Tri-Rail’s one-seat weekday express, launched July 1, has been regularly achieving a 100% on-time performance and ridership is growing, reports Victor Garcia, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority public affairs director. The express leaves West Palm Beach at 6:30 a.m., stopping at Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale Airport and Metrorail Transfer, arriving at MiamiCentral at 8:05 a.m. The return trip departs MiamiCentral at 5:35 p.m., makes the same stops and arrives at West Palm Beach at 7:05 a.m. The new express averaged 175 daily passengers in its first week, growing to 270 on week four, more than a 54% increase. Use of the express service on the three-county government-owned rail line continues to increase, Mr. Garcia told Miami Today, averaging 240 daily passengers in July, 320 in August, 335 in September and 385 daily in the first week and a half of October. The remainder of shuttle trains are averaging about 200 people a day in total and have not seen much increase since the start of the express service, Mr. Garcia said. “We plan to monitor the schedule for a year before considering any changes,” he added. Miami Today reported in August that in May 2015, directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority voted to spend $1.3 million over three years to support an extension of Tri-Rail that would bring commuters directly into the city core, part of the multi-pronged funding path to bring the service downtown. In 2022 the transportation authority announced plans to extend Tri-Rail to provide direct service from its northernmost station at Mangonia Park, in Palm Beach County, to Miami Central Station. The route provides a one-seat ride, 68-mile run. Related Posts:Tri-Rail working to bring one-seat service downtownTri-Rail chugging toward tri-county express tripsTri-Rail ready to load in downtown MiamiFinal US OK will bring Tri-Rail to downtown Miami in…Tri-Rail tweaks schedules for new downtown Miami serviceThe post Tri-Rail express to downtown Miami booms appeared first on Miami Today.