Currently viewing the tag: "Train"
This is indeed Miami-Dade County’s largest transportation event.
It’s most important that we, the citizenry, attend and speak-up about our own thoughts on the future of public transportation in our community.
Nearly six months ago, TransitMiami was proud to offer the broader public an exclusive first glimpse of the renderings for some of the potential designs for our new Metrorail train cars.
As we described back in December 2012, the three models are:
- SPOON
- RING
- SHIELD
Vehicle: Spoon | Livery: Neon | Interior: Blue/Magenta
Vehicle: Ring | Livery: Shark | Interior: Yellow, Grey-Blue
Vehicle: Shield | Livery: Status | Interior: Red, White
Each comes with its own distinctive livery. (Note that there’s also a variant, predominantly yellow, livery for the “RING” model that can be seen in the original post.)
We also want to bring your attention to AnsaldoBredo’s spiffy little 3-minute computer-animated video giving a cordial (albeit far from riveting) view of how these potential new train cars might look on the inside.
SHIELD is the train model featured in the video . . . Have a look! Share your thoughts!
In the blinding brightness of the east-facing morning, trapped in our metallic boxes of rage, impatience, and anxiety, the truth called out to us . . .
It called, not as an answer, but as a question . . . a question whose simplicity made a mockery of all those willing to confront it . . .
Out of the blinding light, for that fleeting moment of honesty concealed by the shadows, the truth taunted all those brave enough to accept it . . .
From the blinding light, the truth dared us to regain our vision . . .
WHY DRIVE?
RIDE . . . METRORAIL
It’s always a fun experience to ride the Metrorail following a major community event, especially following the annual Corporate Run.
This year marked the run’s 27th anniversary. Apart from being a great community- and team-building event, the Corporate Run also never fails to highlight how convenient travelling via transit really is.
The picture below gives a glimpse of just how packed the train was following the 5-kilometer run.
It's always nice to see our Metrorail at maximum capacity. More rail please . . .
People realize that when roads are packed, the most viable and efficient way to move around the city is with trains and buses. And these days, it’s rare to find streets in our community that aren’t congested.
Let’s stop wasting our tax dollars on expanding highway and road systems that leave us trapped in metallic boxes on four wheels and start investing our tax dollars in rail and public transit systems.
An unreliable* Transit Miami source has informed us that an “unofficial and temporary” FEC Greenway has been inadvertently developed over the past few weeks. We received an anonymous and unverified email this past weekend with pictures of the unofficial FEC Greenway. Our untrustworthy source tells us that he/she rode from Midtown to Downtown on a mountain bike along the FEC rail line that is currently under construction due to the Port of Miami rail expansion. Here’s an excerpt from the email we received:
Riding from Midtown to Downtown on the FEC Greenway was an excellent and joyful experience. I rode without fear of being hit by a car. Can you imagine how great it would be if families with children could ride from midtown to downtown without fear of being run over by a car? People could even ride their bicycles to the Miami Heat games safely! An FEC Greenway would also deter crime and homelessness along the rail line as cyclists, walkers, joggers and parents with strollers would self-police the greenway. An FEC Greenway would have a transformative effect on our city and would encourage less experienced cyclists to commute to work.”
Wouldn't this make an awesome greenway?
Can you envision an FEC Greenway? We sure can. That being said, we desperately need passenger rail service on the FEC line. Rail is the priority, but we think there is enough right of way (100 feet) to add a permanent and official FEC Greenway. We can only dream. By the way, a greenway would be great PR for the FEC. The FEC would be wise to jump all over this opportunity and support a greenway.
Imagine arriving to a Miami Heat game by bicycle.
Our unconfirmed source suggests riding the FEC Greenway on Sundays as the FEC workers are off on this day or after 5:00pm. Also beware that riding or walking along the FEC is considered trespassing. He/she suggests riding the FEC with a mountain bike and only intermediate riders should attempt this ride.
Single track through the city.
*We cannot confirm if these photographs are authentic or if they have been photoshopped. Perhaps we just need to get out there and find out for ourselves. Happy trails!
Apologies for the late notice, but the following information was just sent to me.
There will be a South Florida East Coast Corridor study workshop tomorrow in Overtown at the Culmer Neighborhood Center (1600 NW 3rd Avenue). The workshop will take place from 9:30am-1:00 and be held in the multi-purpose room. This is one of many meetings to discuss the potential for transit along the FEC, with workshops happening at each potential station stop-Overtown obviously being one of them.
Alfonso Chardy of the Miami Herald writes that Florida transportation officials are “reviewing interim guidelines issued by the Federal Railroad Administration with a view to applying for a share of $8 billion in federal stimulus money for high speed rail.” However according to Florida Today, the Sunshine State is not a likely candidate. Instead, California and the midwest are cited as front runners. California, remember, has already committed $10 billion of bond money in pursuit of 800 track miles, while the midwest boasts an impressive amount of interstate regional cooperation.
Since giving up on regional high speed rail 10 years ago, thanks Jeb Bush, Florida has done nothing to push the agenda. This will likely not favor the state as the feds decide how to allocate the stimulus cash. As proposed, the line would connect Miami, Orlando and Tampa, with a possible extension to Jacksonville.
…downtown may look something like this:
Thanks to livable streets advocate and downtown resident, Brad Knoefler, for the image.
In a moment rail advocates around the country have been waiting for, the Obama administration unveiled its plans for American High Speed Rail.
Amen.
While many advocates say the plan does not go far enough, the so called $8 billion “down payment” will jump start the process, with another $5 billion paid over the next five years. Click here to watch Ray LaHood, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama present their vision for American high speed rail, or here to read more of the details.
The corridors to receive funding have yet to be unveiled, but Obama promised the selection will be based on merit.
How the Miami-Orlando-Tampa route fairs in the funding process will be something Transit Miami watches closely.
Transit Miami reader Stephen Malagodia has created a Twitter hashtag called “Tri-rail.” Those with Twitter accounts can now give and receive updates on a train’s status by simply telling Twitter to “follow hashtags”. Then tweet “#tri-rail <your message>. Users will then receive updates from other riders. Although this will only work if other riders participate, it promises to be a helpful tool for those riding the rails. So start tweeting tri-railers, and let us know how it goes.
If you need more help with hashtags, go to http://www.hashtags.org/
Thanks to Stephen for taking the initiative.
Remember our friend James Harris, the Miami-Dade bus stealer?
Well, the Sun-Sentinel reports that he has been outdone by a couple of “train enthusiasts.”
How ’bout them apples?
In all seriousness, click here to get the full story.
He may not have possession of Air Force One yet, but Obama is riding on what you might call “Amtrak One” on his way from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. today. Retracing the train tour of another famous Illinois president, Obama will be making stops to greet people and celebrate on his way to claim the throne assume the presidency. It sure is more friendly than flying along in a private jet away from everybody else or cruising down the highway with a motorcade isolating him from the rest of humanity.
The Baltimore Sun has a good article on the long history of railroad cars and Presidents. The very car he rides in was used before by other Presidents. The heyday of train-traveling Presidents died off with Eisenhower and the advent of jumbo jets and the interstate system. This symbolic action by Obama brings us hope that he will also resuscitate inter-city and inner city rail as more effective modes of transportation.
Updated 1/17 with picture by Flickr user will.quale. Obama arrived in D.C at 6:30 pm. Read of the stages of his ride at the Detroit Free Press.
Many people are going to be traveling this holiday season. The Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald both point out that airports will be crowded and parking scarce for the Thanksgiving travel days. They offer tips like “get a ride,” but they neglect to offer the best suggestion to avoid both the parking issues and the vehicle traffic in the terminal: Tri-Rail. Parking is free at Tri-Rail stations, so put what you would have paid at the airport towards your Tri-Rail ticket and enjoy your gas savings as you zip along towards any of the three major
Once you get to the appropriate station, just hop on a connecting bus and head over to the airport. The connections take anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes to get from the train station to the airport terminal, so don’t forget to add in a bit of extra time. If you’re going to FLL or MIA, Tri-Rail provides the free shuttle bus to the airport. If you’re going to Palm Beach International, you’re stuck using Palm Tran routes 40 or 44, but it’s still free with the Tri-Rail ticket.
We all know it would be better if Tri-Rail consistently ran on time and you didn’t have any delays there. And it would be better still if Tri-Rail or even Metrorail went straight to the airport terminal without bus transfers. (We are all patiently awaiting the
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Gabriel- I can’t help myself but I have some serious issues with this article which ran in the Sun-Sentinel yesterday listing parking at “South Florida’s” Airports. What’s missing? MIA. Since when is MIA not considered a South Florida airport? Just another instance of the Sun-Sentinel segregating Miami from South Florida (Broward and Palm Beach) a serious nomenclature issue which needs to be resolved and shows the confusion caused by creating so many municipalities within the greater Miami region…
