Tri-Rail Downtown Link (Miami Central Station / MCS)

Anyone holding their breath?

https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2022/09/ ... n-to-2023/

Fair Use:

“We will not be in downtown Miami station in November,” said David Dech, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, running operations of Tri-Rail. “We will not be there this calendar year,” he added at the Sept. 23 board meeting.

The remarks come only one month and a half after he joined the authority, and four months after former Executive Director Steven Abrams assured the public that Tri-Rail trains would be in downtown Miami by November.

Mr. Dech said Tri-Rail trains will be in downtown Miami in 2023, although he could not provide a date since he continues to negotiate contracts with Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway and Alstom Signaling Operation LLC. “I cannot give you a date until I get those contracts signed,” he said.

And volks, what "excuse" will be "on-tap" next year? Now that the Wynwood community is becoming "upscale", and giving the "starving artists" who have called it home the boot, will they start complaining how they can't get from one side of the tracks to the other? Or will they see the "endangered species of the day" X-ing the tracks and decide that "he was here first".

After a three-year hiatus (geez, wonder why?), I'm "going down" to Miami during January. Alas, a Tri-Rail ride, as well as an "end to end" Brightline will just have to wait.

Progress?
https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorid ... ystem.html

Victor O. Garcia, director of public affairs for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates Tri-Rail, said vehicle testing on the tracks leading into MiamiCentral is scheduled to start on January 2023. It's a first step toward Tri-Rail finally being able to dock at the one-million-square-foot Brightline complex.

Tri-Rail was originally supposed to start operating at MiamiCentral in 2017, but train platform design defects and issues with a federally-mandated train safety system created multiple delays. Meanwhile, Brightline remains focused on the establishment of an express train connection to Orlando and building its own stations in Boca Raton and near Aventura.

In a release, David Dech, SFRTA's new executive director, said the tests are possible thanks to a signed agreement with the Florida East Coast Railway and Brightline granting permission for the test runs. Both private companies control access to the train tracks.

https://www.thenextmiami.com/tri-rail-t ... fall-2023/

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Tri-Rail train service to MiamiCentral is now expected to begin in Fall 2023.

The prediction was made at a presentation to the board of the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust.

The agency is now said to be in good communication with Brightline and its parent company over access to the MiamiCentral hub and train tracks, and they have been able to reach testing and training milestones.

Service was originally expected to begin in 2017.

https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2023/05/ ... he-tracks/

Cross-posted to Brightline as well.

TriRail is itching to get downtown to MCS: https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2023/05/ ... he-tracks/

Tri-Rail ready to come downtown, wants trains on the tracks

Tri-Rail is pouring on the oil as it races to serve downtown Miami Central Station and is itching to get its trains on the tracks.

“We’re working with Brightline and FEC to gain physical access to the corridor,” David Dech, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs Tri-Rail, told the Miami-Dade Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust last week.

But that’s the rub: as publicly owned Tri-Rail takes final steps to enter downtown, it still must deal not only with mountains of federal rules but also Brightline, the privately owned intercity passenger service with which it will share the station and rails, and FEC, the private freight railway that owns and also uses the rails.
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First, he said, problems getting Tri-Rail trains to fit into a station with a platform built to Brightline specifications have finally been overcome. Train steps for passengers had stuck out, hitting the platform. But now Tri-Rail has accepted platform modifications that make it work and has signed off with Brightline, he said.
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https://www.thenextmiami.com/tri-rails- ... next-week/

Tri-Rail’s First Ever Train To Downtown Miami Approved For Next Week

Tri-Rail has finally obtained approval to test a trainset running into MiamiCentral, according to WLRN’s Danny Rivero.

The authorization for testing lasts from June 19 through June 23, a letter from track owner Florida East Coast Railway shows.

Additional test dates may be considered based on the results, the letter states.

Meanwhile, the actual launch of Tri-Rail’s revenue service to downtown Miami may be delayed again, according to Miami Today.
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