Miami Central Station

Miami Central Station Miami Airport
Southward view toward Coral Gables and Coconut Grove of Airport station; Amtrak and Tri-Rail tracks under construction left-background
Station statistics
Address	3797 NW 21st Street Miami, Florida 33142
Coordinates	25°47′48″N 80°15′41″W
Lines	Amtrak:   Silver Meteor   Silver Star Metrorail:   Orange Line Tri-Rail:   Tri-Rail
Connections	Miami International Airport via MIA Mover Greyhound Bus Lines Metrobus: 37, 42, 57, J (110), 133, 150 and 238 Rental Car Center Taxicabs
Levels	2 (Ground floor: Amtrak, Tri-Rail, Metrobus and Greyhound Lines Upper level: Metrorail and MIA Mover)
Platforms	Platforms 1–4: Ground cross-platform interchange (Amtrak and Tri-Rail) Platforms 5 & 6: Elevated island platform (Metrorail and MIA Mover)
Tracks	8
Parking	Multi-story parking garage
Bicycle facilities	Bicycle parking on ground level
Other information
Opened	Metrorail: July 28, 2012 Tri-Rail: January 8, 2014 (Under Construction) Amtrak: January 8, 2014 (Under Construction)
Accessible
Owned by	FDOT
Fare zone	Miami Central to Golden Glades (Tri-Rail)
Traffic
Passengers (2013, proj.)	150,000 (MIC; daily)  0%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Terminus Silver Star Hollywood toward New York City Silver Meteor Metrorail Terminus Orange Line Earlington Heights toward Dadeland South SFRTA Terminus Tri-Rail Hialeah Market / Miami Airport toward Mangonia Park

Miami Central Station, also called Miami Airport Station, is a rapid transit, commuter rail, intercity rail, and intercity bus union station currently in partial completion in Miami, Florida, United States, in the Grapeland Heights neighborhood.

The station located on Northwest 21st Street near North Douglas Road (West 37th Avenue), just east of Le Jeune Road (West 42nd Avenue) and Miami International Airport (MIA), and south of the Miami River and the Airport Expressway (SR 112). When completed, it will serve Amtrak, Tri-Rail, Metrorail, and Metrobus, and will provide a people mover connection to the airport via the MIA Mover.

Phase I of the station, which involved the construction of the MIA Mover, Metrobus terminal, and Metrorail concourse, opened on July 28, 2012. Phase II, which entails construction of the Tri-Rail and Amtrak concourse, is scheduled for completion in early 2014. The intermodal rail station, a part of the greater Miami Intermodal Center at MIA, is expected to be among the busiest passenger stations in Florida and the Southeast upon completion.

History

Rendering of the Miami Central Station, expected to be completed in 2014

Intercity passenger rail service into Miami began in April 1896 with the arrival of the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) at the new southern terminus in downtown, just east of the current site of Government Center station. Service between Miami and New York operated in conjunction with both the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Seaboard Air Line Railway from Jacksonville. In January 1927, the Seaboard Air Line Railway commenced service on its newly completed extension to Miami, with the Orange Blossom Special arriving at Seaboard's terminal in Allapattah two miles north of downtown.

Passenger service on the FEC was halted by a strike in January 1963, and the FEC downtown station was demolished that November. Seaboard, however, continued providing passenger service to its terminal via the streamlined Silver Meteor and other trains. Amtrak took over Seaboard's passenger routes in 1971, continuing to provide service to the Seaboard terminal.

In 1977, Amtrak determined it could not maintain the decaying Allapattah terminal, which also posed logistical problems for passenger coach maintenance, and moved the Miami terminus to its current location at the Seaboard passenger coach yards near Hialeah. The new Miami Central Station is located six miles south of the current Amtrak station, on a mile-long spur that branches south off of the beginning of the Seaboard (now CSX) Homestead extension near the Miami River.

Construction of the facility began on May 18, 2011, but the ceremonial groundbreaking did not take place until September 27.

Tri-Rail

Southbound Tri-Rail service terminated at the modern-day Hialeah Market in 1987. A new station opened in April 1998 at the present site of Central Station. It was the southern terminus of the Tri-Rail system until September 12, 2011, when Tri-Rail service to the site was suspended for approximately two years to facilitate construction of the new station. Hialeah Market became the temporary southern terminus for Tri-Rail with shuttle buses taking passengers between the Hialeah Market station and Miami International Airport and two trains per day stopping further north at the Metrorail transfer station with accompanying shuttle buses.

Closing of Miami Airport Station during construction

Tri-Rail's Miami Airport Station temporarily closed on September 12, 2011 to facilitate construction of the Miami Central Station. The station is expected to be closed for a period of approximately two years, during which time it will be rebuilt and connected to the airport via an escalator and people mover.

During this two-year period, the southern terminus of rail service will be the Hialeah Market Station, where bus transportation will be provided to and from the Miami International Airport through this station. Trailers have been installed to house a ticket agent and restroom facilities. Additional lighting has been installed and approximately 60 additional parking spaces have been striped. There will be 24-hour security at the station.

Two northbound trains, P638 and P642, will originate from the Metrorail Transfer Station. Two southbound trains, P631 and P635 will terminate at the Metrorail Transfer Station. Passengers will be bused to and from the Hialeah Market Station and the Miami International Airport for these trains.

By closing the Miami Airport Station, the construction time of the MIC will be reduced by approximately 21 months and will result in taxpayers saving approximately $10 million in construction costs. The impact to passengers should be less than 10 minutes in extended travel time to the airport

Services

Amtrak

Note: Amtrak service at Miami Central Station service does not begin until January 2014 at the earliest.

• Silver Star to New York City via Orlando, Washington, DC and Philadelphia
• Silver Meteor to New York City via Orlando, Washington, DC and Philadelphia

Metrobus

Route #	Route Name	Route Map	Note
7A	Downtown Miami ↔ Central Station via NW 7th Street and Marlins Park	Map
37	South Miami Metrorail station ↔ Hialeah via Douglas Rd & Palm Ave	Map
42	Douglas Road Metrorail station ↔ Opa-locka or Miami Springs (42A) via LeJeune Rd	Map	Evening weekday terminus at Miami Central Station
57	Jackson South Hospital via Red Rd (SR 959) and Perimeter Rd	Map	Weekday service only
J (110)	Miami Beach via Julia Tuttle Cswy, 36 St & LeJeune Rd	Map
133	Airport/Tri-Rail Shuttle (MIA ↔ Hialeah Market Tri-Rail station or NW 79th Street/37th Ave	Map	To be discontinued when phase II is complete. This route does NOT enter Central Station.
150	Miami Beach Airport Flyer (Miami Beach at South Pointe Park, Alton, and 5th Street via the Airport Expressway/Julia Tuttle Causeway, and Collins Avenue)	Map
238	East-West Connection (Dolphin Mall)	Map	Weekday service only
238x	Weekend Express (Dolphin Mall via SR 836)	Map	Saturday and Sunday Only
297	27th Ave Orange Line MAX (Calder Race Course, Sun Life Stadium, and County Line Road via NW 27th Ave)		Weekday service only

Metrorail

     Metrorail Orange Line

• Greater Miami:
  • Brickell
  • Civic Center
  • Coconut Grove
  • Coral Gables
  • Dadeland
  • Downtown (via Government Center and Metromover)
  • Hialeah
  • South Miami
  • Wynwood (via Allapattah station)

Tri-Rail

Note: Tri-Rail service at Miami Central Station service does not begin until January 2014 at the earliest.

• Broward and Palm Beach counties:
  • Boca Raton
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Hollywood
  • Pompano Beach
  • West Palm Beach

See also

• MIC – Airport/Miami Central Station
• MDT – Metrorail Stations
• TransitMiami