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Originally Posted by ardecila
You can't really put an operable bridge on a metro system. Chicago has two, but the bridge openings are only a few times a year when sailboats move from winter boatyards to summer marinas, or the occasional oversized load. Commuter rail can have operable bridges, it's easier to fit a bridge opening into the schedule if the trains only run once per hour.
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I figured with the bascule bridges in Chicago, there’s annual maintenance done on the just to keep the bridges in hood working order. It’s really best to plan ahead and if the powers that be at Miami Beach don’t want a heavy rail line in that city, there’s always light rail, which is the best alternative.
I don’t like the Metromover only because it’s low capacity, it’s a free ride for 5 miles, and I see this as a money pit if built since it makes no sense to build a low capacity, automated system for five miles and the annual maintenance being considered, will the Miami Dade taxpayers foot the entire bill?
Like I said, if MDT can’t build nor afford a heavy rail line in Miami Beach, the. MDT should consider light rail at least because I don’t like the nimbyism from Miami Beach residents when it comes to mass transit and everything else and considering that Miami Dade is now officially a Republican enclave, and the city of Miami Beach is a mostly Democrat city, one would think that the GOP are anti transit when it seems like with the North Metrorail expansion, the Tri Rail expansion, and the Brightline, it seems like FL Republicans are more pro-mass transit than FL Dems, even though Miami Dade has a mostly Democrat county council and the county mayor is a Democrat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
Wow... if this is the operating plan, that's quite interesting. Run trains for the World Cup only, then shut down the line again for 18-24 months while the rest of the stations are built. Still, even building the guideway is a huge project. It's not just the elevated structure, you also have to put in electrical traction power and signaling systems which are insanely complex. If they can build 8 miles of guideway before 2026 I'll be impressed... we've had a gantry in Chicago putting up a new rail structure and its gone exactly 1 mile in the past 12 months...
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NO!!!! The original plan was set up back about a decade ago to expand all the way to Hard Rock Stadium and County Line (
https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/...ng-disappears/). The recent news of reconsidering expanding all the way to Hard Rock and County Line is only perfect timing considering that the World Cup is scheduled to begin in North America in 2026, and since Miami is one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup (2026 is also the country’s semiquincentennial BTW), it’s only fitting to expand the line at this time.
Only question is how much state and federal funding is available for the North Metrorail extension? Hopefully it’s enough funding just to expand and build the Hard Rock station and I’m pretty sure since Hard Rock has the highest priority over other stations, Hard Rock station will the first station built along the new extension. I’m also sure that MDT will build the infill stations once they complete Hard Rock Station as I don’t see MDT shutting down the line for 18-24 months (not what I said) just to build infill stations.
I used to live in Philadelphia and used the take the Blue Line to Center City and I used to see certain stations closed and certain stations opened. For example, 56th and 46th St would be closed while 60th and 52nd Sts would be opened. I can see that scenario playing out in that in addition to Hard Rock already being built, the County Line (Unity Terminal) is most likely to be the next built since it’s a terminal, and maybe Miami Dade College, and maybe Ali Baba Ave while the line still provides service.
What I was trying to say is that it’s still possible to operate a transit line when stations are either closed as in the case of the Blue Line in Philadelphia or the station has yet to be built, as in the case of Miami. Anything is possible and the only thing stopping the North extension is possibly state and federal funding.