Metromover

Metromover
Metromover train approaching Bayfront Park in Downtown on Biscayne Boulevard
Background
Transit type	Rapid transit people mover
Number of lines	Downtown/Inner Loop      Omni Loop      Brickell Loop
Number of stations	21
Daily ridership	31,100 (October 2011) 96,000 with Metrorail 8.27 million 2.6% (annual, 2010)
Website	Metromover
Operation
Began operation	17 April 1986 (Inner Loop) 26 May 1994 (Outer Loops)
Operator(s)	Miami-Dade Transit (MDT)
Technical
Average speed	9 mph (14 km/h)
Top speed	31 mph (50 km/h)

The Miami Metromover, officially Metromover, is a free mass transit automated people mover train system operated by Miami-Dade Transit in Miami, Florida, United States. Metromover serves Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West and Omni neighborhoods. Metromover connects directly with Metrorail at Government Center and Brickell stations. It originally began service to the Downtown/Inner Loop on April 17, 1986, and was later expanded with the Omni and Brickell Loop extensions on May 26, 1994.

The Metromover serves primarily as a fast and easy way to travel within the greater Downtown Miami neighborhoods. The system is composed of three loops and 21 stations. The stations are located approximately two blocks away from each other, and connect near all major buildings and places in Downtown. Today, the Metromover serves as a vital part of Downtown life, and with the rapid population growth in Downtown, has grown quickly in usage and popularity. It has nearly doubled in ridership in the last decade, growing from 14,952 passengers per day in 1999 to 31,100 by October 2011. Out of only three downtown people movers in the United States, the other two being the Jacksonville Skyway and the Detroit People Mover, the Metromover is by far the most successful, the only completed system of the three, and considered to be a catalyst for downtown development.

History

One of the newest Metromover cars heading towards First Street station

In 1987, the then just one year old people mover system set a record in daily ridership of 33,053 on a Saturday attributed to the new Bayside Marketplace. That same year was when the planning began to extend the system to Brickell and Omni, which would not be completed until 1994. Until November 2002 when the half-penny transit tax was approved, the Metromover used to have a fare of 25 cents. The fare was lifted because it was realized that the cost of collecting the fare nearly exceeded the revenue generated from the fare, as well as the fact that more Metromover ridership would lead to more Metrorail ridership. After becoming free, from 2002 to 2005, along with a large increase in population, rising gas prices and booming downtown development, Metromover ridership nearly doubled from 4.7 million in 2002 to about 9 million in 2005. However, ridership fell with the subsequent economic downturn and high unemployment in the latter half of the decade. By 2012, ridership had once again increased with downtown population and high gas prices. In early 2011, Metromover saw an increase in ridership during a sharp peak in gas prices, at the same time as there was a decrease in Metrorail and Metrobus ridership as well as a decrease in employment. However, from January 2010 to January 2011, Metrorail saw a 7% increase in ridership, and both Metrorail and Metromover were expected to see additional ridership increases throughout 2011 due to rising fuel prices. When the Omni and Brickell extensions were first planned, it was estimated that ridership on the fared would reach 40,000 daily by 2000, a number the now free system has yet to reach.

In May 2011, it was announced that a possible study was proposed to analyze the idea of extending the Metromover to the Port of Miami. This, with Metrorail and the new MIA Mover would create a direct rail transit link from the airport to the seaport. However, the study, which would take at least a year and cost about $120,000, was only a proposal to be voted on and the idea hasn't been reported on since.

Operations

There are 21 accessible Metromover stations located throughout Downtown Miami and Brickell roughly every two blocks. The Metromover links all of Downtown and Brickell's major office buildings, residential buildings, hotels, and retail centers. Major attractions such as the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, American Airlines Arena, Arsht Performing Arts Center, the Cultural Plaza (Miami Art Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Miami Main Library), Bayside Marketplace, Mary Brickell Village, Miami-Dade College and the Brickell Financial District can all be reached by the Metromover.

Running clockwise, the Downtown (Inner) Loop serves all Downtown stations except Third Street station. The Outer Loop (Brickell and Omni Loops) runs counterclockwise and share tracks around the downtown area, serving all stations except for Miami Avenue Station. The Brickell loop runs a line into the Brickell area to the south of downtown, while the Omni Loop contains a line with stations in the Omni neighborhood north of Downtown. This unusual pattern, a circular central loop where the trains running counterclockwise are those running from and back to destinations outside the loop, whereas trains in the opposite clockwise direction are only running a tight inner circular route, is also followed by the New York JFK Airport AirTrain system. The inner loop generally runs tandem two car trains while the outer loops only run with single cars. With the often crowded Brickell loop, this may be due to the fact that it has significant grades where it approaches Riverwalk station and crosses the Miami River. Each car can carry over 90 passengers.

The Metromover car maintenance base is unusually right downtown, at SW 1st Ave and SW 1st St, which lies between Government Center and 3rd St stations on the outer counterclockwise loop, at the point where the two loops split to run in adjacent parallel streets.

All loops run from 5 a.m. to just after midnight, seven days a week. This schedule is adjusted during events. Trains on the Inner Loop run in tandem and arrive every 90 seconds during rush hours and every three otherwise. Outer Loop trains arrive every 5 to 6 minutes; every 2.5 to 3 minutes where the track is shared.

Expansions

In addition to the proposed expansion to the Port of Miami, as part of the new, proposed Resorts World Miami megaproject in Miami's Omni neighborhood, announced in mid-2011, a Metromover expansion from Downtown Miami to South Beach is being pushed. The line could potentially run from the Omni across the Venetian Causeway to 17th Street in South Beach ending at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The line could have three stations in South Beach along 17th Street- Alton Road, Meridian Avenue and Washington Avenue. This would connect Miami Beach to rail mass transit for the first time, and provide a direct rail connection into one of Miami's most visited neighborhoods. The line would also allow for future expansions later across South Beach.

Ridership

Weekday passenger ridership averages

Year	Passengers (Metromover only)	Passengers (including Metrorail)
1998	13,269	58,140
1999	13,880	60,654
2000	14,383	61,639
2001	16,849	63,514
2002	16,444	63,508
2003	25,521	76,769
2004	28,192	83,486
2005	28,473	88,173
2006	27,042	85,400
2007	28,058	87,767
2008	26,682	90,392
2009	25,883	85,875
2010	27,175	87,075
2011	29,775 (record high)	92,334 (record high)

Fleet

Metromover currently uses a fleet of 17 Adtranz C-100 vehicles, built by Adtranz predecessor AEG-Westinghouse in 1992, and 12 Bombardier Innovia APM 100 vehicles that were delivered during the summer and fall of 2008. These newer vehicles replaced the first 12 C-100 cars which were built by Westinghouse Electric in 1984, and include a more aerodynamic design, as well as an onboard CCTV system.

Deliveries of an additional 17 cars from Bombardier Transportation began in July 2010.

Stations and Map

Main article: List of Miami-Dade Transit metro stations

The Metromover currently operates 21 stations, and combined with the Metrorail, 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 Miami area.

Metromover

Legend School Board           Adrienne Arsht Center I-395 Bicentennial Park closed      Eleventh Street      Park West      Freedom Tower College North                           College/Bayside Arena/State Plaza              Metrorail to Palmetto              First Street Government Center                           Bayfront Park Miami Avenue      Third Street                       Knight Center      Riverwalk Miami River      Fifth Street      Eighth Street      Tenth Street/Promenade Brickell      Metrorail to Dadeland South      Financial District

A Metromover train in the Downtown Loop at Arena/State Plaza Station

     Downtown (Inner) Loop

• Government Center
• Arena/State Plaza
• College North
• College/Bayside
• First Street
• Bayfront Park
• Knight Center Originally named World Trade Center.
• Miami Avenue Serves Downtown Loop only; all other Inner Loop stations serve all three Metromover loops.

     Omni Loop

• School Board
• Adrienne Arsht Center Originally named Omni.
• Bicentennial Park Closed October 28, 1996.
• Eleventh Street
• Park West
• Freedom Tower
• College North
• Arena/State Plaza
• Government Center
• Third Street Originally named Fort Dallas Park; serves both Omni and Brickell Loops.
• Knight Center Originally named World Trade Center.
• Bayfront Park
• First Street
• College/Bayside

     Brickell Loop

• Knight Center Originally named World Trade Center.
• Bayfront Park
• First Street
• College/Bayside
• College North
• Arena/State Plaza
• Government Center
• Third Street Originally named Fort Dallas Park; serves both Omni and Brickell Loops.
• Riverwalk
• Fifth Street
• Eighth Street
• Tenth Street/Promenade
• Brickell
• Financial District

Gallery

• 

  Original Metromover vehicles in 1986 at Knight Center station located at the-then CenTrust Tower

• 

  A Metromover in the old livery on the Downtown Loop departing from Government Center station

• 

  A Metromover car at Government Center station

• 

  A train coming to First Street Station

• 

  A train entering Knight Center station tunnel

• 

  An external view of Riverwalk station

• 

  Metromover going over the Miami River

• 

  A crowded Metromover car

Operating cost

Cost of building the system was about $153.3 million. The operating budget for Inner and Outer (Brickell and Omni) loops, in FY 2007 was $8,888,794. Ridership total for FY 2007 was 8.7 million.. This gives approx. cost of 1.02 dollar per ride, but as the system is free, the passenger ride numbers may increase maximally to bigger numbers(approx. full cars multiplied by days of operating), and doesn't include potential Miami income from people not wasting time in traffic.

See also

• Transportation in Miami
• Metrorail (Miami)
• Miami-Dade Transit
• Tri-Rail

External links

• http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/home.asp Miami-Dade Transit
• http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/mover.asp Metromover Homepage