Miami-Dade County shelves monorail plans in favor of expanded Metromover for Baylink

Nov. 4, 2022

The community-preferred alternative will deliver a one-ride option at lower capital costs.

Miami-Dade County will explore expanding its Metromover to provide a one-seat ride for the planned Baylink transit corridor.

Miami-Dade County has shelved a planned monorail project to connect Miami to Miami Beach, opting for an expanded Metromover one-seat solution for the corridor, also known as Baylink. The county reports expanding Metromover is the community-preferred option due to its familiarity and potential to fully integrate with the existing county transit system. The county also explains the alternative will make Miami-Dade transit more efficient and accessible while saving millions in public money.

An analysis conducted by Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) indicated that an extension of the county’s existing Metromover system to Miami Beach would provide the greatest rider experience and create the highest overall value.

“My administration is committed to providing our residents with innovative transit solutions that better connect residents to jobs and opportunity while delivering maximum value to taxpayers,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “I have always supported a one-seat ride for Baylink, and I’m proud that we are now moving forward with a seamless extension of the Metromover to provide the best experience to residents and visitors at a significantly lower cost.”

In October 2020, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved an interim agreement with MBM Partners, LLC (MBM), granting the right to negotiate a comprehensive 30-year project agreement to develop and maintain a monorail system connecting Miami to Miami Beach. Due to significant increases in proposed costs over the course of the negotiating period, the interim phase ended without an agreement, allowing the county to pursue a more cost-effective, convenient, one-seat alternative.

“When monorail was first proposed, the previous administration presented it as a solution that could save hundreds of millions of dollars over Metromover. In the recent negotiations, however, the price ballooned to $1.3 billion,” said District 5 Commissioner Eileen Higgins. “We now believe we can get what the residents want – a one-seat ride between downtown and the beach by extending our existing Metromover – at a lower cost. That’s why we’ve decided expanding the Metromover is the best option.”

An analysis conducted by Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) indicated that an extension of the county’s existing Metromover system to Miami Beach would provide the greatest rider experience and create the highest overall value. Extending the Metromover system offers users a one-seat ride from any Metromover station to Miami Beach and back, connecting Baylink to Metrorail and eliminating the need for riders to transfer while maintaining comparable travel times.

“Providing a high-quality transit solution that take residents and visitors between Miami’s urban core, Miami Beach and the economic engines of Miami International Airport and PortMiami is critical to creating a thriving, more resilient Miami-Dade,” said DTPW Director and CEO Eulois Cleckley. “This one-seat ride will connect more riders to more parts of our county through a convenient and continuous Metromover expansion.”

Miami-Dade County will release a competitive solicitation for the Metromover extension in coming weeks, utilizing much of the predevelopment work completed under the original interim agreement. DTPW staff will work to advertise, evaluate and negotiate the new solution by October 2023, facilitating an accelerated delivery with project design commencing in 2024, construction beginning in 2025 and operations anticipated by 2029. The proposed timeline will deliver a more rider-friendly, cost-effective solution in a similar timeframe to that of the originally pursued monorail solution.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.