Bus and Metrorail service suspended in Miami-Dade County with high winds in forecast
Miami-Dade County decided early Wednesday morning to suspend service for buses, Metrorail trains and vehicle rides for people with disabilities as peak winds from Hurricane Ian get closer to South Florida.
Transit services had been spared Tuesday morning when Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced plans to close libraries, parks and other county offices Wednesday morning, and the school system said rain and winds from Ian would also make it too hazardous to get children to school during the storm.
READ MORE: As Hurricane Ian floods streets, Miami-Dade County closing parks, libraries and courts
Eulois Cleckley, Miami-Dade’s director of Transportation and Public Works, said at the time the agency wasn’t ready to announce service changes because forecasts weren’t calling for sustained 39 mph winds.
That’s the threshold for a tropical storm and the trigger for suspended transit services. “We will continue to monitor the storm, and make the proper decisions to make sure our passengers are safe,” Cleckley said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center placed Miami-Dade under a tropical storm warning, meaning forecasts showed sustained tropical-storm winds were likely for the area.
At 1:27 a.m. Wednesday, Miami-Dade issued a news release announcing the temporary suspension, effective at 1 a.m.
Broward County has not announced changes to its transit schedule for Hurricane Ian, as of 5:20 a.m. Wednesday.
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 6:24 AM.