The giant Miami Intermodal Center has been under construction for three years
Tri-Rail passengers must wait at least two to three more months before they can ride to the new station at Miami International Airport.
The $92 million station, part of the giant Miami Intermodal Center east of the airport, has been under construction for three years, a year longer than expected.
Since the original station closed in September 2011, getting to the airport by Tri-Rail has taken a bit of planning, patience and extra time. Riders must get off the train in Hialeah, then catch a shuttle for a 10- to 15-minute ride to the airport.
When the new station opens, passengers will be able to walk off trains and up an escalator to a new automatic elevated train that runs directly to the terminals.
Or they can rent a car or hop on Metrorail, Amtrak, Miami-Dade Transit and Greyhound buses. There’s even room at the hub for high speed rail in the future.
Minor “quality control” issues are the reason for the delay in opening, said Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Ivette Ruiz-Paz.
Before the work began, officials said closing the original station would save $10 million in construction costs. But the pricetag has risen from $84.6 million to $92.4 million due to additional railroad signals and track added to the project.
Officials hope the station will get its final permit by the end of December, with Tri-Rail trains running there by January. Amtrak will begin operating at a later date, Ruiz-Paz said.
Tri-Rail’s original Miami Airport station opened in 1998, becoming the southernmost station on the 72-mile line that runs from Miami to Mangonia Park, just north of West Palm Beach.
Service to South Florida’s three major airports is a big chunk of Tri-Rail’s ridership. The commuter train doesn’t stop directly at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International or Palm Beach International airports, but drops riders off at nearby stations where they board shuttles to and from the airports.
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