Tri-Rail

Upon the advice of a friend I return a rental car at the Miami Airport and took the Tri-​Rail to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. At the Miami Airport the train pulls up right at the terminal. Several stops later you’re right next to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Now you do have to take a short bus ride to the terminal… but there’s no charge for this. It was my first time riding a real train. It was very interesting and the train was a double decker. I was surprised to find out that there was free Wi-​Fi on the train. Cost of riding the train between the two airports is just a few dollars midweek. I’d definitely do this again should I need to get between the two airports. Besides, you can’t beat the price and you can avoid rush hour traffic.

The most unreliable system on the planet. As a regular user it has come down to having to give a poor review because of constant delays and cancellations due to mechanical error. Florida needs to address this but continue not to. Overall customer service is unacceptable. So many people rely on these trains to get to the airport but the lack of care and concern for travellers is just way too consistent.
If you are intent on wasting a lot of time to get where you want to go, then fine take your chances.

I have been living in Florida for many years and this is the first time that I’ve used the tri-​rail. I have to say it was very clean and straightforward… literally. You can purchase tickets at the kiosk or by machines located at the station. The have weekday and weekend prices. I took the train from Dania Beach all the way up to Magonia Park for $ 5. There was plenty of parking and seating. Bathrooms are available on the train as well. The trains however only come about once an hour so I had to deduct a star. I wish they were a bit more frequent than that.

I’m actually very surprised that South Florida doesn’t have more of a public transit presence than it does. I understand that since you can’t build trains underground since you’re at or just above sea level, it would restrict you. Tri-​Rail is the red headed step child of the NY subway or DC metro, since those trains are a primary mode of millions of people every day and are designed for speed to do so. Since Tri-​Rail can only go above ground, it’s considered light rail for starters, and it’s definitely not as much of a primary transit method for Floridians.
I used Tri-​Rail when I had a red eye flight come into MIA rather than my usual airport of FLL at 0730 on a Sunday morning. Not surprisingly, none of my friends jumped at the chance to get up that early to drive 45 minutes to come get me. Oh well. I looked into it and one way tickets were cheap but trains left MIA only once an hour. I decided to go for it and if I missed it I would über it. From the insanely large terminal you have to take the tram over to the station and then down to the platform. There is a separate train system called Miami metro rail that I didn’t know about-that’s confusing and you could get on the wrong one.
I almost missed the train, but the conductor was awesome and helped me with the fare card machine because it was being a pain and wouldn’t take my card. I’ve worked countless of these machines in NY and DC but had no idea which zone I was in, so he gets two thumbs up, and also for not leaving me behind. The ride was fairly smooth and quiet. Every time the train passes a railroad crossing it will use the typical «choo choo» sound as an alert which is pretty loud though.
There were about 6 – 7 stops between MIA and FLL, which is where I got off, and then got an über home from there as it was just a stones throw away. The ride all in All on the train was about 30 – 40 minutes. Not bad but it may depend based on the fact that it was the weekend. Again, this seems glacially slow for anybody used to trains going at subway speeds of 60 – 70 mph, but I got from A to B for cheap.

We took the Tri Rail several years ago and loved it. However, yesterday, we rode from FLL to West Palm Beach and it was terrible. The train made awful noises, bucked from front to back and from side to side. It felt as if we were going to derail at any time. I didn’t throw up, but I was very close. Horrible!

Why can’t we have something like this in Portland, OR? Seats were comfortable and it was cool how there were double levels. I will say that the rail map is confusing and this is coming from a skilled public transit rider. I actually ended up buying the wrong tickets BACK to Fort Lauderdale because the machines just confused the hell outta me. Otherwise, I’m pretty excited for when we go back, it’s much more affordable than a cab.

Pretty good example of how public transport should be. Just know that trains are a bit inconsistent with time and the older train cards are a bit NYC subway ish vs the newer ones with an abundance of power plugs and tables for laptops etc

I love a train. Especially one with a great view of exactly how well you are beating the highway congestion. This trip ifs cheap and has free graffiti tour & occasional wildlife sighting throw in.
Demerits for poor coordination with the airport shuttle (unknown on whose side the problem lies but the schedule is STUPID) and because there are appear to be no bathroom and no concessions.
Bonus points for upper level, seats facing both ways & some work tables.

This tri rail station is one of the more easily accessible that I’ve been to down here in S.Florida. They have a manned ticket booth, which is unheard of at other area stations and it’s the only one I’ve been to that doesn’t require you to go up an elevator or escalator to get to the other side. Well organized and staffed. Overall a great station to go out of.