Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach counties are unable to sustain their financial contributions to Tri-Rail, so weekend service will end and major cuts made to daily service.
Board members of South Florida Regional Transportation Authority approved a draconian budget for Tri-Rail: "reducing service from 50 trains daily to 30, ending weekend and holiday runs and completely shutting down the system by early 2011."
"Officials also disclosed that the Federal Transit Administration is threatening to demand the return of $256 million Tri-Rail used for adding a second track -- if service is cut below 48 trains a day."
Ironically, the fiscal crunch hits as the train is capturing new riders with hopes for expansion.
The commuter train serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties has seen its ridership double in the past three years, and plans include extending it to Martin County, if funds can be found.
"This is the first time in the system's 20-year history that officials are seriously considering ending the service -- formally started in 1989."
"Counties were planning to reduce contributions to the required minimums of about $4.2 million per county -- instead of the $7 million per county under existing levels.
''The counties will no longer be funding this agency at the same level,'' said Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, who also serves as chairman of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. "That's what the problem is.''
Thanks to Bay Area Transportation News
FULL STORY: Board OK's Tri-Rail cuts but requests new proposal
Commuter Rail Service Between Miami and Palm Beach County Moving Forward
New service connecting Miami and Palm Beach is expected to add 2,000 riders to the Tri-Rail system.
South Florida Commuter Rail Tops Pre-Pandemic Ridership
The Tri-Rail service connects Miami to Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Miami Doubling Down On Rapid Transit
Autonomous vehicles replacing fixed transit may be on the minds of many in the transportation world, but that's not stopping cities from upgrading and building around their transit lines.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)