MIAMI – Tri-Rail is expanding its recently-launched service into downtown Miami with its first direct ride into the heart of the city.
Long-awaited Tri-Rail service to MiamiCentral station began in January, but current services require passengers to change trains at the Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer Station in Hialeah before reaching downtown.
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Beginning July 1, however, the commuter rail service is launching an express train from West Palm Beach to MiamiCentral — with no transfer required, Tri-Rail officials announced Friday.
According to Tri-Rail, the express train will leave West Palm Beach at 6:30 a.m., stopping only in Boca Raton, the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport station in Dania Beach and the transfer station in Hialeah before reaching downtown Miami at 8:05 a.m.
The return trip is scheduled to leave MiamiCentral at 5:35 p.m.
Officials with the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs Tri-Rail, say the new service cuts travel time between MiamiCentral and West Palm Beach stations by 30 minutes.
“We are thrilled to unveil this new enhancement to our train service,” Dave Dech, who heads the SFRTA, said in a news release. “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.”
Transfers will still be required for all other trips in and out of MiamiCentral.
As for whether additional one-seat service out of downtown Miami is planned for the near future, an SFRTA spokesperson tells Local 10 News that the agency “may determine further modifications based on the outcome of this service.”