Rumors about Amtrak move to the MIC at Miami International Airport (not happening)

[joelkfla]

The best solution at this point if Amtrak is staying put and there is a desire to improve connectivity is to have Amtrak implement a thruway bus that can stop at the airport trirail station and then a convenient location downtown sort of like they do with the thruway bus out of Emeryville CA

What makes you think Amtrak has a desire to improve connectivity? It wasn't so long ago that they degraded connectivity to SF by deleting the stops at the Financial District & Fisherman's Wharf.

 

[blueman271]

What makes you think Amtrak has a desire to improve connectivity? It wasn't so long ago that they degraded connectivity to SF by deleting the stops at the Financial District & Fisherman's Wharf.

They obviously don’t have any desire to improve connectivity, which is a shame. I’m of the belief that, in general, Amtrak should be doing their best to improve connectivity to local transit agencies. The more options people have to travel the last mile, the more likely they will be to consider Amtrak.

 

[MARC Rider]

They obviously don’t have any desire to improve connectivity, which is a shame. I’m of the belief that, in general, Amtrak should be doing their best to improve connectivity to local transit agencies. The more options people have to travel the last mile, the more likely they will be to consider Amtrak.

I would think that "improving connectivity to local transit agencies" in Miami is pretty low on Amtrak's list of priorities, as it should be. The vast majority of long-distance train passengers aren't going to be connecting to the Miami transit system with luggage etc.

The real reason they need to get to the airport station is because the rental car center is there. And, in fact, right now, if you want to go to the airport station on the Silver Meteor or Floridian, you can do that by getting off at Hollywood and taking a Tri-Rail train to the airport station. Sure, it's a bit inconvenient, which is why, when I went to Miami, I got off at Maimi and paid $20 for a taxi to take me to the rental car center.

Maybe at some time in the future, Amtrak might run corridor trains in Florida. In that case, with more departures and a broader passenger profile, maybe connecting Amtrak to the transit system in Miami might become a higher priority.

 

[toddinde]

I believe the existing station site was to remain for servicing. The idea of moving Amtrak to MIC was kind of obviated by Brightline. For the foreseeable future, Amtrak Florida service will be long distance trains not corridors. That means minimal connections useful to air passengers. Connections to Tri Rail exist at another station. There are absurd operational challenges at MIC. Amtrak’s decision makes perfect sense.

 

[toddinde]

I would think that "improving connectivity to local transit agencies" in Miami is pretty low on Amtrak's list of priorities, as it should be. The vast majority of long-distance train passengers aren't going to be connecting to the Miami transit system with luggage etc.

The real reason they need to get to the airport station is because the rental car center is there. And, in fact, right now, if you want to go to the airport station on the Silver Meteor or Floridian, you can do that by getting off at Hollywood and taking a Tri-Rail train to the airport station. Sure, it's a bit inconvenient, which is why, when I went to Miami, I got off at Maimi and paid $20 for a taxi to take me to the rental car center.

Maybe at some time in the future, Amtrak might run corridor trains in Florida. In that case, with more departures and a broader passenger profile, maybe connecting Amtrak to the transit system in Miami might become a higher priority.

A shuttle from the Amtrak station to the car rental would be a cost effective solution if there was enough interest.

 

[jis]

The best solution at this point if Amtrak is staying put and there is a desire to improve connectivity is to have Amtrak implement a thruway bus that can stop at the airport trirail station and then a convenient location downtown sort of like they do with the thruway bus out of Emeryville CA

Or they could use TriRail as the Thruway to MIC and Miami Central with a connection at Hollywood. But I suppose that might be too easy to do

 

[bonzoesc]

Is it practical and are there alternatives? What about putting in a walkway with easy access to the Metrorail/ Tri Rail station that is next to the existing Amtrak Miami station?

I am genuinely shocked this never happened.

A sidewalk like this shouldn't be too hard to get land for, c.f. https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/PropertySearch/ it only goes over SFRTA (Tri-Rail) land and a public street (with the north edge of it being used for car storage in the overhead images on the county property search and Apple Maps) before connecting to the existing sidewalk on NRC (Amtrak) land.

 

[cocojacoby]

I've walked through that area before. It wasn't that bad but a bit sketchy. A defined path would have been so much better.