Going East to West on public transit in Miami-Dade has been a challenge for decades and now there could be some potential solutions on the table.
Transportation planners in Miami-Dade are discussing two new options to get to and from FIU’s main Modesto A. Maidique Campus.
One route involves a new county commuter rail line and another would include an expanded Metromover route going East to West along Flagler Street.
For the commuter rail line, the county would have to negotiate a plan with CSX, a freight train company which owns the existing tracks. As of now, that’s been moving slowly with no agreement in place as of yet.
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“That’s a freight line and that’s also run by a freight company. They are not good at nor do they have any financial incentive to be a passenger rail connection," said Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who represents District 5 in Miami-Dade County. "I’m very worried that those discussions will collapse sometime in the future so that’s why I wanted to make sure we have a back up."
Higgins, who is also the chair of Miami-Dade’s Transportation and Mobility Committee, is pushing for the alternative option of an elevated Metromover extension going out West.
“If you live on the western edges of our county, there’s a lot of traffic and we have looked at a couple of solutions, none of which have worked out perfectly,” said Higgins, “I proposed that we begin to look at doing in what my opinion has been obvious for a long time, which is finding a solution to go on Flagler street all the way out to FIU from downtown. That in my opinion, is a Metromover extension.”
The Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization recently voted to ask the Florida Department of Transportation to do a feasibility study on both the commuter rail and Metromover plans.
This map shows the current proposed East-West Corridor as part of the county’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program, which aims to advance rapid transit corridors all across Miami-Dade.
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“I think that would be really helpful for a lot of people to make everything more accessible,” said Rachel Espitia, a frequent Metromover rider.
“I think that’s a great idea if it goes out West to FIU. There’s a lot of college students that could have trouble with transportation to school and that area is very populated just like Miami’s intercity so I think it would be a good idea,” said Cedric Lester, a frequent passenger on public transportation.
This all comes after planners decided that a previously agreed upon bus rapid transit plan along the 836 was not the best option. That study has not been scrapped, but is being pushed aside for now to pursue these other ideas.
Both transportation options are still in the early planning and study stages, so there are no cost estimates for the Metromover or CSX rail option.
Future funding could come from a mix of county, state and federal dollars.
