening for Metrorail passenger traffic in early 2012.

*The North Corridor is a 9.5-mile northward extension from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Metrorail station, along NW 27th Avenue to NW 215th Street (Miami-Dade/Broward County line); with proposed stations at 82nd Street, Miami-Dade College,Opa-locka, Bunche Park, Miami Gardens, Dolphin Stadium and Calder Race Course. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2011 to be completed by late 2016 at the earliest. Accommodations are being made in the plans for a future station at NW 103rd Street.

*The East-West Corridor is a 10.6-mile expansion from the Miami Intermodal Center west to the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826). These sites have been identified as potential station locations: Florida International University, 107th Avenue, 97th Avenue, 87th Avenue, 72nd Avenue, Waterford, and Miami Intermodal Center. Construction is scheduled to never be completed.

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