Written by Shane Miller

Miami Metrorail is (currently) the only urban rapid transit system in the state of Florida, and, as the name suggests, is based in Miami, providing 25 miles of dual-tracked rail service from Dadeland to Palmetto. Being a relatively small transit system for a city of Miami’s size, it is a unique example of urbanism in a city that, similar to Los Angeles, is known for its significant “sprawl.” Suburbs make up the majority of Miami’s landscape, with large suburban communities stretching for dozens of miles from the city center in Brickell. However, unlike Los Angeles, which has a rapidly growing transit system to serve the city, Miami Metrorail only has two lines, which have received rare expansions over their operating time. As a result, the Metrorail system is rarely talked about both locally and nationally, with only 4.2% (52,000) residents of Miami taking public transit to and from work every day, according to a recent FIU Study, and ridership continues to decline for these systems. This article will cover the history of Miami Metrorail, and proposed future expansion plans for the system.

A Metrorail train pulling into a station. (Alancrh/Wikimedia Commons)

Metrorail started in the mid-1960s and 70s as a concept for a rapid transit system for the greater Miami area. At the time, Miami-Dade County was named Dade County, meaning the first running name of Metrorail was actually Dade Area Rapid Transit (DART). DART was first proposed by the Federal Transit Administration and Dade County as a way to move the quickly expanding population of Miami and surrounding areas into the inner city. This idea soon manifested as the construction of the first Metrorail stations in Downtown Miami, with the first line (the Green Line) opening in 1984, connecting the Southern suburbs of Miami to the Northern suburbs and Central Business District. Although it was a relatively small system at the time, it was considered a major step in the right direction for the city. Suburban sprawl during the time that Metrorail opened was at its peak, with major Interstate highways cutting through cities and expanding suburban development dozens of miles from major city centers.

Construction of the Government Center station in Downtown Miami, 1984. (Florida Department of Commerce/Florida Film Bureau/Wikimedia Commons)

After the first Metrorail line was completed on May 20, 1984, densification around the new rail system soon followed. Many new skyscraper developments in Downtown Miami formed around the Metrorail and Peoplemover (a separate Monorail, constructed with Metrorail) systems. Extensions to the original ten stations followed, with new sections of track being completed across the Northern and Southern ends of the Green Line. This created even more ridership across the system, though it was still comparatively low to other rapid transit systems across the country. From a starting ridership of 10,000 riders per day, it increased to 15,000 following the opening of new extensions to the Green Line. Specifically, the neighborhood of Dadeland sprung up around the Southernmost station on the Green Line, which today is a relatively densely populated area. However, despite the densification around stations on Metrorail, it was viewed as a waste of money by US President Ronald Reagan. Reagan, who was not known for being particularly transit-friendly, often commented that the government could rent several limousines to transport everyone in Miami, and it would be leagues cheaper than the Metrorail was (Metrorail cost $800 Million on opening). 

A Metrorail train, as seen on an elevated span near a high-rise development. (Chyun/Getty Images)

The following years saw Metrorail have a very gradual increase in ridership, but it was not exactly to the hopes that the local and federal governments wished. As a result, the system became a relatively irrelevant part of Miami and was rapidly forgotten in the public eye. However, modern expansions to the system, such as the addition of a new line to Miami Airport in 2012 (the Orange line) has brought attention back to the aging transit system. Many local advocacy groups have been created to support both the expansion and modernization of Metrorail, with many local residents in Miami hoping for a new line to reach out into the Western Suburbs of Miami, and not just exclusively following the Coastline and going to MIA Airport. Many of these advocates have suggested a new line extending from the brand-new MiamiCentral rail development (created by Brightline) to the suburban city of Sweetwater, which houses the important main campus of Florida International University (FIU). Another university in Miami proper, the University of Miami (UM) already possesses their own Metrorail stop, which has seen some (but not all) students from UM using it quite frequently to venture to downtown Miami. Hope is still held across many communities in the Miami region for a future rapid transit expansion, but as Metrorail is today, it is an uncommonly discussed topic in local politics.

A mockup of a now-rejected Metrorail system expansion from the early 2010’s, showcasing the (at the time) under construction MIA Airport link, and the now-defunct proposal to expand the Orange Line from MIA Airport to Florida International University and 215th Street. (The Transport Politic)