Miami Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport

[AmtrakLKL]

As to the Miami situation, is it known how the downtown Tri-Rail branch will be operated? Will the trains simply alternate, and will there be shuttle trains for the opposite endpoint?

When the downtown connection opens, the plan is to alternate trains between there and the airport. That means hourly service to each endpoint during rush-hour and bi-hourly on off-peak and weekends.

 

[jis]

Yup, and no shuttle between downtown and airport, since that would be redundant with Metro. Also I don't believe that the connection is being built in the southeast quadrant of the crossover between FEC and Tri-Rail in Hialeah.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Yup, and no shuttle between downtown and airport, since that would be redundant with Metro. Also I don't believe that the connection is being built in the southeast quadrant of the crossover between FEC and Tri-Rail in Hialeah.

I doubted there would be one anyway, but I was thinking of it leaving from Metrorail Transfer.

 

[mfastx]

What will happen to the current Miami Station once Amtrak moves? Just abandonment?

 

[user 1215]

Doubt it. Their overnight maintenance will probably occur there as well as the actual turn around.

Are the platforms still too short?

 

[jis]

Incidentally, the name of the station at the Airport is the Miami Intermodal Center at Miami Airport, or simply the Airport Station or Miami Airport Station.

The moniker Miami Central Station has now been firmly assigned to the AAF station in Miami Downtown.

The length of the platform upto the edge of the 25th St grade crossing is something like 1020' or so (measuring on Google Map), which will probably fit a 10 car train with two engines, which is a tad short for the Meteor. The length of the siding to foul mark is something like slightly short of 1400', which is plenty of space to fit almost anything that Amtrak will ever bring in, unless they have many many PV attached, but don't see any signs of any extended platform in the Google Maps 2017 imagery, beyond 25th St.

One way to mitigate the problem may be to place the Baggage Car always in the rear so that it hangs out beyond the platform. Of course for those situations the 25th St crossing will have to remain closed for the duration that said train occupies the platform. This will be an issue only with the Meteor at the present time.

 

[chrsjrcj]

The platforms at the MIC do not go past 25th street. What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

 

[chrsjrcj]

I believe Tri-Rail may have to run a shuttle from Metrorail and the MIC, because part of the deal to get federal funding for the double tracking project was that Tri-Rail would run 50 trains on the corridor each weekday. This was also briefly mentioned at a board meeting a few months back.

 

[niemi24s]

What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

By bypass, do you mean the wye to the West of the tracks?

 

[jis]

The platforms at the MIC do not go past 25th street. What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

So that stub of 28th has been extended to join up into the parking lot?

 

[jis]

I believe Tri-Rail may have to run a shuttle from Metrorail and the MIC, because part of the deal to get federal funding for the double tracking project was that Tri-Rail would run 50 trains on the corridor each weekday. This was also briefly mentioned at a board meeting a few months back.

Connecting with the TriRails going to Miami Central I suppose?

 

[chrsjrcj]

What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

By bypass, do you mean the wye to the West of the tracks?

The platforms at the MIC do not go past 25th street. What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

So that stub of 28th has been extended to join up into the parking lot?

A new road crossing. Runs E to W from 37th Ave to 39th Ave.

 

[ainamkartma]

The platforms at the MIC do not go past 25th street. What google does not show is that the bypass at 28th street is completely functional now.

So that stub of 28th has been extended to join up into the parking lot?

According to waze.com, the east-west section of 28th (south of the park-n-fly) has been extended directly east across the tracks, to join up with 37th about half way between the other, northern 28th st and 25 st.

Go to waze.com and then click "live map" and zoom right in to see the current map.

Kind of surprising that google maps doesn't include this data, since google owns waze. For those who don't know, waze is continuously updated by crowd sourcing, so it tends to give you an up to date picture of the connections.

Ainamkartma

 

[niemi24s]

Ah, a bypass for vehicular traffic. Google Earth and the satellite imagery of Google Maps appear to show it under construction, but the imagery is about 13½ months old. Thanks for the link to Waze - it's now #27 in my Favorites map folder. Can never have too many maps!

 

[AmtrakLKL]

Sounds like progress is being made and service to the MIA Airport will begin this summer. I've heard speculation ranging between June and August. Considering they've started paying T&E crews to qualify to the airport, I'd say the rumors have some truth.

Disregard. Couple people qualified and then things promptly ground to a halt. "Indefinite" is the word of the decade (and probably the next decade.) I suspect Brightline will be serving Jacksonville with hourly coastal service before Amtrak can move four miles south to a facility that is already built and waiting.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I got a few pictures of the parts of the Airport Station relevant to Amtrak while exploring the trains of Miami today. Here they are:



For those unfamiliar with the current station, here are a few pictures from yesterday after I detrained from 91.

 

[daybeers]

Sounds like progress is being made and service to the MIA Airport will begin this summer. I've heard speculation ranging between June and August. Considering they've started paying T&E crews to qualify to the airport, I'd say the rumors have some truth.

Disregard. Couple people qualified and then things promptly ground to a halt. "Indefinite" is the word of the decade (and probably the next decade.) I suspect Brightline will be serving Jacksonville with hourly coastal service before Amtrak can move four miles south to a facility that is already built and waiting.

Really?! So disappointing. Any particular reason for this?

 

[frequentflyer]

Sounds like progress is being made and service to the MIA Airport will begin this summer. I've heard speculation ranging between June and August. Considering they've started paying T&E crews to qualify to the airport, I'd say the rumors have some truth.

Disregard. Couple people qualified and then things promptly ground to a halt. "Indefinite" is the word of the decade (and probably the next decade.) I suspect Brightline will be serving Jacksonville with hourly coastal service before Amtrak can move four miles south to a facility that is already built and waiting.

Really?! So disappointing. Any particular reason for this?

You do know the present station is at the yard the trains are serviced. The new shiny station by the airport is 3.7 miles away backup move through who know how many crossings.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miami,+FL/@25.7975115,-80.2587793,409m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x88d9b0a20ec8c111:0xff96f271ddad4f65!8m2!3d25.7616798!4d-80.1917902

And did the consist length thing was never really figured out other than supposedly closing the street while the train is at the station.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miami,+FL/@25.8248447,-80.2748365,7771m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x88d9b0a20ec8c111:0xff96f271ddad4f65!8m2!3d25.7616798!4d-80.1917902

 

[chrsjrcj]

They built the street bypass about a year ago. Considering the current state of Amtrak, I doubt the MIC will see an Amtrak train.

 

[GBNorman]

A move from the existing station will not save any $$$, and in fact will cost. The FEC will be happy, eight less moves over the Iris X-ing.

Trains will have to be ready for release from the yards at least an hour earlier, and arriving trains not available to the yard until same later. If the FEC has traffic to move, add to that hour. So far as movements go over the X-ing, Tri Rail is "more or less" on time, Amtrak?????

Concerning passenger convenience, only passengers who wish to use Metrorail to/from final destination and those desiring to rent an auto would benefit. Those who are being picked up or dropped off by private vehicle will be adversely affected; parking is free at the existing station; hardly so at MCS. Taxicabs may have to pay an access fee to MCS or the Airport; that of course means passengers will pay access fees; not so at the existing station.

The objective under the Anderson regime is clearly to operate the LD's as economically and efficiently as possible. I recognize and respect that many here hold making the product attractive should be first and foremost, but apparently Amtrak's record $1.9B "haul" appears to be more related to that Amtrak's FY17 deficit is probably, adjusted for inflation, the lowest ever recorded over the now past 47 years than to the quality of the LD product.

All told, there's "nothing in it" for Amtrak's operations; best advice, just stay put.

 

[jis]

There is no9 money, no plan, nothing to build a platform extension north of 25th St crossing either.

 

[frequentflyer]

A shame really, looks like a nice facility and quick access to hwy 953 then to I95 (no more tourist getting lost in the bad neighborhoods getting robbed or killed, remember the 90s?).

Something definitely got lost in communications between Amtrak and the agency involved in constructing this. Must be par for the course in South Florida on construction projects. AA had take over the building of its billion dollar terminal in MIA because of cost overruns and ineptitude.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

There is no9 money, no plan, nothing to build a platform extension north of 25th St crossing either.

Is there any way Amtrak could serve the station without this getting done? The current platform length can accommodate 12 cars. For the SM, that would likely mean 5 coaches, a cafe, a diner, 4 sleepers, and a baggage car. While it is occasionally longer than that, that is relatively rare. Going southbound, the engines would remove access to the baggage car and a sleeper. If Amtrak employees are able to access the baggage car when it is beyond the platform, that car is a non-issue. Otherwise, it could be placed in the front of the consist. As to the passenger cars, I don't see why that is a huge issue, as even on a sold out train, less than 1/3 of the train's capacity typically use Miami due to being discharge/recieve only from West Palm Beach south. It is definitely an annoyance, but I don't see why Amtrak couldn't make it work if they really wanted to. Obviously an extended platform should be built in the long term, but many stations make it work with shorter platforms (I know a double stop is not possible at this station, but as I explained, there are workarounds). If I am missing something, please explain.

 

[jis]

There are always workarounds available even if there was no platform

From Amtrak's point of view, they move from a facility that is their own and they don't have to pay any rent and is quite adequate. Only the location is a little less than desirable. They are being asked to move to a facility that would cost them extra money and operation will overall be more difficult costing even more money. I suspect they would move there and take the lumps if it was indeed a superior facility. but since it is not, and indeed arguably operationally it is way inferior, they will drag their feet until someone forces them to move by providing monetary incentive, or someone at least funds fixing the station.

It is as simple as that. I remember the right hand man of Boardman telling me exactly this when I met him during the NOL - JAX test run event several years back. Nothing has changed since then, and if anything everyone's position seems to have hardened.

 

[frequentflyer]

After looking at the map, the only MIA airport station works for Amtrak is if they move their yard closer. There is no way or place to bring the yard closer unless you buy out some warehouses River Drive. And as JIS stated, unless someone brings alot of money (politicians love "job making programs") the move south is not ( or ain't) happening.

I was like many here was wandering why Amtrak would not want to move into a new facility. After researching it, its plain to see that someone forgot to ask the operations people.