New train to connect downtown Miami to downtown Ft. L? (Fort Lauderdale: mover, homes)

[flyers29]

Since a lot of people here have suggested using those old FEC tracks for a new rail line, one might actually be in the works:

FDOT and SFRTA both want passenger rail along the FEC Railway | Beached Miami

[transitfan]

This would be great if implemented, because the current Tri-Rail route (on CSX track a few miles west) doesn't directly serve the downtowns of Fort Lauderdale and Miami (in Miami, the Tri-Rail route is miles to the west, requiring a transfer to Metrorail to reach downtown MIA). It's a little closer in Fort Lauderdale, but still a bus transfer is required to reach the downtown area. But the FEC route runs right through the heart of downtown Ft. Lauderdale, in fact it passes right next to Broward County Transit's Central Terminal, can you say "intermodal center"? Not sure of the route in Miami, but I think it runs close to downtown also. As always, it's a question of $$$$$.

[exmbdude]

What track in downtown Miami? There were some spurs along where the old Miami Arena was and there is some track that goes to the port but there has been no track around downtown since the mid 60s when the rail depots were abandoned. The Gov Center Metro station basically occupies what used to be several tracks that lined the downtown area. Fort Lauderdale is viable for intermodal use but Miami would basically have to create Right-of-Way to even attempt this. There is a possible connection via a wye near Little River but all that would have to rebuilt and the track that remains is so bad in the downtown area that even the Ringling Bros train doesn't use it anymore.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by exmbdude

What track in downtown Miami? There were some spurs along where the old Miami Arena was and there is some track that goes to the port but there has been no track around downtown since the mid 60s when the rail depots were abandoned. The Gov Center Metro station basically occupies what used to be several tracks that lined the downtown area. Fort Lauderdale is viable for intermodal use but Miami would basically have to create Right-of-Way to even attempt this. There is a possible connection via a wye near Little River but all that would have to rebuilt and the track that remains is so bad in the downtown area that even the Ringling Bros train doesn't use it anymore.

according to the article part of the plan is to revamp the rail and to build stations.

[hurricaneMan1992]

The downtown Miami station would be located on one of several vacant spaces and surface parking lots just east of the Metrorail tracks, which would connect to Metrorail and Metromover. Hopefully the downtown bus terminal would be consolidated there also. The right of way exists, and the tracks are currently being re-done for freight trains to be able to access the Port of Miami. I think an unanswered question is how the freight and passenger traffic would deal with eachother. Presumably they'd be on separate tracks beside the freight tracks, meaning those extra tracks would need to be laid down, but it wouldn't require a new ROW. It would be awesome if the freight tracks would be used for express service during peak hours, but this is probably asking to much.

[FlyMIA]

"The agency’s plan envisions seven stations — at 163rd Street, 125th Street, 79th Street, 54th Street, 36th Street, 11th Street/Overtown, and Government Center — and 26 trains running every day between Miami and Fort Lauderdale."
GREAT idea! However I think a stop at Ives Dairy road would be good too. With bus transfers to aventura mall and Sunlife Stadium.

This would be great. Besides for something like this Metrorail needs to go down SW8th to FIU and there needs to be a monorail to Miami Beach. Do those three things and Miami's transportation is 100% better IMO. Great? No. But pretty good for a young sunbelt city. This rail idea is a great start. I would honestly prefer just getting Metrorail up there but the cost with that it probably wont happen. This might be good enough.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

"The agency’s plan envisions seven stations — at 163rd Street, 125th Street, 79th Street, 54th Street, 36th Street, 11th Street/Overtown, and Government Center — and 26 trains running every day between Miami and Fort Lauderdale."
GREAT idea! However I think a stop at Ives Dairy road would be good too. With bus transfers to aventura mall and Sunlife Stadium.

This would be great. Besides for something like this Metrorail needs to go down SW8th to FIU and there needs to be a monorail to Miami Beach. Do those three things and Miami's transportation is 100% better IMO. Great? No. But pretty good for a young sunbelt city. This rail idea is a great start. I would honestly prefer just getting Metrorail up there but the cost with that it probably wont happen. This might be good enough.

The future

Construction of the North Corridor Metrorail (NCM) is the beginning of a project to double the size of the network.
The East-West Corridor extension of the Metrorail system is also planned. It includes the construction of 10–13 miles of rail track. It will connect MIC to Florida International University. The extension includes the construction of ten Metrorail stations.

Miami-Dade Metrorail Transit - Railway Technology

[tallrick]

I was hoping they would have used the existing tracks from the airport to Dadeland stations, but the idiots ripped them out a couple of years ago. I would like to see all existing right of ways converted to double or triple tracks, and used for both freight and passenger rail. Connecting to FIU would be a major project but it would be easy to use the existing track right of way to connect to Miami Dade college Kendall. It would have been even nicer if the geniuses who created the "busway" would have instead built a multi-track system with a restoration of a track to the Florida keys. Even had a right of way to the Homestead air force base. All gone now.

[Dnya]

This is a great. I was thinking how transportation would improve with something that goes parallel to US1. Hope this will take it to the next level in Miami's transportation.

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by tallrick

I was hoping they would have used the existing tracks from the airport to Dadeland stations, but the idiots ripped them out a couple of years ago. I would like to see all existing right of ways converted to double or triple tracks, and used for both freight and passenger rail. Connecting to FIU would be a major project but it would be easy to use the existing track right of way to connect to Miami Dade college Kendall. It would have been even nicer if the geniuses who created the "busway" would have instead built a multi-track system with a restoration of a track to the Florida keys. Even had a right of way to the Homestead air force base. All gone now.

The original plan for the busway was an extension of Metrorail into South Miami using the existing FEC trackbed but it never happened. In order for service to return to downtown Miami a lot more work needs to be done on spurs and connecting wyes. A LOT of track has been ripped out in the last 45 years that needs to be restored for even the SFRTA accelerated plan to use the existing infrastructure. You can see here on the one special run into Downtown made by Amtrak that there is not much track to speak of. Additionally, the one train that ran with all the bigwigs had to run at 10 mph due to the age and disrepair of the track.

RIDING THE AMTRAK INSPECTION TRAIN ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILWAY