Miami Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport

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cirdan said:
Designing a station that might still be in use 50 years from now for the minimalist needs of today can be a very shorted policy.
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I agree. But we have a station such as it is. The question now is should it be used or not, and if so what is the best way to operate it, and not about what its design should be. At most what we can do is build out a platform beyond the grade crossing to allow a few more cars, which of course can be done at any time. Building a completely new station with a new design at MIC is not going to happen. This is not a greenfield station design situation at present. That time passed 10-15 years back.

There is space set aside for a third platform with two platform tracks, which will most likely be used at some point by Brightline, and that will be a high level platform and most likely will not extend beyond the grade crossing since Brightline trains will not be more than ten cars plus two SCB-40s
 
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jis said:
I agree. But we have a station such as it is. The question now is should it be used or not, and if so what is the best way to operate it, and not about what its design should be. At most what we can do is build out a platform beyond the grade crossing to allow a few more cars, which of course can be done at any time. Building a completely new station with a new design at MIC is not going to happen. This is not a greenfield station design situation at present. That time passed 10-15 years back.

There is space set aside for a third platform with two platform tracks, which will most likely be used at some point by Brightline, and that will be a high level platform and most likely will not extend beyond the grade crossing since Brightline trains will not be more than ten cars plus two SCB-40s
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Admittedly I'm not familiar with the situation or any constraints that may exist on the ground, but would it not be possible to divert the road to permit longer platforms. That might be a few extra seconds for motorists but a huge plus for Amtrak?
 
cirdan said:
Admittedly I'm not familiar with the situation or any constraints that may exist on the ground, but would it not be possible to divert the road to permit longer platforms. That might be a few extra seconds for motorists but a huge plus for Amtrak?
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Already done. They built a bypass for whenever the road is blocked. See previous posts.
 
cirdan said:
cant they just always use the bypass and remove the present crossing to build proper platforms ?
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The station has low platforms. Amtrak loads/unloads on grade crossings and platforms that are no more than a strip of asphalt at other locations. Why bother to take out the road and build a platform? Just use the road surface for one car, and if necessary build a platform on the far side of the crossing for additional cars.
 
cirdan said:
cant they just always use the bypass and remove the present crossing to build proper platforms ?
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Yes. The Car Lobby protested against the extra minute of driving time, so we ended up with this situation. :eyeroll:

I figure if the number of people taking the train at Miami Intermodal increases enough, this car lobby opposition will shrink and melt away. So it's something which can happen in the future.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
I said this before, but building a station for today’s length of trains is fine, but not have the space to lengthen the platform for tomorrow trains is foolish. Your just shooting yourself in the foot, by not thinking of your future needs. This limited length of terminal track will cause operational issues.
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Yes VRE has that problem at some of their stations.
 
Paywalled article about it in the Herald today: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article259742360.html

No hard dates, mostly the same as the Next Miami article, but one more quote:
An Amtrak spokesperson, Kimberly Woods, did not respond to the Miami Herald’s questions about Amtrak’s plans. Tish Burgher, a spokesperson for Florida’s Transportation Department, said the agency met with Amtrak in February but hasn’t yet scheduled the follow-up meeting where both sides plan “to discuss Amtrak’s intercity passenger rail service at the MIC.”
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RebelRider said:
Brightline will probably design, construct and start operations between Orlando and Tampa before Amtrak goes 3.5 miles further to the already built Miami Airport station. :rolleyes:
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LOL. No argument there. But in Amtrak's defense, in this case they've got Miami-Dade county politics to deal with (horrible). Also, I remember when they did a test fit of a train, and it stuck out across 25th street. And there's no wye, so they'd have to do a backup maneuver back to the Hialeah yard afterwards. The remedy, as I remember, was to close off 25th and maybe re-construct a wye that had been there. Auto traffic would have to be detoured off 25th as well. I moved away shortly thereafter so I don't know if Miami-Dade has progressed on any of those improvements but I sure doubt it.
 
alpha3 said:
LOL. No argument there. But in Amtrak's defense, in this case they've got Miami-Dade county politics to deal with (horrible). Also, I remember when they did a test fit of a train, and it stuck out across 25th street. And there's no wye, so they'd have to do a backup maneuver back to the Hialeah yard afterwards. The remedy, as I remember, was to close off 25th and maybe re-construct a wye that had been there. Auto traffic would have to be detoured off 25th as well. I moved away shortly thereafter so I don't know if Miami-Dade has progressed on any of those improvements but I sure doubt it.
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Miami Dade politics have always been and will always be corrupt and inefficient. It was like that twenty years ago when I moved away and it will be like that 20 years from now. As for the MIC I believe the solution for the platform length was to build a bypass around 25th ST which I believe has been completed. As for the back up move, Amtrak has known they would need to do that from the very beginning so I’m not sure how that can be a reason for not completing the move.
 
https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2023...tional-airport-hub-for-amtrak-needs-upgrades/
In February, a revised lease agreement was submitted to Amtrak for reviews and comments. Amtrak prepared to award a contract for proposed renovations and improvements. So much time has passed since the building was completed that the Americans with Disabilities Act has changed, requiring some ramp alterations.

In March, Amtrak coordinated with FDOT, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority for March 24-26 site inspections.

Next steps?

■Amtrak awards the contract for renovations.

■Amtrak reviews the latest draft of the FDOT lease agreement.

■Non-FDOT agreements are to be entered by Amtrak before the East Head House is occupied.

All aboard?
 
JWM said:
Time to get the "Star" and "Meteor" into the Brightline station in downtown Miami. Tri-Rail is coming there, too.
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That is not going to happen. There is not enough space to make it so and yet maintain the proposed schedule growth of Brightline and Tri-Rail, including the new Northeast Corridor Commuter Service there.

Frankly it would be nice to see Amtrak move to the Airport station, which in some sense makes way more since than the Brightline Station.
 
Obviously this isn't a perfect measurement, but looking at apple maps the platform lengths look to be almost the exact same...
 
Cal said:
Obviously this isn't a perfect measurement, but looking at apple maps the platform lengths look to be almost the exact same...
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Who said anything about platform length. It is the capacity issue, and the extraordinarily long deadhead required from Hialeah while holding up both freight and commuter trains. It is not going to happen.
 
jis said:
Who said anything about platform length. It is the capacity issue, and the extraordinarily long deadhead required from Hialeah while holding up both freight and commuter trains. It is not going to happen.
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The article posted today said the trains were too long and an article from 2018 says the platform is 200 feet short. 🤷‍♂️

That said, I do trust you more than those articles.
 
jis said:
Who said anything about platform length. It is the capacity issue, and the extraordinarily long deadhead required from Hialeah while holding up both freight and commuter trains. It is not going to happen.
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"Q23. Any update on service to the Miami Intermodal Center, Miami Central Station and the Port of Miami?

A23. Larry Chestler: Amtrak is in lease discussions for access to the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) and is developing operating plans for a relocation of its Miami station from Hialeah to the MIC in 2023. We look forward to finalizing the relocation plan and communicating our intentions publicly soon.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...ard-of-Directors-Meeting-120122-Public-QA.pdf
 
Bostontoallpoints said:
"Q23. Any update on service to the Miami Intermodal Center, Miami Central Station and the Port of Miami?

A23. Larry Chestler: Amtrak is in lease discussions for access to the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) and is developing operating plans for a relocation of its Miami station from Hialeah to the MIC in 2023. We look forward to finalizing the relocation plan and communicating our intentions publicly soon.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...ard-of-Directors-Meeting-120122-Public-QA.pdf
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I am afraid you may be confused enough to be quoting things that have nothing to do with what I was talking about. What has the move to Miami Intermodal Center got to do with the discussion about Amtrak going to Miami Central? MIC is at the Airport owned by FDOT operated by Tri-Rail. Miami Central is downtown owned by Brightline, operated by the Florida Dispatching Company. Two entirely different stations. My comment was with reference to the latter, not the former.
 
jis said:
I am afraid you may be confused enough to be quoting things that have nothing to do with what I was talking about. What has the move to Miami Intermodal Center got to do with the discussion about Amtrak going to Miami Central? MIC is at the Airport owned by FDOT operated by Tri-Rail. Miami Central is downtown owned by Brightline, operated by the Florida Dispatching Company. Two entirely different stations. My comment was with reference to the latter, not the former.
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Sorry, the station names are too closely named. I agree with you, Amtrak will never go to Miami Central.
 
Bostontoallpoints said:
Sorry, the station names are too closely named. I agree with you, Amtrak will never go to Miami Central.
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It was even worse before as far as confusing naming goes. Originally the station at the Airport was also named MiamiCentral, before there was a downtown Miami Central. Fortunately the name was changed, but still is a bit confusing for the uninitiated. Might have been better to call the station at the Airport, Miami International Airport station and be done with it.
 

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