If you think a heaven-sent grant of $389.5 million to finish funding 13.5-mile commuter rail from downtown Miami to Aventura means you’ll hop aboard soon, take a deep breath: even if all goes as planned, the first ride is eight years away. That’s five years later than the original plan even as the cost has risen from $538 million to $927.3 million, supposedly the final figure.  While we hail the federal grant plus $200 million from the state and the vital rail service that they’ll bring, gaps remain in a complex project involving multiple businesses and three counties in what is intended to someday be an 85-mile commuter line. Among questions: what delayed startup, who will control the system, what kinds of trains will we get, and what will the line be named?  Then come four big issues the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust raised: who will operate the trains, will they run often enough to meet riders’ needs, what will we pay to ride, and how do we fill in a huge gap between stations? It was because of the federal grant that the first ride suddenly was pushed five more years into the future, the transportation trust learned. “Originally we had a very aggressive schedule,” county transportation planner Gabriella Serrado said in a briefing, “and after meeting with the FTA [Federal Transit Administration] they basically told us ‘You’ve got to slow down.’” One reason, said Ms. Serrado, is that trains are hard to get. Ordering and manufacturing, she said, “is taking six years right now. So even if we got all of our ducks in a row, even if we were able to pull this off, we would still need to wait for the rolling stock [trains] to come in no matter what.” Instead, she said, the FTA told the county to use more time to design the system right and coordinate with all involved in the regional network planned for a ride from Miami-Dade up to Palm Beach County. The south end of a Broward line is to run soon after the Miami-Dade leg, followed by north Broward and then Palm Beach. So, who controls the Miami-Dade segment?  “We’re working jointly with Broward County to release our request for information. That is to assess the market condition about the capabilities and who’s out there interested in being able to run the system,” said Ms. Serrado. “Obviously, Tri-Rail … is the current agency here, but we want to assess whether there is anybody else out there in the marketplace that wants to and is capable of doing this.” Following that, she said, by March an operating agency will be chosen. Asked by trust member Paul Schwiep who will make that choice and whether Broward and Palm Beach will both be at the table, Ms. Serrado said Miami-Dade and Broward alone will choose. Mr. Schwiep seemed startled that publicly owned Tri-Rail isn’t the definite operator from the get-go but that others will be considered. That seems to open the door to private Brightline, although Ms. Serrado said later that “Brightline targets a particular segment of our population. It is not meant to be for the average user. That is the hope, that we will bring an alternative transit choice that is reliable.” The Miami-Dade line will have 20 cars – four locomotives, 12 passenger coaches and four cabs –  says a memo from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. They’ll run in seven-car trains when the system goes to two counties, said Ms. Serrado, with four of the bi-level cars coming from Miami-Dade’s line, three from Broward’s, and an eighth car for breakdowns. Now, the name: the mayor calls it the Coastal Link, but that’s an open issue. “This will need to be branded as something separate,” said Ms. Serrado. “We don’t want it to be branded as part of Tri-Rail,” and branding talks are ongoing with Broward. “Maybe there is an agreement that for the time being it’s going to be branded Miami-Dade Transit and then once Broward comes in we do a full rebrand.” Then come the big questions that transportation trust members, thankfully, raised for the public: train frequency, cost, and the missing station. The mayor’s memo says commuter trains are to run every 30 minutes in weekday rush hours and otherwise hourly, but it doesn’t note that the twice-hourly rush hour trips to bring workers to downtown Miami last only from 6 to 9 a.m. and the evening rush service homeward is 3 to 7 p.m. That may be the historic rush hour, but it’s not enough in today’s world. Trust Chairman Robert Wolfarth, who led a failed effort to extend rush hour service for rapid transit buses on the forthcoming South Dade Transitway, tried again for expanded peak service on the Northeast Corridor rail line. “I personally don’t think that there is an off-peak anymore, particularly if you go up I-95 or Biscayne Boulevard US 1 or try to maneuver any north-south direction at all. Sixty-minute off-peak hours – I’m not sure that completely solves the issue of mass transit,” said Mr. Wolfarth, whose trust is to provide the rail line $337.8 million in transit taxes, money the trust hasn’t yet formally signed over. That should make trust concerns pivotal. “You’re right,” said Ms. Serrado, “in our region, work trips have changed so much, the concept of what a workday is. So, this is just like that initial baseline of how we can start, and then obviously we’ll continue to assess with our regional partners if we have the ability to increase.” That increase should come before trains roll, not as a future hope. If you think traffic is bad today, think what population growth plus new construction will add in eight years. As for fares, an issue trust member Miguel Murphy raised, inflation will obviously factor into the total by 2032, as will aims of the line’s operator. Ms. Serrado said the county transit system seeks fares not radically different from today’s. We won’t know the real cost for years. Finally, the station void: between two of the seven stations on the 13.5-mile line sits a 6-mile span with no stops. “There is a huge gap between 61st and 121st streets,” Mr. Wolfarth pointed out, “and so, right in between them is the little municipality of El Portal,” where 16 acres are going to auction parallel to the rail line. “I think there is a tremendous opportunity to work together with whoever the future developer is and get that Miami Shores-El Portal train station, maybe not initially, but we want to hear there is some flexibility so we could add a train [station] where necessary.” “We know that there is a gap,” said Ms. Serrado. “We know that there is demand there. We understand that we need to figure out a way in the future to move forward,” both there and to add other stations. The bottom line is that though the county expects to finish 60% of design by March, it should listen to both federal and public concerns and not lock in such key elements as train schedules and frequency too early.  Eight years before operation, how have they already decided rush hour ends at 9 a.m.? It’s OK as engineering but, as Mr. Wolfarth points out, that’s at the expense of need. The aim should not be just a railroad that runs well, but one that works best for users. Public rail service is supposed to be public service. Good as this added transit sounds, don’t punch your ticket yet. Related Posts:Biden budget funds Northeast Miami-Dade rail startupGame-changing grant bringing Tri-Rail one-third new…Tri-Rail working to bring one-seat service downtownTri-Rail transfers to get downtown won’t disappear soonFinal US OK will bring Tri-Rail to downtown Miami in…The post A Northeast rail line is good, one that serves users is better appeared first on Miami Today.