The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday outlined specific projects Miami-Dade Transit will finance with federal stimulus money.

The money is part of $18.3 million in federal stimulus funds for transit projects statewide. About $2.8 million will go to Miami-Dade Transit for an overhaul of the Bicentennial Park Metromover station in Miami, a pilot project that would eventually bring free Internet access for passengers riding Metrorail and improvements on the Metrorail track.

MODERNIZE

``We're thrilled and grateful to receive this much-needed federal stimulus funding,'' said Miami-Dade Transit Director Harpal Kapoor. ``These funds will allow us to further modernize and upgrade our transit system to improve the riding experience for all our customers.''

The funds will also help support the eventual implementation of Wi-fi access to the Internet for passengers on Metrorail platforms.

The projects are part of a program to upgrade the Metrorail system.

Earlier this year, Miami-Dade transit officials said they expected to receive more than $65 million for transit projects in the county.

More than $4 billion in grants for transit services throughout the nation have been made available since President Barack Obama signed the stimulus money bill earlier this year.

SOFT LAUNCH

Separately, Miami-Dade Transit on Friday outlined steps to implement its new EASY Card system. The card will have a ``soft launch'' on Sunday, the agency said, with the installation of ``faregates'' at the Government Center Metrorail station.

Transit officials said the new system will be more convenient for passengers who will no longer have to wait in line every month to obtain a transit pass.

Metrobuses have been equipped with card fareboxes.

More than 152,000 Golden Passport, Patriot Passport and paratransit customers are now using EASY Cards with photo IDs, according to the transit agency.

``The soft launch allows us to continue to monitor and test the system before we go 100 percent online,'' Kapoor said.

EASY Card installation has been completed at 16 of Metrorail's 22 stations.

Of those 16, three stations -- Hialeah, Northside and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza -- are now fully operational.

Installation is under way at the five remaining Metrorail stations: Civic Center, Brickell, Dadeland North, Dadeland South and Tri-Rail.

The EASY Card automated fare collection system will automatically deduct passenger fares from a rechargeable ``smart'' or debit-style card embedded with a computer chip, eliminating paper transfers and reducing the system's vulnerability.

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