"On the walls, we see a wallpaper that looks like an unrenovated beachside motel" well it is a Floridian train after all 😂! The guy going "WOOOO" when getting off at the Tri-Rail Transfer was priceless, bro was excited to transfer lol! The Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer station is located in Hialeah! Hialeah comes from a Seminole word that basically means "high prairie". Hialeah was where Amelia Earhart in June 1937 said her final good-byes to the continental US as she left on her ill-fated second attempt flight around the world (her journey began in Oakland in May). Its Hialeah Park Race Track is why the flamingo is synonymous with the state as the racetrack's lake was stocked with many flamingos imported from Cuba in the 1930s, attracting people from all over! Flamingos used to be abundant in FL before the 1900s but disappeared and since then, wild ones only show up in small numbers. I had a feeling you'd love the palm tree and blue-sky livery! It's quintessentially Floridian, it's one of my favorite liveries alongside the New Mexico Rail Runner (bonus points for the doors closing sound on the Rail Runner being the roadrunner from the Wile E. Coyote cartoons) and it really made the trains stand out! Interestingly, when Tri-Rail began operations, they had bi-levels in the GO livery! It's not because they were used or sold secondhand by GO, but rather that's just how they were newly delivered to Tri-Rail from the former Urban Transportation Development Corporation! They were only leased by GO for a short period of time
Opa-locka was founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss in 1926. Curtiss developed the city with a Moorish architecture theme, thus it has the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western Hemisphere! Opa-locka is an abbreviation of a Seminole place name, spelled Opatishawockalocka which means "wooded hummock" or "high, dry hummock". It's definitely one of the best station names in the world, one of my favorites alongside Hoyt-Schermerhorn, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Yaphank, and Ronkonkoma! Ronkonkoma on the LIRR comes from an Algonquian word that means "boundary fishing-lake", so when people say Lake Ronkonkoma, they're really saying Lake Boundary-fishing lake, kinda like how people say the Sahara Desert when Sahara means desert in Arabic! I just love Native American names in general because they sound so cool! Since you rode a bus here too, in Miami and Cuba, the word for bus is guagua! This is also the word for bus in Puerto Rico and the Canary Islands, as many Canarians migrated (including my great grandmother) from the Canary Islands to Cuba and PR! The word guagua is an onomatopoeia stemming from the sound of a Klaxon horn. That terminal connector shuttle reminds me of the parking lot trams at the Disney parks! Disney World's parking lot trams were designed by Bob Gurr, originally designed to handle the steep grade of the Seven Seas Lagoon underpass while carrying so many people, though trams no longer use the underpass and just drop off guests at the TTC monorail/ferry station.
This is the sort of thing that makes a difference in transit. It's not always flashy projects, but also projects that actually make multi modal transportation viable and convenient. Thanks!
Since moving to Florida back in 1983, I've become aware of both Tri-Rail and later Sun-Rail, but never had the opportunity to ride either one. Thank you for sharing.
I went to Miami in December 2019 and I never took Metrorail but I did take the people mover and it was convenient to get around between downtown Miami and Brickell (after I took the bus from Miami Beach to as close to Bayfront Park as I could). I did however take the 150 bus from Miami Beach to the airport which I took another train to get to the actual airport, I need to go back to Miami and take in the weather. In all seriousness, Miami’s Metrorail needs to be expanded and that golf cart terminal shuttle is the most on-brand Florida thing I’ve ever seen.
@97nelsn Update: Miami has decided to expand Metromover across Biscayne Bay from downtown Miami to South Beach. Construction is expected to start towards the end of 2024. Also Metrorail will be expanded up to the Hard Rock stadium / Broward County line as well.
Great video of Tri-Rail and Metrorail. I am glad that Tri-Rail now serves Miami Central station now. I agree that the quality of the Tri-Rail Bombarider Bi Level cars could be much better.
I think that goes for any of the "bilevel cars + refurb F40PH or MP36" commuter lines, that combo has almost become synonymous with underwhelming US commuter railroads.
I can’t wait for your video about the Miami Metro Mover!!! That little train looks truly awesome!!! The Tri-Rail is an awesome transit option for the region too!!!
It sucks that you got a old version of the train. The new ones have much better bathrooms, better seats and tables, and a better water tap as well. It surprises me how Tri-Rail still hasn’t stopped operating these old bad trains
Glad you rode our system! The metrorail is genuinely really nice and it’s very convenient for going downtown, just wish they built more lines. I used to go on tri rail as a kid, it wasn’t too dirty and there are the new hyundai rotem cars that are replacing the old bombardier ones thankfully. Our bus system is also pretty decent, really I just wish we could have some more especially with how big we are but at least we have what we have especially a commuter and metro system
@@Thom-TRA it’s coming along well! I drove by there recently the stations are pretty close to being completed and they got the railroad crossing gates in place. Hoping maybe by the end of the year they can have it running, will be a major change as the current brt is already separated from traffic but crossings slow it down with traffic lights.
@@Thom-TRA The "Busway" was actually going to be an extension of Metrorail all the way down to Homestead but those plans got cut back do to funding issues.
Another great video. Here in South Florida, Brightline gets all of the attention, while Tri-Rail is vastly underrated. Yes, it's old and dirty-but many working-class folks use it, and it provides a great transfer to Miami Intl' airport. By the way, I NEVER take that golf cart thing at FLL...It's easier and probably quicker to walk!
I'm an Aussie from Sydney Australia who is vision impaired and cannot drive. About 8 years ago my sister was living in Pembroke Pines, Broward County Florida. I visited and wanted to do a day trip into Miami. It was going to take me 2.5 Hours for what is maybe a 45 minute drive. But being the Public Transport nerd I am i wanted to catch the Tri Rail. I caught an uber from Pembroke Pines to Hollywood Station which cut some time off rather slow Bus. It was at this moment that i realised how good Sydney's Public transport is. Is it the best? No! But its much better served than the Miami-West Palm Beach area which has over double the population. The Three counties just do not seem to talk to each other to privide good public transport to its less mobile residents. Back to my story...... I Arrived at Hollywood Station only to find no trains running....... Someone, Sadly had been hit by a train and the trains were not running between West palm beach and Golden Glades.......Buses will be replacing trains........ But by the time I had finished for the day I was able to catch the train all the way back to Hollywood.
I had no idea the population of south Florida was that much bigger than Sydney. I remember riding the Sydney trains back when I was 6 or 7 and really enjoying it. Also took the ferry from Dee Why and saw a whale!
I would've never thought Sydney transpo would be that advanced, but as you stated, our metro system in South Florida is a mess. Also, you're right when you said, that it seems that none of the 3 counties collaborate together to devise a plan that would be more lucrative for all its residents. It just really makes us look bad and we're such a huge city, Miami. Thank you for your statement.
@@mmrw you wouldn't know they're different from driving up US1. They sprawl together, and the suggestion of a tri-county transit authority is a good one. I've been living in South Flotida since 1985, and I've lived and worked 8n all three counties.
I think for $1 I took the #1 bus from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Aventura Mall in north Dade County/North Miam Beach area and used my .25 transfer to get on the S bus or the #120 to South Beach. Took a while but great scenery and was relaxing and lots of nice people on the bus, also had time to eat at the Aventura Food Court.
For the past 2 years when I come to South Florida to visit, I fly into Miami and take Tri-Rail up to Delray Beach. It takes about 1.5 hours but it's really convenient and inexpensive. I don't have to worry about getting a ride to and from MIA. However, my only complaint is the 2 hour gap in service on Sunday night.
Being Florida residents, TriRail, MetroRail and MetroMover are on our radar. We have video trips planned to cover all 3 this year. Being from Orlando area we've covered Brightline and Sunrail a lot. If you come cover Sunrail let me know via IG, I'll ride with you. Great video. Can't wait to see your MetroMover video. We've ridden it but had suitcases so didn't vlog. Next time
You covered the rail systems pretty good. I've lived in Miami most of my life and made transit my career as well as hobby so I've seen a lot of changes. The new Tri-Rail service is so great to see. Metrorail is trying to expand with an extension up 27th Avenue, as well as a separate commuter rail line along the Brightline tracks under development. But this town honestly is such a hot mess that I'll believe it when I see shovels turning. "Please check your area..." is actually a post-9/11 relic, and when the old Budd cars were still around, the Operators would make that announcement over the PA. We had a lot of false alarms and scares due to people leaving bags behind and stuff. The FLL Tri-Rail shuttle bus actually has a timetable (it's called route FLA1) and depending on the time, the bus leaves 5 minutes after one train arrives, or waits for both trains to arrive. It's grown a lot, up until maybe 10 years ago it was using cutaway vans that were too small for the job. I've done the FLL golf cart shuttle a couple times lol. Good video!
Looking at those liveries, can't help but be reminded of a novelty kid-friendly mixed juice carton but, joy of joys, the vinyl wrap leaves the windows clear \m/
I found this quite an interesting look into Miami's transit! I didn't know that the Miami International Airport had shuttle buses _and_ a "golf cart with trailers". Thanks for the video!
Lol. You don't live in South Florida so your responses are okay. For those of us who live here and choose to use the trains... well, they are helpful but if there were more Metrorail lines for instance, getting around could be tolerable. As it is, the County called itself making public transportation better but the reality it is MUCH worse. I have used all the trains, including Brightline to Orlando. What I've really wanted to do is take the train from Chicago to San Francisco! That would be a fantastic opportunity to see the northern part of the US which I haven't seen. I've driven across the southern half, taking different routes, for easily 16 times. Thanks for your informative video!
Almost forgot, big ups to you for using the timeless classic 1980s era block 'M' logo in your cover art. I don't mind the current 'M' logo as a marketing device, I just don't care for the era (post 2017) that it represents.
Thank you for this most enjoyable video ! I have used TRi-rail several times, and sadly the carriages have always been rather grubby and run-down. However, the frequency is excellent, and the service does operate very reliably. Hopefully there will be some new rolling stock soon, as the present stock does not give a good impression. In complete contrast, I hope you can have a ride on Sun Rail in Orlando, That is a superb operation, and the trains are kept in good condition, and always very clean. Hopefully it won’t be too long before Sun Rail runs into Orlando International Airport, enabling easy interchange with Brightline !
Thom: the last time I rode Tri-Rail was ~12 years ago, on a nostalgia trip because I was moving my family to Madison, Wisconsin, and wanted to get a last trip in. I rode in car 507. To call Tri-Rail “skanky” is to do the word “skanky” a disservice. To me, it looked like the train you were on hadn’t been cleaned since I left. Now, Metrorail: at least they got the new cars rolled out, otherwise you would’ve been riding on the originals from 1984 that I rode on when I was 14.
Tri Rail is an interesting case when it comes to quality. It actually has a few different rolling stock models in service and unfortunately you were on the oldest one. Probably why a lot of stuff was so worn down they're likely just waiting for the carriages to give out. That's also why the aesthetic of the cars feel so "unrenovated beach hotel" and dated because well, that's what was contemporary at the time. You can actually see some of the newer rolling stock as you pass by the yard at 6:30, all of the carriages without the slants on the ends or rivets all over the livery are the newer models that do feel a LOT more modern in comparison (even the water fountains seem drinkable!), though they do still have work to be done in all honesty.
Great vid. Don't remember you mentioning it Metro Mover is free, use it all the time going to events in down town, will park anywere on the MM system and use it to go the event. Tri-rail is $5 a day on the weekends, there are newer rolling stock, I have gotten lucky and only been on newer ones.
Great video! I've always kind of liked Miami. It has a cool vibe and I always immediately notice that the Atlantic Ocean vibe is different than California's Pacific Ocean vibe. It looks like Tri-Rail runs on the left in some parts, particularly at the station where you initially boarded "Transfer". The rest of it looked like it runs of the right. I call Chicago's UP-N Metra line the "wrong train" because it runs on the left otherwise I'll get on the right side platform instead of the "wrong" one. I think my favorite commuter rail livery is New Mexico's Rail Runner with the big red road runner on the engine with its feathers flowing back on the train cars: "beep beep". It's always disconcerting how American passenger railroads don't have the kind of self-respect, let alone the customer-respect, that you see in European or Asian railroads. It's like American railroads have a mission statement that says "Hey, you don't like filthy poorly maintained trains? You're lucky there's a train at all!" That ethic permeates almost all transportation infrastructure from rail transit, subways (Chicago's brand spanking new L cars are seriously outdated compared to other global metros), buses, Greyhound (compare Greyhound to Mexican long distance buses), to airlines (compare American to Emirates) and airports (fly into an airport like Singapore to see the difference). Most Americans don't travel overseas but when you do, you'll see how even much poorer countries have better transportation infrastructure than we do.
I was a little panicked when I got to the station because there were no signs saying which track would serve which direction. I ended up asking people waiting on the platform.
I believe the UP-N line was once Chicago & Northwestern Railway, whose trains did run on the left track. It may have had to do with some British influence when it was built. Another theory has to do with the station layouts when a second track was added to the original single track.
I have always enjoyed the Tri-Rail. Yes their rolling stock could use some updates and a lot of their stations are not in the most convenient places. It is a shame they are changing the livery from the palm trees. I like how colorful they are and shows some character on the trains. The new stock looks a little generic. FLL is also one of my favorite airports to fly in and out of with some of the friendlier TSA agents working there.
The big positive? people like it and use it. Trains are in bad shape? yes but for south Florida standards we ok with then for now Cant wait for the metro mover video. City Council of Miami Beach just voted to deny access to the metro mover extension that would have connected Miami Beach to downtown Miami and that's absolutely insane!
Those train cars look like the exact same ones I used to take to school in 2005. The only difference is they seem to have reupholstered the seats. Tri-rail has always been half useful for as long as I can remember… surprised it’s more or less the same, including the hours, besides the airport extension. Glad to be in Chicago now.
Between the BCT 48 bus, tri rail, and BCT 22 bus.... sometimes 75-85 minutes! And it's florida, so any time spent waiting means you're covered in sweat. Do not miss it one bit, lol. Though they had some newer DMU's they used back then(maybe it was just an extended test period?) which were much nicer, don't know if they still have those!@@Thom-TRA
As a south Floridian, it's still not practical for most people, as it's slow. They don't go to downtown areas, other than the new transfer line in Miami, and don't have any convenient way to get there from the west suburban side of Miami, Broward, or Palm Beach County. So you still have to take a ride-share app to the Tri-Rail, but then you might as well Uber to the airport if 2 or more people are going to split the Uber fare. As someone who lives in West Palm Beach currently, to get to the Miami Airport for an international flight, it takes 1 hour and 50 minutes, excluding the time it takes to get there unfortunately. And if you have a flight landing past 6 pm on a weekend, they only have 8:52 pm train. It's still quicker than a layover from PBI to Atlanta or JFK, and much cheaper, however, it's just not entirely convenient for a majority of people in south Florida. We need more west to east and back lines. There's one potential train in Wellington being considered after they do testing next year.
Another "lets buy some bilevel cars and some refurb F40PHs and start a commuter railroad" commuter railroad. Between this and 90s era Siemens light rail systems I call those the two biggest glaring monuments to 90s era "there we did a transit" transit systems. Bonus points if they upgraded the locomotives to MP36s haha. I will give credit where it's due though, they do have service to both major airports in the area. It took RTD until 2016 to build a train to the airport in Denver. Though the RTD commuter rail is quite nice and really needs to be expanded.
That golf cart terminal connector seems very bizarre. Reminds me of the parking lot trams at Disney World 😂. Fun fact, Miami metro’s original Budd cars (now retired) are identical to the ones still in use on Baltimore’s subway. That’s because the two systems were constructed at the same time and they shared a joint order with Budd for their cars. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Metromover!
@@Thom-TRA Haha I can’t get used to that new name. It’s a decent line for what it is, but unfortunately the rest of the planned subway system never got built so it doesn’t have very good coverage. A couple of the downtown stations are very overbuilt because they were intended to be transfer points to other metro lines. I believe Baltimore’s OG Budd cars are due to be replaced with the same Hitachi cars that Miami currently has.
Well Tri-Rail is an alternative 2 i-95 and that Tri-Rail trains I've been upgraded and renovated because those libraries are over 10 years old yes travel amenities are not good because majority of the tribal stations do not have restrooms and the only ones that have restrooms is the ones who share their stations with Amtrak travel is one of the best commuter train services in South Florida and it's way much cheaper than white line and has far more stops because brightline is supposed to be an Express service and yes most stations are difficult to deal with and to get to but it is a nice cost efficient train service
There's a lot of paper in that first Miami ticket machine presumably receipts people don't want and I bet that some people grab a piece of the paper thinking it's their ticket.
I noticed the rebuilt F40PH propelling your train (personally, I prefer any of Tri-Rail's older locomotives over the newer Brookville BL36PH, although I'm not a fan of the new livery). Around a year ago, I made a video about the history of Tri-Rail's first locomotives; the unusual Morrison-Knudsen F40PHL-2. They were built using shortened ex-Burlington Northern F45 bodies on the frames of ex-ConRail GP40s. As for the state of the Bi-Level coaches, that certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Even so, I'd love to see Tri-Rail or SunRail in Train Sim World some day (preferably the latter because their locomotives are so weird).
You got unlucky with the older cars. Tri-Rail also operates with more modern Hyundai cars which are a lot cleaner, nicer, and the AC and bathrooms are much better. Also a problem that is reslly annoying as a daily rider is just how often Tri-Rail is behind schedule. Sometimes they straight up cancel certain trains without warning and I would say that about half of the time the trains are more than 5 minutes late. It's especially a problem when having to get tight connections with the bus routes that only run once every half an hour or even once an hour, I've lost my bus a couple of times because of it.
FYI, MetroRail has been tap to pay for quite a while. The Intermodal Center has been ready for close to 10 years but Amtrak is to incompetent to figure out how to back up a train.
@@R262SubwayTrain The tracks are owned by the FDOT, CSX just maintains and dispatches them. As for the possibility of electrification... Sadly, because of South Florida being a big hurricane prone area, I don't think electrification is possible as cables will just fall if a hurricane hits and Im sure no one wants to take the bill for that.
@@viewliners I don't know about the hurricanes... Most major power lines are fine during hurricanes. I think the biggest barrier is acquiring the funding to build them in the first place. CSX doesn't run double stacks in the first place so I doubt that it would affect them much. The freight traffic is mostly limited to gravel trains.
Thanks for your videos. I live In northern NJ & considered last year for Thanksgiving taking that train that carries cars when you take a sleeper. It would have cost almost $1,500.00 & it only goes from VA to Orlando. Do you have any thoughts? I have a house in Delray Beach. Also, I was looking to take an express train from Boca Raton to Miami but was not sure how easy it would be to go from Miami station to the beach or downtown but it seems that the Metro Mover might be the answer. Any suggestions? I really liked your video on the Metro Mover. Terry
Who knows when Amtrak will serve the airport, a very big problem is trains are too long and complaints about blocking roads includung back roads inti the rental car center.
@@Thom-TRAhere's why it is so screwed up. When the metro rail was built, it never went to the airport. When the Tri-Rail was built it never went to Miami international airport. The original Tri-Rail station at the airport was just a single platform on one single track and a shuttle bus went to the airport not the people mover. It was just a primitive station like the Hialeah Market station. When they built the intermodal center decades later for the Tri-Rail, metro rail, city buses, Greyhound and Amtrak, Amtrak was never consulted with by the State of Florida. This is not the first time there's been a screw up like that. One of the metro rail stations they screwed up and didn't put the roof high enough for the train because they went for a curved look, I believe it was the palmetto station. Even though there is an Amtrak station at the intermodal Center, Amtrak can't use it They would have to close 4 roads including 1 used by emergency vehicles, the back roads to the car rental center and city buses wouldn't be able to get into the intermodal center neither would Greyhound because they would have to block all of those roads to load and unload Amtrak.
@@Thom-TRA here's why it's all screwed up. When the metro rail was originally built it never went to the airport, when the Tri-Rail was originally built it was just a single platform with one or two benches and a shuttle bus to the airport. There was no people mover from the train station to the airport. The Miami intermodal Center was built decades later. It was built for the rental car center, metro rail, Tri-Rail, Greyhound, city buses, Amtrak and charter buses. When it was built the State of Florida never consulted with Amtrak. This is not the first time for lack of communication. One of the metro rail stations they built too low and the trains couldn't get into the station and they had to delay opening the station for 6 months. Amtrak won't be able to use the airport station, when an Amtrak train comes in they will have to close four roads, those roads are back roads to the rental car center, one road is used by emergency vehicles and city buses wouldn't be able to get into the bus terminal. The state of Florida now says it is too expensive to elevate the tracks for Amtrak like they did the tracks downtown for bright line. So it is just going to sit there empty.
The original Tri-Rail and MetroRail systems never went to the airport, they were built decades later. Amtrak was never consulted with when the intermodal station was built. For Amtrak to use the station, four roads would have to be closed including one used by emergency vehicles and buses would not be able to get into the bus terminal. Florida now says it's too expensive to elevate tracks near the airport for Amtrak. That's why it's just sitting there.
@@joecmillerify Actually that was FDOT's screw up because their Engineers didn't take into account the length of the AMTRAK trains when designing the Intermodal station outside of Miami's Airport. They could close down NW 25th. street but the Car Rental companies had a fit!
I had no idea Florida had so many useful train lines, other than just the Brightline which has been in the national news so much. That's surprising, but also great. To me, beach communities should be places where you can walk everywhere and not need a car at all, so these intercity and airport connections could really help a car-free life down there.
Loved the video - it's a shame you got the Bombardier Bi-Levels. All cars, and engines, suffer from issues that either came from factory/rebuilding or due to the lack of maintenance that Tri-Rail does. There are some cleaner Bombardier cars that I've had the pleasure of using and some that, just make me ashamed of the system. The Rotems are a lot more clean and the bathrooms are a lot bigger AND cleaner compared to the aging Bombardiers. Sadly, those are not well kept either and have a lot of flat spots throughout the wheels which causes a very bumpy ride. The cars getting the new schemes don't even have an interior update and just keep the same interior as before. Hopefully, with the planned purchasing of new engines and coaches, they will be more well kept maintenance wise but who knows at this point. As someone who uses the system almost weekly to get to Deerfield Beach to run trains on Saturdays at the South Florida Railway Museum, it's a very big shame that most of these cars are not very clean and probably deter many possible passengers or future riders. Hopefully this doesn't deter you from riding again in the future - and possibly trying the Rotems - if you ever come back into Miami!
It takes a lot more than a dirty toilet to deter me! I’d love to come back. I love the Rotem cars on Metrolink so I’d be interested to compare them to the Tri-Rail ones.
There a Commuter Rails that got clean Bombardier Bi-Level such as Coaster, ACE, GO, and Northstar. I think it's better Rebuilding the Coaches like what Coaster, ACE, and GO did
Thank you! I.never knew this service even existed....A line like that should have been electrified decades ago (but I do understand the love-hate relationship the United States has with transit)... Keep up the good work!
A "transfer station" is the technical term for a place you drop garbage off at. Is this a statement against Floridians? I must say I really love the palm tree livery, it looks especially classy on the old riveted Bombardier coaches... even if the interiors resemble a 2-star motel. I like the bike rack arrangement since the ones I'm used to on Metrolink require people to stack their bikes on top of each other, which is confusing for coordinating who is getting off at which stop. Those airport shuttles remind me of the old Disneyland parking lot trams, which once caused me to vomit from the noxious diesel fumes as a kid.
When I lived in South FL in the 1990's, the Tri-Rail cars were used GO's from Toronto. Looks like whatever they "upgraded" to wasn't much better after a few years of lackadaisical maintenance...
I think if we do that and make some affordable lots like we do on the lower areas, that could bring the economy on the suburbs to actually profit T_T not only that but giving many impoverished citizens that don't have car access to be able to take on jobs they don't due to lack of civilian infrastructure
Absolutely disgusting train conditions, and the fact that you have to take a train 20 minutes west just to be able to get to FLL is convoluted. I don’t care how cheap it is, it’s never going to be a viable option for professionals that want the option to commute via rail.
your witty criticisms remind me a bit of the CNSR's reviews th-cam.com/video/jIYjGNq9zO8/w-d-xo.html lol i wonder what your vids would look like with some funny editing and beats. this was cool. i didn't expect to want to visit Miami - I don't like hot climates, but between this and Brightline I might have to go peep it for an event or something
"don't worry, my area is clean."
I lost it.
Honesty is the best policy
"On the walls, we see a wallpaper that looks like an unrenovated beachside motel" well it is a Floridian train after all 😂! The guy going "WOOOO" when getting off at the Tri-Rail Transfer was priceless, bro was excited to transfer lol! The Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer station is located in Hialeah! Hialeah comes from a Seminole word that basically means "high prairie". Hialeah was where Amelia Earhart in June 1937 said her final good-byes to the continental US as she left on her ill-fated second attempt flight around the world (her journey began in Oakland in May). Its Hialeah Park Race Track is why the flamingo is synonymous with the state as the racetrack's lake was stocked with many flamingos imported from Cuba in the 1930s, attracting people from all over! Flamingos used to be abundant in FL before the 1900s but disappeared and since then, wild ones only show up in small numbers.
I had a feeling you'd love the palm tree and blue-sky livery! It's quintessentially Floridian, it's one of my favorite liveries alongside the New Mexico Rail Runner (bonus points for the doors closing sound on the Rail Runner being the roadrunner from the Wile E. Coyote cartoons) and it really made the trains stand out! Interestingly, when Tri-Rail began operations, they had bi-levels in the GO livery! It's not because they were used or sold secondhand by GO, but rather that's just how they were newly delivered to Tri-Rail from the former Urban Transportation Development Corporation! They were only leased by GO for a short period of time
Opa-locka was founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss in 1926. Curtiss developed the city with a Moorish architecture theme, thus it has the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western Hemisphere! Opa-locka is an abbreviation of a Seminole place name, spelled Opatishawockalocka which means "wooded hummock" or "high, dry hummock". It's definitely one of the best station names in the world, one of my favorites alongside Hoyt-Schermerhorn, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Yaphank, and Ronkonkoma! Ronkonkoma on the LIRR comes from an Algonquian word that means "boundary fishing-lake", so when people say Lake Ronkonkoma, they're really saying Lake Boundary-fishing lake, kinda like how people say the Sahara Desert when Sahara means desert in Arabic! I just love Native American names in general because they sound so cool!
Since you rode a bus here too, in Miami and Cuba, the word for bus is guagua! This is also the word for bus in Puerto Rico and the Canary Islands, as many Canarians migrated (including my great grandmother) from the Canary Islands to Cuba and PR! The word guagua is an onomatopoeia stemming from the sound of a Klaxon horn. That terminal connector shuttle reminds me of the parking lot trams at the Disney parks! Disney World's parking lot trams were designed by Bob Gurr, originally designed to handle the steep grade of the Seven Seas Lagoon underpass while carrying so many people, though trams no longer use the underpass and just drop off guests at the TTC monorail/ferry station.
Onomatopoeias for the win. And I had no idea about the moorish stuff. I’d like to go back and see that.
This is the sort of thing that makes a difference in transit. It's not always flashy projects, but also projects that actually make multi modal transportation viable and convenient. Thanks!
I think it will be even better when through service commences
Since moving to Florida back in 1983, I've become aware of both Tri-Rail and later Sun-Rail, but never had the opportunity to ride either one. Thank you for sharing.
Definitely try them out just for the experience!
I never would have guessed that this train had such frequent service!!!!! I am wildly impressed.
I went to Miami in December 2019 and I never took Metrorail but I did take the people mover and it was convenient to get around between downtown Miami and Brickell (after I took the bus from Miami Beach to as close to Bayfront Park as I could). I did however take the 150 bus from Miami Beach to the airport which I took another train to get to the actual airport, I need to go back to Miami and take in the weather.
In all seriousness, Miami’s Metrorail needs to be expanded and that golf cart terminal shuttle is the most on-brand Florida thing I’ve ever seen.
I actually liked the people mover a lot! The golf cart would have been fun if I hadn’t been RUNNING to catch my flight 😅
@97nelsn Update: Miami has decided to expand Metromover across Biscayne Bay from downtown Miami to South Beach. Construction is expected to start towards the end of 2024. Also Metrorail will be expanded up to the Hard Rock stadium / Broward County line as well.
Great video of Tri-Rail and Metrorail. I am glad that Tri-Rail now serves Miami Central station now. I agree that the quality of the Tri-Rail Bombarider Bi Level cars could be much better.
I hope to try out the Rotem cars next time
Tri-Rail to me is another commuter rail service that’s perfect for the Stadler Flirt DMU trains
They actually used to have bilevel Colorado Railcar DMUs
I think that goes for any of the "bilevel cars + refurb F40PH or MP36" commuter lines, that combo has almost become synonymous with underwhelming US commuter railroads.
I can’t wait for your video about the Miami Metro Mover!!! That little train looks truly awesome!!! The Tri-Rail is an awesome transit option for the region too!!!
MetroMover feels like an urban roller coaster!
My fave transportation couple🚂❤️🚂 you guys’ll have to comeback if the proposed Chicago-Miami Amtrak line happens… 🤘🏻🚂🌴
It sucks that you got a old version of the train. The new ones have much better bathrooms, better seats and tables, and a better water tap as well. It surprises me how Tri-Rail still hasn’t stopped operating these old bad trains
I’ll just have to come back
Glad you rode our system! The metrorail is genuinely really nice and it’s very convenient for going downtown, just wish they built more lines. I used to go on tri rail as a kid, it wasn’t too dirty and there are the new hyundai rotem cars that are replacing the old bombardier ones thankfully. Our bus system is also pretty decent, really I just wish we could have some more especially with how big we are but at least we have what we have especially a commuter and metro system
How’s the new BRT coming along south of Metrorail?
@@Thom-TRA it’s coming along well! I drove by there recently the stations are pretty close to being completed and they got the railroad crossing gates in place. Hoping maybe by the end of the year they can have it running, will be a major change as the current brt is already separated from traffic but crossings slow it down with traffic lights.
@@Thom-TRA The "Busway" was actually going to be an extension of Metrorail all the way down to Homestead but those plans got cut back do to funding issues.
It's great to have you in South florida!
It worked for me!! Got me from Ft Lauderdale airport to Miami airport and back again both times to catch flights!!
Another great video. Here in South Florida, Brightline gets all of the attention, while Tri-Rail is vastly underrated. Yes, it's old and dirty-but many working-class folks use it, and it provides a great transfer to Miami Intl' airport. By the way, I NEVER take that golf cart thing at FLL...It's easier and probably quicker to walk!
The stickers on the pavement at FLL just ended so I had no idea where to walk!
I'm an Aussie from Sydney Australia who is vision impaired and cannot drive. About 8 years ago my sister was living in Pembroke Pines, Broward County Florida. I visited and wanted to do a day trip into Miami. It was going to take me 2.5 Hours for what is maybe a 45 minute drive. But being the Public Transport nerd I am i wanted to catch the Tri Rail. I caught an uber from Pembroke Pines to Hollywood Station which cut some time off rather slow Bus. It was at this moment that i realised how good Sydney's Public transport is. Is it the best? No! But its much better served than the Miami-West Palm Beach area which has over double the population. The Three counties just do not seem to talk to each other to privide good public transport to its less mobile residents. Back to my story...... I Arrived at Hollywood Station only to find no trains running....... Someone, Sadly had been hit by a train and the trains were not running between West palm beach and Golden Glades.......Buses will be replacing trains........ But by the time I had finished for the day I was able to catch the train all the way back to Hollywood.
I had no idea the population of south Florida was that much bigger than Sydney. I remember riding the Sydney trains back when I was 6 or 7 and really enjoying it. Also took the ferry from Dee Why and saw a whale!
That’s not a good comparison at all though, Sydney is one metro area but Miami and West Palm Beach are two distinct ones
@@mmrw nah they are definitely one conglomerated metro area
I would've never thought Sydney transpo would be that advanced, but as you stated, our metro system in South Florida is a mess. Also, you're right when you said, that it seems that none of the 3 counties collaborate together to devise a plan that would be more lucrative for all its residents. It just really makes us look bad and we're such a huge city, Miami. Thank you for your statement.
@@mmrw you wouldn't know they're different from driving up US1. They sprawl together, and the suggestion of a tri-county transit authority is a good one. I've been living in South Flotida since 1985, and I've lived and worked 8n all three counties.
3:32 someone sounds excited for some transfers!
Whoooooooh!!!
I think for $1 I took the #1 bus from Ft. Lauderdale Airport to Aventura Mall in north Dade County/North Miam Beach area and used my .25 transfer to get on the S bus or the #120 to South Beach. Took a while but great scenery and was relaxing and lots of nice people on the bus, also had time to eat at the Aventura Food Court.
Awesome video! I actually rode the tri rail Rotem type and it was amazing!
I’m sure it was much nicer!
For the past 2 years when I come to South Florida to visit, I fly into Miami and take Tri-Rail up to Delray Beach. It takes about 1.5 hours but it's really convenient and inexpensive. I don't have to worry about getting a ride to and from MIA. However, my only complaint is the 2 hour gap in service on Sunday night.
Yeah gaps are always annoying
Great video keep up the good work
Thanks, will do!
Being Florida residents, TriRail, MetroRail and MetroMover are on our radar. We have video trips planned to cover all 3 this year. Being from Orlando area we've covered Brightline and Sunrail a lot. If you come cover Sunrail let me know via IG, I'll ride with you.
Great video. Can't wait to see your MetroMover video. We've ridden it but had suitcases so didn't vlog. Next time
Suitcases definitely are an added challenge!
@@Thom-TRA yeah brightline to metromover to Brickell hotel
You covered the rail systems pretty good. I've lived in Miami most of my life and made transit my career as well as hobby so I've seen a lot of changes. The new Tri-Rail service is so great to see. Metrorail is trying to expand with an extension up 27th Avenue, as well as a separate commuter rail line along the Brightline tracks under development. But this town honestly is such a hot mess that I'll believe it when I see shovels turning.
"Please check your area..." is actually a post-9/11 relic, and when the old Budd cars were still around, the Operators would make that announcement over the PA. We had a lot of false alarms and scares due to people leaving bags behind and stuff.
The FLL Tri-Rail shuttle bus actually has a timetable (it's called route FLA1) and depending on the time, the bus leaves 5 minutes after one train arrives, or waits for both trains to arrive. It's grown a lot, up until maybe 10 years ago it was using cutaway vans that were too small for the job. I've done the FLL golf cart shuttle a couple times lol. Good video!
The announcer on the Metro Rail completely sounds like the announcer on the VTA light rail in San Jose
Many agencies use the same voice actors. There’s only so many people that do that job, so it could be!
@@Thom-TRA Interesting. Learned something new
It’s not even an actor, it’s a robotic voice called “Samantha” used by Clever Devices, the maker of the on board computers on the trains and buses.
@@TransitAndTeslas at least she has a name lol
Looking at those liveries, can't help but be reminded of a novelty kid-friendly mixed juice carton but, joy of joys, the vinyl wrap leaves the windows clear \m/
It should be a law to keep the windows clear
@@Thom-TRA begone, foul dots! \m/
I found this quite an interesting look into Miami's transit! I didn't know that the Miami International Airport had shuttle buses _and_ a "golf cart with trailers".
Thanks for the video!
Fort Lauderdale Airport was definitely an interesting experience…
FLL Airport should build a Airtrain from the Tri Rail Station to the FLL Airport and on to the Brightline Ft Lauderdale Station
The golf carts are at FTL,
@@JoeHusosky, thanks for the information!
Lol. You don't live in South Florida so your responses are okay. For those of us who live here and choose to use the trains... well, they are helpful but if there were more Metrorail lines for instance, getting around could be tolerable. As it is, the County called itself making public transportation better but the reality it is MUCH worse. I have used all the trains, including Brightline to Orlando. What I've really wanted to do is take the train from Chicago to San Francisco! That would be a fantastic opportunity to see the northern part of the US which I haven't seen. I've driven across the southern half, taking different routes, for easily 16 times. Thanks for your informative video!
Definitely take that train, I can highly recommend it!!
Almost forgot, big ups to you for using the timeless classic 1980s era block 'M' logo in your cover art. I don't mind the current 'M' logo as a marketing device, I just don't care for the era (post 2017) that it represents.
Thank You!
You're welcome!
oh i LOVE the little shuttle trailer vehicel
Surprised by the length and frequency. That's really cool.
I enjoyed that video👍👍
Thank you for this most enjoyable video ! I have used TRi-rail several times, and sadly the carriages have always been rather grubby and run-down. However, the frequency is excellent, and the service does operate very reliably. Hopefully there will be some new rolling stock soon, as the present stock does not give a good impression.
In complete contrast, I hope you can have a ride on Sun Rail in Orlando, That is a superb operation, and the trains are kept in good condition, and always very clean. Hopefully it won’t be too long before Sun Rail runs into Orlando International Airport, enabling easy interchange with Brightline !
The frequency was the biggest surprise to me when I first looked up the system!
SunRail is high on my list. It’s one of the few I haven’t done yet.
Great video, Miami native born and raised. I remember seeing the Metrorail, Metromover, and Tri-rail go from vision, construction, to operations. 🚃🚅
Must have been an exciting time!
Great video. I hope they soon get less polluting trains. Nice hybride stock would be a big step forward.
What’s wrong with thick black smoke? Just kidding!
1:53 Nice Catch on the 6-Pack, The System usually used 4 cars, but some used 6 cars
Many people on my Instagram told me it was rare to get a 6 car train
Another good video as always
Thank you thank you
Thom: the last time I rode Tri-Rail was ~12 years ago, on a nostalgia trip because I was moving my family to Madison, Wisconsin, and wanted to get a last trip in. I rode in car 507.
To call Tri-Rail “skanky” is to do the word “skanky” a disservice. To me, it looked like the train you were on hadn’t been cleaned since I left.
Now, Metrorail: at least they got the new cars rolled out, otherwise you would’ve been riding on the originals from 1984 that I rode on when I was 14.
We’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it was last cleaned the day after you left
Good fun, Thom!
Tri Rail is an interesting case when it comes to quality. It actually has a few different rolling stock models in service and unfortunately you were on the oldest one. Probably why a lot of stuff was so worn down they're likely just waiting for the carriages to give out. That's also why the aesthetic of the cars feel so "unrenovated beach hotel" and dated because well, that's what was contemporary at the time.
You can actually see some of the newer rolling stock as you pass by the yard at 6:30, all of the carriages without the slants on the ends or rivets all over the livery are the newer models that do feel a LOT more modern in comparison (even the water fountains seem drinkable!), though they do still have work to be done in all honesty.
Great video sir!
Tri-Rail train coaches are the same as GO Transit trains here in Canada.
Great vid. Don't remember you mentioning it Metro Mover is free, use it all the time going to events in down town, will park anywere on the MM system and use it to go the event. Tri-rail is $5 a day on the weekends, there are newer rolling stock, I have gotten lucky and only been on newer ones.
I’m doing a separate metromover video
Thom, Tri-Rail should also get Siemens Charger SC-44s having the same paint scheme as their new bilevel coach cars!!!
Those would look good
@@Thom-TRA I agree!!!
I agree, because MARC has SC-44
Great video!
Thank you!
Great video! I've always kind of liked Miami. It has a cool vibe and I always immediately notice that the Atlantic Ocean vibe is different than California's Pacific Ocean vibe.
It looks like Tri-Rail runs on the left in some parts, particularly at the station where you initially boarded "Transfer". The rest of it looked like it runs of the right. I call Chicago's UP-N Metra line the "wrong train" because it runs on the left otherwise I'll get on the right side platform instead of the "wrong" one.
I think my favorite commuter rail livery is New Mexico's Rail Runner with the big red road runner on the engine with its feathers flowing back on the train cars: "beep beep".
It's always disconcerting how American passenger railroads don't have the kind of self-respect, let alone the customer-respect, that you see in European or Asian railroads. It's like American railroads have a mission statement that says "Hey, you don't like filthy poorly maintained trains? You're lucky there's a train at all!" That ethic permeates almost all transportation infrastructure from rail transit, subways (Chicago's brand spanking new L cars are seriously outdated compared to other global metros), buses, Greyhound (compare Greyhound to Mexican long distance buses), to airlines (compare American to Emirates) and airports (fly into an airport like Singapore to see the difference). Most Americans don't travel overseas but when you do, you'll see how even much poorer countries have better transportation infrastructure than we do.
I was a little panicked when I got to the station because there were no signs saying which track would serve which direction. I ended up asking people waiting on the platform.
@@Thom-TRA No wayfinding? "You're lucky there's a train at all!" Haha
Atlanta MARTA has entered the chat…
I believe the UP-N line was once Chicago & Northwestern Railway, whose trains did run on the left track. It may have had to do with some British influence when it was built. Another theory has to do with the station layouts when a second track was added to the original single track.
I have always enjoyed the Tri-Rail. Yes their rolling stock could use some updates and a lot of their stations are not in the most convenient places. It is a shame they are changing the livery from the palm trees. I like how colorful they are and shows some character on the trains. The new stock looks a little generic. FLL is also one of my favorite airports to fly in and out of with some of the friendlier TSA agents working there.
FLL staff is friendly but the way finding was shockingly subpar
The big positive? people like it and use it. Trains are in bad shape? yes but for south Florida standards we ok with then for now
Cant wait for the metro mover video. City Council of Miami Beach just voted to deny access to the metro mover extension that would have connected Miami Beach to downtown Miami and that's absolutely insane!
So stupid of Miami Beach!
Those train cars look like the exact same ones I used to take to school in 2005. The only difference is they seem to have reupholstered the seats. Tri-rail has always been half useful for as long as I can remember… surprised it’s more or less the same, including the hours, besides the airport extension. Glad to be in Chicago now.
How long would your commute be?
Between the BCT 48 bus, tri rail, and BCT 22 bus.... sometimes 75-85 minutes! And it's florida, so any time spent waiting means you're covered in sweat. Do not miss it one bit, lol. Though they had some newer DMU's they used back then(maybe it was just an extended test period?) which were much nicer, don't know if they still have those!@@Thom-TRA
Just went to Miami the other month and I had a guy warn me at a Metrorail station to not ride Tri-Rail for fun. Now I see why lol. Great video Thom!
Don’t listen to that guy! It’s still an experience worth trying
@@Thom-TRAI second that. Tri-Rail is a fun ride.
wow i wanted to take tri- Rail
You still should!
As a south Floridian, it's still not practical for most people, as it's slow. They don't go to downtown areas, other than the new transfer line in Miami, and don't have any convenient way to get there from the west suburban side of Miami, Broward, or Palm Beach County. So you still have to take a ride-share app to the Tri-Rail, but then you might as well Uber to the airport if 2 or more people are going to split the Uber fare. As someone who lives in West Palm Beach currently, to get to the Miami Airport for an international flight, it takes 1 hour and 50 minutes, excluding the time it takes to get there unfortunately. And if you have a flight landing past 6 pm on a weekend, they only have 8:52 pm train. It's still quicker than a layover from PBI to Atlanta or JFK, and much cheaper, however, it's just not entirely convenient for a majority of people in south Florida. We need more west to east and back lines.
There's one potential train in Wellington being considered after they do testing next year.
Tri-Rail cars originally were painted like GO transit cars.
Quite the different climate lol
That is because most of the train cars Tri-Rail uses were bought from GO Transit!
@@xoxxobob61 They weren't bought from GO transit but were built to GO transit specs.
Another "lets buy some bilevel cars and some refurb F40PHs and start a commuter railroad" commuter railroad. Between this and 90s era Siemens light rail systems I call those the two biggest glaring monuments to 90s era "there we did a transit" transit systems. Bonus points if they upgraded the locomotives to MP36s haha. I will give credit where it's due though, they do have service to both major airports in the area. It took RTD until 2016 to build a train to the airport in Denver. Though the RTD commuter rail is quite nice and really needs to be expanded.
Though, to be fair, trirail has been more successful than some of those other half-baked transit systems
That golf cart terminal connector seems very bizarre. Reminds me of the parking lot trams at Disney World 😂. Fun fact, Miami metro’s original Budd cars (now retired) are identical to the ones still in use on Baltimore’s subway. That’s because the two systems were constructed at the same time and they shared a joint order with Budd for their cars. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Metromover!
I live so close to Baltimore and still have never ridden their subway! I’m sorry, I mean their Metro SubwayLink…
@@Thom-TRA Haha I can’t get used to that new name. It’s a decent line for what it is, but unfortunately the rest of the planned subway system never got built so it doesn’t have very good coverage. A couple of the downtown stations are very overbuilt because they were intended to be transfer points to other metro lines. I believe Baltimore’s OG Budd cars are due to be replaced with the same Hitachi cars that Miami currently has.
I went to Deerfield Beach in January
Nice
Well Tri-Rail is an alternative 2 i-95 and that Tri-Rail trains I've been upgraded and renovated because those libraries are over 10 years old yes travel amenities are not good because majority of the tribal stations do not have restrooms and the only ones that have restrooms is the ones who share their stations with Amtrak travel is one of the best commuter train services in South Florida and it's way much cheaper than white line and has far more stops because brightline is supposed to be an Express service and yes most stations are difficult to deal with and to get to but it is a nice cost efficient train service
There's a lot of paper in that first Miami ticket machine presumably receipts people don't want and I bet that some people grab a piece of the paper thinking it's their ticket.
I’ve done that on NJT before
I noticed the rebuilt F40PH propelling your train (personally, I prefer any of Tri-Rail's older locomotives over the newer Brookville BL36PH, although I'm not a fan of the new livery). Around a year ago, I made a video about the history of Tri-Rail's first locomotives; the unusual Morrison-Knudsen F40PHL-2. They were built using shortened ex-Burlington Northern F45 bodies on the frames of ex-ConRail GP40s.
As for the state of the Bi-Level coaches, that certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Even so, I'd love to see Tri-Rail or SunRail in Train Sim World some day (preferably the latter because their locomotives are so weird).
Interesting, I’ll have to watch that. I had no idea tri-rail locomotives were anything special. I just know they had the bilevel DMUs a while ago.
Awesome 💯 🔥 Greetings from Palm Beach Florida 😎
Enjoy the sunny weather for us over there!
@@Thom-TRA Will do my guy! 🌴 😎
I’ve never been that far south in Florida but I’d like to check out the transit systems there. I’ve heard all about them.
Check them out and then time to fly back home!
You bet!
1:14 Is that Lindsey’s voice?
Also this is Harrison again, I changed my channel name
Yes, it’s Lindsey’s voice!
👍👍👍
Tom, if you visit Orlando take a ride on Sun Rail
Someday!
I think the reason it doesn't have extremely high ridership is because the roads are too acceptable and stations are hard to get to
“Unrenovated beachside motel” - you have a great way of describing stuff! 😂
I’m vying for poet laureate so I can recite my stuff at the next presidential inauguration lol
You got unlucky with the older cars. Tri-Rail also operates with more modern Hyundai cars which are a lot cleaner, nicer, and the AC and bathrooms are much better.
Also a problem that is reslly annoying as a daily rider is just how often Tri-Rail is behind schedule. Sometimes they straight up cancel certain trains without warning and I would say that about half of the time the trains are more than 5 minutes late. It's especially a problem when having to get tight connections with the bus routes that only run once every half an hour or even once an hour, I've lost my bus a couple of times because of it.
Yeah, that is annoying
FYI, MetroRail has been tap to pay for quite a while. The Intermodal Center has been ready for close to 10 years but Amtrak is to incompetent to figure out how to back up a train.
That grade crossing just before Opa-Locka (7:30) is my biggest pet peeve with rail - there should be no reason to stop parallel traffic!
What are you talking about? If you look, there’s an Traffic light there. It just happens to be on a red at the same time that train is passing.
Brightline shuttle to the FLL airport is easier.
Since the tracks that Tri-Rail uses are state owned, it seems like electrification should be considered for the future.
Actually the tracks are own by CSX
@@R262SubwayTrain The tracks are owned by the FDOT, CSX just maintains and dispatches them.
As for the possibility of electrification... Sadly, because of South Florida being a big hurricane prone area, I don't think electrification is possible as cables will just fall if a hurricane hits and Im sure no one wants to take the bill for that.
And also it is Florida lol. I’m not gonna pretend that it isn’t a miracle there already is such a “good” system in place
@@viewlinersthey’ll just have to use BEMUs
@@viewliners I don't know about the hurricanes... Most major power lines are fine during hurricanes. I think the biggest barrier is acquiring the funding to build them in the first place. CSX doesn't run double stacks in the first place so I doubt that it would affect them much. The freight traffic is mostly limited to gravel trains.
Thanks for your videos. I live In northern NJ & considered last year for Thanksgiving taking that train that carries cars when you take a sleeper. It would have cost almost $1,500.00 & it only goes from VA to Orlando. Do you have any thoughts? I have a house in Delray Beach. Also, I was looking to take an express train from Boca Raton to Miami but was not sure how easy it would be to go from Miami station to the beach or downtown but it seems that the Metro Mover might be the answer. Any suggestions? I really liked your video on the Metro Mover. Terry
You have to see if you are willing to drive that distance, and how much lodging, gas plus food would cost otherwise if you would drive yourself.
Who knows when Amtrak will serve the airport, a very big problem is trains are too long and complaints about blocking roads includung back roads inti the rental car center.
It’s crazy to me that an airport station would have so many crossings. Wouldn’t it be better if Amtrak just went to Miami Central?
@@Thom-TRAhere's why it is so screwed up.
When the metro rail was built, it never went to the airport. When the Tri-Rail was built it never went to Miami international airport. The original Tri-Rail station at the airport was just a single platform on one single track and a shuttle bus went to the airport not the people mover. It was just a primitive station like the Hialeah Market station.
When they built the intermodal center decades later for the Tri-Rail, metro rail, city buses, Greyhound and Amtrak, Amtrak was never consulted with by the State of Florida. This is not the first time there's been a screw up like that.
One of the metro rail stations they screwed up and didn't put the roof high enough for the train because they went for a curved look, I believe it was the palmetto station.
Even though there is an Amtrak station at the intermodal Center, Amtrak can't use it They would have to close 4 roads including 1 used by emergency vehicles, the back roads to the car rental center and city buses wouldn't be able to get into the intermodal center neither would Greyhound because they would have to block all of those roads to load and unload Amtrak.
@@Thom-TRA here's why it's all screwed up. When the metro rail was originally built it never went to the airport, when the Tri-Rail was originally built it was just a single platform with one or two benches and a shuttle bus to the airport. There was no people mover from the train station to the airport.
The Miami intermodal Center was built decades later.
It was built for the rental car center, metro rail, Tri-Rail, Greyhound, city buses, Amtrak and charter buses.
When it was built the State of Florida never consulted with Amtrak. This is not the first time for lack of communication. One of the metro rail stations they built too low and the trains couldn't get into the station and they had to delay opening the station for 6 months.
Amtrak won't be able to use the airport station, when an Amtrak train comes in they will have to close four roads, those roads are back roads to the rental car center, one road is used by emergency vehicles and city buses wouldn't be able to get into the bus terminal.
The state of Florida now says it is too expensive to elevate the tracks for Amtrak like they did the tracks downtown for bright line.
So it is just going to sit there empty.
The original Tri-Rail and MetroRail systems never went to the airport, they were built decades later.
Amtrak was never consulted with when the intermodal station was built.
For Amtrak to use the station, four roads would have to be closed including one used by emergency vehicles and buses would not be able to get into the bus terminal.
Florida now says it's too expensive to elevate tracks near the airport for Amtrak.
That's why it's just sitting there.
@@joecmillerify Actually that was FDOT's screw up because their Engineers didn't take into account the length of the AMTRAK trains when designing the Intermodal station outside of Miami's Airport. They could close down NW 25th. street but the Car Rental companies had a fit!
I had no idea Florida had so many useful train lines, other than just the Brightline which has been in the national news so much. That's surprising, but also great. To me, beach communities should be places where you can walk everywhere and not need a car at all, so these intercity and airport connections could really help a car-free life down there.
I’m looking forward to the new commuter rail line that will be closer to the coast
✌🏾
Loved the video - it's a shame you got the Bombardier Bi-Levels. All cars, and engines, suffer from issues that either came from factory/rebuilding or due to the lack of maintenance that Tri-Rail does.
There are some cleaner Bombardier cars that I've had the pleasure of using and some that, just make me ashamed of the system. The Rotems are a lot more clean and the bathrooms are a lot bigger AND cleaner compared to the aging Bombardiers. Sadly, those are not well kept either and have a lot of flat spots throughout the wheels which causes a very bumpy ride. The cars getting the new schemes don't even have an interior update and just keep the same interior as before.
Hopefully, with the planned purchasing of new engines and coaches, they will be more well kept maintenance wise but who knows at this point. As someone who uses the system almost weekly to get to Deerfield Beach to run trains on Saturdays at the South Florida Railway Museum, it's a very big shame that most of these cars are not very clean and probably deter many possible passengers or future riders.
Hopefully this doesn't deter you from riding again in the future - and possibly trying the Rotems - if you ever come back into Miami!
It takes a lot more than a dirty toilet to deter me! I’d love to come back. I love the Rotem cars on Metrolink so I’d be interested to compare them to the Tri-Rail ones.
There a Commuter Rails that got clean Bombardier Bi-Level such as Coaster, ACE, GO, and Northstar. I think it's better Rebuilding the Coaches like what Coaster, ACE, and GO did
Thank you! I.never knew this service even existed....A line like that should have been electrified decades ago (but I do understand the love-hate relationship the United States has with transit)... Keep up the good work!
Too bad the new metro trains didn't feature open gangways, especially when Hitachi Italy is easily capable of doing it
I don’t get it. If there’s already a MetroRail line with a direct transfer station, what’s the point of the new shuttle service?
It’s fare integrated and also it will eventually be extended to the entire line
Exactly, the extension was very much needed and gives Tri-Rail the boost it needs in its ambitions@@Thom-TRA
Tri rail have free wi fi ? ❤
A "transfer station" is the technical term for a place you drop garbage off at. Is this a statement against Floridians? I must say I really love the palm tree livery, it looks especially classy on the old riveted Bombardier coaches... even if the interiors resemble a 2-star motel. I like the bike rack arrangement since the ones I'm used to on Metrolink require people to stack their bikes on top of each other, which is confusing for coordinating who is getting off at which stop. Those airport shuttles remind me of the old Disneyland parking lot trams, which once caused me to vomit from the noxious diesel fumes as a kid.
Noxious diesel fumes mixed with a day’s worth of Disneyland sweets, I’m sure!
@@Thom-TRA Actually we didn't even make it into the park that day because the line was too long or something, so it was twice disappointing
Too many empty seats. The love with cars and traffic is infinite. Regarding the old, smelly trains, it's time for some new Stadler trains!
When I lived in South FL in the 1990's, the Tri-Rail cars were used GO's from Toronto. Looks like whatever they "upgraded" to wasn't much better after a few years of lackadaisical maintenance...
Toronto GO cars, the original snowbirds
:( I hate that Homestead still doesnt have a connection to dadeland... we really could make miami great.///
I think if we do that and make some affordable lots like we do on the lower areas, that could bring the economy on the suburbs to actually profit T_T not only that but giving many impoverished citizens that don't have car access to be able to take on jobs they don't due to lack of civilian infrastructure
Did you went to Miami for business trip
No to ride Brightline
you 3 service go to miami.
Was your engine in the new livery?
It isn't.
It’s a newer livery I believe but not the new new one
Why no through ticketing?
Idk tbh
I'm honestly surprised DeSantis hasn't come after the tiny bits of public transit Florida still has...
As long as nobody tells him transit is “woke” it should be fine
TRI RAIL F40PH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks good in the blue
Absolutely disgusting train conditions, and the fact that you have to take a train 20 minutes west just to be able to get to FLL is convoluted. I don’t care how cheap it is, it’s never going to be a viable option for professionals that want the option to commute via rail.
Tri Rail is great but needs either new bombardier bi level cars or the Stadler Flirts 4 car trains.
your witty criticisms remind me a bit of the CNSR's reviews th-cam.com/video/jIYjGNq9zO8/w-d-xo.html lol i wonder what your vids would look like with some funny editing and beats. this was cool. i didn't expect to want to visit Miami - I don't like hot climates, but between this and Brightline I might have to go peep it for an event or something
Well if I inspired someone to travel then I consider that a job well done! Thanks for commenting