Miami: MetroRail expansion to the airport begins construction

bobdreamz · #1 Posted **May 18, 2009, 4:32 PM**

FINALLY!

Work Begins On Metrorail Extension
Extension Will Connect Airport To Downtown Miami
POSTED: Friday, May 1, 2009

MIAMI -- Workers are breaking ground Friday on a new extension of the Metrorail line that brings the Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport one step closer to reality.

Plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounded the groundbreaking ceremony for the 2.4-mile extension of the Metrorail.

"This is the first major extension of our Metrorail system in over 20 years," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. "We cannot minimize the importance of it. This will actually close the loop from the airport -- Miami International Airport, the third-busiest airport in the United States -- to downtown Miami.

The Earlington Heights connector will link downtown Miami with the Miami International Airport through the Miami Intermodal Center, which is currently under construction and set to open in 2010. Once the connection is built, it will be a straight shot to downtown. All riders will have to do is get off at the Brickell stop or stay on the line to Coconut Grove or even Dadeland South, Local 10's Todd Tongen reported.

The bulk of the $526 million project will be financed by the People's Transportation Plan, a controversial half-cent tax that was approved in 2002 after politicians made some promises they never delivered, Tongen reported.

On Friday, politicians admitted an east-west corridor has been a long time coming, but when it is finished, it will be good for business.

"Half of our passengers are business travelers. So they are coming here to do business primarily in downtown, and now you have a very quick and easy way to get straight to downtown," said MIA spokesman Greg Chin. "In one business day, you can fly in, go to downtown and fly out the same day."

Outspoken critics of the tax, like Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Jimenez, are lobbying to repeal the tax, something that did not sit well with the mayor.

"Quite frankly, I find that irresponsible because we wouldn't be here today. We wouldn't even be here to connect the MIC to the Earlington Heights station, connect this loop, if it wasn't for that surtax," Alvarez said.

Jimenez was not at Friday's announcement.

Work also has begun on the MIA Mover, an electric tram that will connect the airport with the Miami Intermodal Center.

If the project runs on time, the Earlington Heights connector will open in 2012. When it is finished, it will not only cut down congestion, but it could change the way people visit Miami.

"Especially for tourists that don't want to catch a bus or don't want to rent a car and they want easier access to their hotel downtown and whatnot, so I think it will be good for the city," said Metrorail user Giovanni Carbo.

Check out the video since it contains renderings of the Miami InterModal Center next to the airport:

http://www.justnews.com/video/19343618/index.html

So Miami joins a exclusive club of US cities with heavy rail connections to their airports. What other cities besides NYC, Chicago and SF are there?

We have been waiting years for this so don't mind the obligatory

VivaLFuego · #2 Posted **May 18, 2009, 5:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

So Miami joins a exclusive club of US cities with heavy rail connections to their airports. What other cities besides NYC, Chicago and SF are there?

Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, DC. If you include light rail, then add St. Louis & Minneapolis, and shortly Seattle. Probably a few other light rail connections, too.

As with most airport rail connections, at least in the US, the majority of users will be airport employees, not travelers.

BTinSF · #3 Posted **May 18, 2009, 5:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, DC. If you include light rail, then add St. Louis & Minneapolis, and shortly Seattle. Probably a few other light rail connections, too.

As with most airport rail connections, at least in the US, the majority of users will be airport employees, not travelers.

SF is apparently about to have rail to 2 airports. They are getting "stimulus" money to do the "people mover" connecting the Oakland Airport to BART as well as SFO.

Exerpt:

Quote:

the BART board on Thursday approved a funding plan to build a people mover connecting the Coliseum Station and the Oakland airport.

The project was billed as a chance to create thousands of new jobs and the 3.2 mile airport connector would transport passengers on an elevated track that bypasses street traffic and would cost as much as much as $552 million, according to current estimates. At the start of the decade the project's price tag was just $130 million.

Although the airport connector has been discussed for about 30 years and has had numerous starts and stops, the flailing economy may have given it the financial lift it needs to move forward with the infusion of $70 million in federal stimulus funds.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAQF17KNQM.DTL

Buckeye Native 001 · #4 Posted **May 18, 2009, 7:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, DC. If you include light rail, then add St. Louis & Minneapolis, and shortly Seattle. Probably a few other light rail connections, too.

As with most airport rail connections, at least in the US, the majority of users will be airport employees, not travelers.

One of the Portland light rail lines (Red, IIRC) terminates at the airport.

Leo the Dog · #5 Posted **Dec 12, 2011, 6:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, DC. If you include light rail, then add St. Louis & Minneapolis, and shortly Seattle. Probably a few other light rail connections, too.

PHX Sky Harbor airport is building a $1 billion automated "people mover" to connect to Metro Light Rail serving Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.

Phase 1 (construction is finishing up) will serve east economy parking and terminal 4. Phase 2 will serve terminals 3 and 2 (once they demo and rebuild terminal 2) and the Car rental facility on the west side of the airport.

N830MH · #6 Posted **Dec 13, 2011, 7:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

PHX Sky Harbor airport is building a $1 billion automated "people mover" to connect to Metro Light Rail serving Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.

Phase 1 (construction is finishing up) will serve east economy parking and terminal 4. Phase 2 will serve terminals 3 and 2 (once they demo and rebuild terminal 2) and the Car rental facility on the west side of the airport.

Yep, right now PHX SkyTrain construction is almost to be completion sometime in 2012 or late-2012. You can see it. I'll try to take a picture when I can.

You can go on PHX Sky Harbor Facebook. You can see the picture. Go ahead and do it for me.

Here the link: http://www.facebook.com/#!/PHXSkyHarbor

N830MH · #7 Posted **Jan 3, 2012, 4:07 AM**

Looking like AirportLiink is almost completion new Metrorail extension. Finally!!

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/0...rnational.html

Quote:

The new line of the elevated train, from Earlington Heights Station to a new public transportation center under construction just east of the airport, will be in operation in the spring. It will be formally called AirportLink and is the first significant Metrorail extension since the system was inaugurated in 1984.

“AirportLink will provide a fast, reliable Metrorail link to MIA for millions of residents, visitors and employees who travel to and from MIA every year,” a Miami-Dade Transit press release said. “With this project, Miami-Dade joins the ranks of the great urban zones in the world with fast public transportation systems connecting to their airports.”

Are you exciting to get on new Airportlink?

N830MH · #8 Posted **Apr 3, 2012, 5:50 AM**

When they will open new AirportLink? Is that this month? Do you know which the specific date is that. Can anyone find out when they will start new AirportLink?

Sorry that I have bumped the thread back. Just want to know when they will have a grand opening celebration at new AirportLink?

bobdreamz · #9 Posted **May 18, 2009, 5:27 PM**

thanks for the info Viva. So now it's 8 cities with heavy rail & 2 with light rail so far. About the users that may be true but this extension goes into the inter modal center which already has a Tri Rail station that takes you all the way to W. Palm Beach as well.

Cirrus · #10 Posted **May 18, 2009, 7:29 PM**

All three of DC's airports are either currently connected or soon will be to rail.

National Airport is already connected to Metrorail (and lots of passengers use the connection)
BWI is connected to Baltimore via Acela, Amtrak, MARC commuter rail and the Baltimore light rail, and it is connected to DC via Acela, Amtrak and MARC commuter rail.
Dulles will soon have a Metrorail connection to DC. The first phase is under construction now

Also, Denver has a connection to DIA under construction now. I think Dallas has one planned, if not yet under construction.

Denver will soon have a rail connection to DIA.

TexasBoi · #11 Posted **May 18, 2009, 10:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

All three of DC's airports are either currently connected or soon will be to rail.

National Airport is already connected to Metrorail (and lots of passengers use the connection)
BWI is connected to Baltimore via Acela, Amtrak, MARC commuter rail and the Baltimore light rail, and it is connected to DC via Acela, Amtrak and MARC commuter rail.
Dulles will soon have a Metrorail connection to DC. The first phase is under construction now

Also, Denver has a connection to DIA under construction now. I think Dallas has one planned, if not yet under construction.

Denver will soon have a rail connection to DIA.

Yep. Started construction last month from Downtown to DFW airport. It's the Orange Line. The Green Line and Orange Line will be connected by a people mover to Love Field airport.

This is great news in Miami but my family will probably still use Fort Lauderdale more. But trying to even drive around MIA is hell and thus the reason why we did not even try to flow into that airport.

travelinmiles · #12 Posted **May 20, 2009, 9:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

All three of DC's airports are either currently connected or soon will be to rail.

National Airport is already connected to Metrorail (and lots of passengers use the connection)
BWI is connected to Baltimore via Acela, Amtrak, MARC commuter rail and the Baltimore light rail, and it is connected to DC via Acela, Amtrak and MARC commuter rail.
Dulles will soon have a Metrorail connection to DC. The first phase is under construction now

Also, Denver has a connection to DIA under construction now. I think Dallas has one planned, if not yet under construction.

Denver will soon have a rail connection to DIA.

Yes, Dallas will be connect via the Orange Line and Fort Worth will be connected via commuter rail to its northeast suburbs.

brickell · #13 Posted **May 18, 2009, 8:20 PM**

Since everyone is compiling...

One of the arguments in getting this done was where to terminate the line. The final result is at an intermodal center across from the airport with a connection via a people mover type system. This would be similar to Newark and JFK I suppose, but not nearly as long of a ride.

So which airports have stations within the airport or terminal itself? O'Hare does.

L41A · #14 Posted **May 18, 2009, 10:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brickell

Since everyone is compiling...

One of the arguments in getting this done was where to terminate the line. The final result is at an intermodal center across from the airport with a connection via a people mover type system. This would be similar to Newark and JFK I suppose, but not nearly as long of a ride.

So which airports have stations within the airport or terminal itself? O'Hare does.

Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) does also. MARTA's (Atlanta's heavy rail system) Airport station is connected to both South and North terminals near baggage claim.

N830MH · #15 Posted **Jul 18, 2011, 7:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by L41A

Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) does also. MARTA's (Atlanta's heavy rail system) Airport station is connected to both South and North terminals near baggage claim.

Right. End of line. You have to get off the trains and wait for next trains back to north.

bobdreamz · #16 Posted **Jul 29, 2011, 6:10 AM**

^ On the left is a Tri-Rail commuter train & on the right is the new Metrorail span over a narrow portion of the Miami River heading towards the new Miami Intermodal Center.

^ new tracks, in the distance you can see the highrises of northeast Miami

new bus canopies on the right & Metrorail station on the left

^ interior of the new Airport Metrorail station

^ exterior views of the station

Prahaboheme · #17 Posted **Jul 29, 2011, 5:32 PM**

This is all looking great -- it makes me wish that an even greater extension of Metrorail were possible.

volguus zildrohar · #18 Posted **May 19, 2009, 1:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brickell

So which airports have stations within the airport or terminal itself? O'Hare does.

Philadelphia's R1 line stops directly at six of the airport's seven terminals. An escalator connects each terminal directly to the platform, which runs the length of the airport a la the State or Dearborn Street subways in Chicago.

emathias · #19 Posted **Jan 26, 2010, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brickell

Since everyone is compiling...

One of the arguments in getting this done was where to terminate the line. The final result is at an intermodal center across from the airport with a connection via a people mover type system. This would be similar to Newark and JFK I suppose, but not nearly as long of a ride.

So which airports have stations within the airport or terminal itself? O'Hare does.

Portland's is.

Midway is a cover walk-way to the terminal.

Also, the South Shore interurban line stops directly next to the South Bend Indiana's airport's terminal.

Prahaboheme · #20 Posted **Jun 3, 2010, 2:13 PM**

Any progress updates?