On July 1, Tri-Rail is set to launch its highly anticipated express route that will serve daily commuters between West Palm, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. The route will offer a "single-seat ride," eliminating the need for passengers to switch trains at the Metrorail Transfer Station and cutting travel time between West Palm and the Magic City by more than 30 minutes.
"We are thrilled to unveil this new enhancement to our train service," said Dave Dech, executive director of South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees Tri-Rail. "By offering a one-seat ride and reducing travel time, we aim to provide an enhanced commuting experience for our passengers and attract new riders to Tri-Rail."
Tri-Rail's introduction of an express route comes after the privately owned Brightline discontinued the sale of heavily discounted frequent-traveler passes — marking the end of ticket packages popular among commuters throughout South Florida.🚅 TRI-RAIL TO INTRODUCE NEW EXPRESS TRAIN WITH ONE-SEAT RIDE FOR MIAMICENTRAL STATION ON JULY 1, 2024 🚅
— Tri-Rail (@Tri_Rail) May 31, 2024
While a roundtrip journey from Miami to West Palm Beach on the upscale Brightline often costs more than $70, depending on the time and day, a roundtrip via Tri-Rail between the two cities is priced at $17.50. Tri-Rail also offers bargain commuter passes for $110 a month.
According to a press release about the new downtown route, the Tri-Rail express train will depart from the West Palm Beach Station bright and early at 6:30 a.m., with limited stops at the Boca Raton Station, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Station at Dania Beach, and the Metrorail Transfer Station, before pulling into MiamiCentral at 8:05 a.m.
The return train will depart MiamiCentral at 5:35 p.m. in the evening to bring commuters back up north.
Tri-Rail will maintain its current schedule, with 26 trains operating on weekdays and 23 trains on weekends for the non-express route to MiamiCentral, which still requires a train switch at the Metrorail Transfer Station, according to the release.
Residents and transit advocates were quick to jump aboard the praise train.
"Massive," one person replied to Tri-Rail's announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," New Times' very own Doug Markowitz wrote.Massive https://t.co/YWmmte8rCk
— FRED (@ChampagneFred1) May 31, 2024
Tri-Rail, which has 18 stations across South Florida, expanded its service to downtown Miami in January after nearly seven years of delays, in a change that at last connected Tri-Rail riders from Palm Beach County to the heart of the 305.LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO https://t.co/0LsIpnKflu
— Doug Markowitz (@DougMarkowitz) June 1, 2024
Until earlier this year, commuters coming from Palm Beach and Broward counties, as well as the northernmost communities in Miami-Dade, didn't have access to a direct, affordable transit line to downtown without transferring from Tri-Rail to a Metrorail car.
