Miami Metromover expanding to Miami Beach
After years of discussion and public clamoring, getting to Miami Beach by train may finally become a reality by the end of the decade. Miami-Dade County has posted a new video announcing plans to expand Miami’s Metromover to Miami Beach. With the expansion, visitors and residents would be able to get from Miami International Airport to South Beach via rail. A county news release also hinted at a connection to PortMiami. The plan supplants an earlier, costlier proposed monorail project. [local10.com]
FRA study eyes Amtrak long-distance expansion
The Federal Railroad Administration has begun a mandated study to evaluate the restoration and development of long-distance train services and routes. Before Amtrak’s takeover of most intercity services in 1971, federal law required freight railroads to operate such services. Amtrak initially discontinued many routes, with additional cuts in 1979, 1997, and 2005. Amtrak currently operates 15 long-distance trains, with routes ranging from 760 miles to 2,500 miles. [smartcitiesdive.com]
Musk dismantling ill-fated hyperloop prototype
Erik Wright was thrilled when he got the news in 2016 that his business had been selected to help with an ambitious technology project: building the prototype tunnel for Elon Musk’s Hyperloop. The initiative was envisioned as a test run for a futuristic transportation system involving levitating pods hurtling through tubes at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. Earlier this year, Wright got a text with an update on the tunnel: It was slated to be torn down. [bloomberg.com]
Brightline Miami-Aventura debut just weeks away
Brightline is just a few weeks away from beginning train service between downtown Miami’s MiamiCentral and Aventura. Travel time is expected to take about 17 minutes. Trip times from Aventura to Fort Lauderdale will be 14 minutes, to Boca Raton 32 minutes, West Palm Beach 56 minutes. Miami-Dade County will offer subsidized fares for a percentage of riders between Aventura and MiamiCentral. The station will have a parking garage, an autonomous market, and passenger lounges. [thenextmiami.com]
