Brightline Negotiating To Operate Northeast Corridor Instead Of Tri-Rail

·40 Comments

You might soon be able to take a Brighline train from downtown Miami to Midtown, the Design District, or Aventura.

Miami-Dade County is now in discussions with Brightline to operate the Northeast Corridor rail line service, according to Javier Betancourt, Executive Director for the Citizens’s Independent Transportation Trust, in an interview with Miami Today. Brightline’s parent company owns the tracks.

The original plan was for Tri-Rail to operate the service, until Brightline expressed interest, Betancourt added.

Tri-Rail will still be expanding into downtown Miami as an extension of their existing service. Betancourt said that Tri-Rail’s downtown station is now being built and will open within the coming year.

 

Tags

40
Leave a Reply

newest oldest most voted
Anonymous

Miami was recently listed as the 10th most congested in the world, and the fifth most congested in the US, according to INRIX’s global traffic scorecard. Miami drivers spend an average of 64 hours in congestion per year during peak travel time — or nearly 10 percent of their total drive time.

Read this article it’s pretty good.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/27/17055616/ford-self-driving-car-miami-test-av

The last part at the end of the article, made me laugh, but it was right on point when they said:

” Miami is desperate for driverless cars because it is home to some of the world’s worst human drivers. We’re overloaded with tourists, people who drive according to the customs of their native countries, and elderly drivers. Unfamiliarity with our roads and laws exacerbates hostility already heightened by the heat and humidity, which is cruelly complicated by endless construction projects and horrid urban planning. The only thing good about being trapped in your car on I-95 or Brickell Avenue is that no one can hear you scream. ” BRO!!!LMAO

Vote Up32Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

That last paragraph bit made my day. LOL so true.

Vote Up8Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

They were thinking of me when they said ” trapped in your car on I-95 or Brickell Avenue and no one can hear you scream. ” LOL

Vote Up9Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Luis P.

Gimenez in that article – Miami-Dade will continue to be at the forefront of technological advances that will improve mobility.

Not with Buses in your BRT plan.

Vote Up17Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Miami Hurricane

Dead on.

Vote Up4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Well, Brightline is now owned by a Japanese multinational (Softbank, the same people who own Sprint, the cell phone operator). In Japan it is common for private companies to run commuter transit, so it’s only natural for the new management to suggest that.

Vote Up12Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Alan

I believe SoftBank chairman’s is the Japanese gentleman that is part owner of the Marlins. Maybe they can bulld rail to the ballpark . I read an article on him recently he seems to very business savvy.

Vote Up8Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
LongMIA

Not Marlins, Softbank CEO is a partner in Beckham’s MLS team

Vote Up4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Alan

That’s right my bad.

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

This would be FABULOUS for my Downtown to Aventura commute, the station would be right outside the mall and by extension my office

Vote Up12Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
marc

There’s really no competition when Brightline outright owns the ROW and will be the only company providing service to that corridor. Tri Rail will then have no new stops outside of having a platform in Downtown.

Vote Up11Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
William

But competition is healthy for the rail lines. Even if one is long distance and the other a local train…GO BRIGHTLINE!

Vote Up12Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
marc

Yes of course but what I am stating is as far as the “Coastal Link” or the ROW that runs alongside Biscayne Blvd is concerned will have no competition as there will be only Brightline. Tri-Rail runs more inland running alongside I-95.

Vote Up2Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Yes. agreed marc. Both will serve different groups and the more attractive and more populated line will not have much competition. Though tri rail runs well and the current ridership will still be served well (especially for residents west of I95). As long as Miami Dade Transit is not running it (as witnessed by poor leadership at metrorail/bus), we will be ok.

Vote Up4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Brightline will be far more efficient in operating the Coastal Link than Tri-rail, probably will get it built faster and have better looking stations.

Vote Up10Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Interesting. Makes sense but competition is the only thing that will keep the prices down.

Vote Up9Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Yes, please. Otherwise nothing will ever happen to add new TriRail stations outside of the highly subsidized Downtown service.

Vote Up8Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Give me a break

Multiple agencies and governments paid to have Tri-rail get a station platform at the new downtown Miami station. That was fine with the intention of having Tri-rail service on the FEC tracks. If Brightline runs the commuter service, much of that money is wasted as the Brightline service will likely undermine Tri-rail. Let’s be smart here, competing transit services don’t work. Just as we do not have competing highway services or competing water and sewer service.

Vote Up7Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

They see where the real money is… fleecing tax payers by running a local rail service. (and probably developing each station with free land)

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Where’s the competition if it’s not even on the radar to have new TriRail stations outside of the downtown service? Let’s be smart here, transit services on Miami’s public funds don’t work.

Vote Up4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Brightline will operator the coastal link far more efficiently.

Vote Up7Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
William

I strongly disagree. The tri rail platform at Dwtn Miami will only spur more use of the existing rail services. We paid to have a platform and the hard spur connection btw the CSX tracks and FEC’s. That by itself is a huge leap forward.

The 30k daily Tri-rail customers will now have the option of connecting with the dwtn core without additional time or cost. Tri-rail in it’s current format is just not the same with out a downtown station.

The “who” of the coastal link is important but just one component of this multi modal transportation hub. I personally like the fact that a private company will operate the local line. Especially when that company is the same one that will operate the 80mph trains on the same lines at the same time. Win-Win.

Vote Up7Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

We don’t have competing highways? What do you call I95 and the Turnpike?

Vote Up4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Andrewn2

I don’t care who runs the line. I just hope someone is wise enough to insist they all accept a common card for easy transfers. Like a SunPass for transit- multiple agencies thought the state get the tolls but we have one convenient way to pay. Chicago takes the same card for the L, buses, and commuter lines. That should be our example.

Vote Up6Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Somehow… I feel that the taxpayers will get screwed here. and Brightline will make $$$ on some fixed $$ contract and the politicians will get a “win”.

Tri-Rail should be running the local commuter rail.

Vote Up5Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
marc

They’ll probably ask for subsidies to build the platforms/stops.

Vote Up6Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

I would agree with you if we were having this conversation 10 years ago but today I’m happy that we finally started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. No matter what the county will have to use taxpayers money to pay for the right to use tracks owned by Brightline’s parent company.

Vote Up5Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

They keep talking about doing things including the SMART plan but nothing ever gets done…

Vote Up5Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Guillermo

Tri-Rail should add a few stops on their way to downtown. Maybe Wynwood/Midtown on 29th street or the Design District, even if Brightline runs the coastal link. Tri-Rail from downtown to Hialeah without a stop is a lost opportunity.

Vote Up11Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Would it be better to have two, one near 36th and one near 20th?

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Was there ever any doubt that the county would pass this on to someone else to manage? Thank God for Brightline. It’s a win-win since the government has shown for decades that they are incapable or developing and managing rail transit and Brightline is investing for the long haul…

Vote Up3Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Need a station at 163rd and Biscayne

Vote Up2Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Ditto

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Michelle

Yes, I live in Sunny Isles Beach & totally agree!!!!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
TheTruth

Great…another “wonder idea project” that will lead to nowhere and will get scrapped in the next year or so due to the beaurocratic and corrupt people we have in office and their incompetence. We don’t have enough fingers on our hands and feet to count how many of these types of articles promising a solution and leading nowhere we’ve all read… Sadly, we’ll all be reading about this idea getting scrapped too. That’s just the typical Miami way of doing things, so please, don’t hold your breath on this..

Vote Up-1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Brightline’s wonder project built a billion dollar plus in rail stations and infrastructures, and is putting an express train where no politician had the resolve or leadership to do. So, yes, I trust their ‘wonder idea project’, a hundred times more than stupid mayor Giménez transportation plan du jour.

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
BOVO for Mayor

Does this mean to go north we will have to transfer to a Brightline train, or will the Metro-rail trains just run on Brightline tracks? I hope no transfer, PLEASEEEE! Enough of the mismashed transit plans.

Vote Up-4Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
marc

Yes of course you would have to transfer to Brightline.

Vote Up10Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

Tri-Rail will still be expanding into downtown Miami as an extension of their existing service. Betancourt said that Tri-Rail’s downtown station is now being built and will open within the coming year

Vote Up9Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Anonymous

bad

Vote Up-7Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago