Miami-Dade Transit
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Miami-Dade Transit is the public transit authority in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is the largest transit system in Florida, and one of the largest in the U.S. It currently operates the Metrobus, Metrorail, Metromover, and Paratransit (STS) systems.
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History
In 1960, the Dade County Commission passed an ordinance creating the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to unify the different transit operations into one countywide service. This ordinance provided for the purchase, development, and operation of an adequate mass transit system by the County. These companies included the Miami Transit Company, Miami Beach Railway Company, South Miami Coach Lines, and Keys Transit Company on Key Biscayne and would be managed by National City Management Company. Over the years and under various administrations, MTA evolved into the Metro-Dade Transportation Administration, the Metro-Dade Transit Agency, the Miami-Dade Transit Agency, and is now known simply as Miami-Dade Transit (MDT).
Today's MDT has a viable four-mode system — Metrobus, Metrorail, Metromover, and Paratransit — used by nearly 300,000 passengers daily.
Fares
- The current standard fare on Miami-Dade Transit is $1.50 (Local)/$1.85 (Express), and reduced fare is $0.75 (Local)/$0.90 (Express), and a standard monthly pass costs $75 (Full Fare)/$37.50 (Reduced Fare). Terms and conditions are stated below.
- On Metrobus, the fare box accepts tokens, dollar bills, quarters, dimes, and nickels, or a monthly pass to be shown to the bus operator. The monthly Metropass and tokens are sold at over 50 sales outlets. Metrorail fare gates accept tokens, Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, quarters, dimes, nickels, bus-to-rail transfers, and monthly passes, and the Golden Passport. Metromover is free for all riders. Enter any station through the fare gate. Reduced fares are available only to Medicare recipients, people with disabilities, and Miami-Dade students in grades 1-12. Transit fare equipment does not provide change, but change/token machines are found in all rail stations.
- All Miami-Dade senior citizens 65 years and older and Social Security beneficiaries ride free with a Golden Passport. Veterans residing in Miami-Dade and earning less than $22,000 annually ride free with the Patriot Passport.
Metrobus
The Metrobus network provides bus service throughout Miami-Dade County 365 days a year. It consists of more than 100 routes and 900 buses, which connect most points in the county and part of southern Broward County as well. Twenty-one (21) of these routes operate around the clock: most other routes operate from 4 AM to 2:30 AM.
All Metrobuses are wheelchair accessible, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Along US 1 in southern Miami-Dade, Metrobus service uses an exclusive right-of-way called the South Miami-Dade Busway.
South Miami-Dade Busway
The South Miami-Dade Busway is an exclusive busway, which began operating in 1997. It is an alternative to daily traffic congestion. The 8.2-mile roadway was built by the Florida Department of Transportation just for Metrobus routes. Express buses on the exclusive lanes shuttles passengers to and from Dadeland South Station (see Metrorail) in just 25 minutes.
Both full-size buses and minibuses operate on the Busway and in adjacent neighborhoods, entering the exclusive lanes at major intersections. Local and limited-stop service is offered between Florida City and Dadeland South Metrorail Station. A Park & Ride lot is also located at the Turnpike on SW 152 Street and 117 Avenue. Riders headed downtown can transfer from Metrorail to Metromover, a people mover downtown circulator, at Government Center Station.
Busway consists of thirty (30) stations. Each station contains up-to-date transit information—maps, schedules, brochures—with newspapers, benches, and public phones added for customer comfort and convenience. Additionally, a multi-use path stretches the length of the Busway.
Metrorail
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Metrorail currently operates on one elevated 22.4 mile state-of-the-art rapid transit line. It began service on May 20, 1984 servicing Dadeland South north to Overtown/Arena stations. Following, the rest of the stations were opened in two additional phases: in December 1984 and May 1985. The most recent addition to the line, Palmetto station, opened in May 2003.
Hours
The line runs from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m., seven days a week. Trains arrive every six minutes during weekday rush hours (6:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.; 3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.), every 8-10 minutes at midday, and every 15-30 minutes after 6 p.m. until closing. Weekend service runs every 15 minutes until approximately 8 p.m., then every 30 minutes until closing. A limited-stop bus route, the Midnight Owl (Route 500), operates hourly between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., stopping at or near Metrorail stations or transfer points between Palmetto and Dadeland South Metrorail stations.
Train information
Metrorail runs from the northwest in Medley through Hialeah, into the city of Miami, the downtown area, and ending in southwest Miami-Dade at Dadeland Mall. There are 22 accessible Metrorail stations, one about every mile (or 1.6 kilometers). Metrorail connects to the Metromover system at Government Center and Brickell stations and to South Florida's Tri-Rail suburban commuter rail system at Tri-Rail Station (see below).
Trains are stored at the Palmetto Yard just west of Okeechobee Station. The yard houses 136 Westinghouse-built cars. Each car capacity is 166 passengers with a top speed of 58 mph. On the 22.4 miles of trackage, 7 crossovers are located at: Dadeland South (north of the station), Between University and Douglas Road *, Between Vizcaya and Brickell *, Culmer (east of the station), Brownsville (south of the station), Okeechobee (west of the station), Palmetto (west of the station). (*Indicates crossovers which contain a length of center track capable of storing a 6 car trainset.)
Future plans
Immediate plans are in place to extend the Metrorail network to Miami International Airport, Miami Lakes and Dolphins Stadium (see Other projects). By 2014, the Metrorail will serve the Miami Intermodal Center in addition to west Miami-Dade and north central Miami-Dade County.
Stations
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- Palmetto
- Okeechobee
- Hialeah
- Tri-Rail
- Northside
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Brownsville
- Earlington Heights
- Allapattah
- Santa Clara
- Civic Center
- Culmer
- Overtown/Arena
- Government Center
- Brickell
- Vizcaya
- Coconut Grove
- Douglas Road
- University
- South Miami
- Dadeland North
- Dadeland South
Metromover
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Metromover is a free elevated automated people mover system (APM) that serves downtown Miami from Omni to Brickell and connects with Metrorail at Government Center and Brickell stations. It originally began service to the Downtown Loop on April 17, 1986. The Omni and Brickell extensions (see below) opened May 26, 1994.
There are 20 conveniently located accessible Metromover stations, one about every two blocks. Metromover links many of downtown Miami's major office buildings, hotels, and retail centers, the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, the Cultural Plaza (Miami Art Museum, Historical Museum, Main Library), and the Brickell business district.
The Downtown (Inner) Loop serves all downtown stations except Third Street station. The Outer Loop (Brickell and Omni Loops) run counterclockwise around the downtown area servicing all stations except for Miami Avenue Station.
Hours
The loops run from 5 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. The outer loop operates on continuous loop from 7 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week. This schedule is adjusted during events. Trains arrives every 90 seconds during rush hours and every three minutes otherwise.
Metromover Stations
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Downtown Loop
- Government Center
- Miami Avenue*
- Knight Center
- Bayfront Park
- First Street
- College/Bayside
- College North
- Arena/State Plaza
Omni Loop
Brickell Loop
- Third Street**
- Riverwalk
- Fifth Street
- Eighth Street
- Tenth Street/Promenade
- Brickell
- Financial District
- (* - Miami Avenue station serves the Downtown Loop only.)
- (** - Third Street station serves both Omni and Brickell Loops.)
Paratransit (STS)
Paratransit/Special Transportation Services (STS) is available for people with a mental or physical disability that cannot ride Metrobus, Metrorail, or Metromover. For $2.50 per one-way trip, STS offers shared-ride, door-to-door travel in accessible vehicles throughout most of Miami-Dade County, in some parts of south Broward County, and in the middle and northern Keys . STS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including most holidays.
Other projects
- The Miami-Dade County Government has received federal money in order to purchase new and refurbish old Metrorail and Metromover cars, as they have been operating for more than 20 years.
- Technology and Corridor Improvements: Two corridors, totaling 24.4 miles of rapid transit, have completed the planning phase and are ready to enter into final design and construction -- the North Corridor, Earlington Heights-MIC Connection, and East-West Corridor.
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- The Earlington Heights-MIC Connection is a 2.2-mile expansion will be an extension from Earlington Heights Metrorail Station to the Miami Intermodal Center (north of NW 21st St. and east of NW 42nd Ave.) It is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
- The North Corridor is a 9.5-mile expansion will be a northward extension from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Metrorail Station, along NW 27th Avenue to NW 215th Street (Miami-Dade/Broward County line); with proposed stations at Northside Shopping Center, MDC-North Campus, City of Opa-locka, Palmetto Expressway, Carol City Shopping Center, Dolphins Stadium and the Florida Turnpike. Construction is scheduled to be completed between by 2012.
- The East-West Corridor is a 10.6-mile expansion from the Miami Intermodal Center east to the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) and from the Palmetto, through Miami International Airport to the Miami Intermodal Center. These sites have been identified as potential station locations: Florida Turnpike, NW 107th Avenue, NW 97th Avenue, NW 87th Avenue, Milam Dairy Road, Blue Lagoon area, Miami Intermodal Center. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2014.
See also
External links
- Miami-Dade Transit (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit)
- Miami-Dade Traffic Relief (http://www.trafficrelief.com)