Tri-Rail shutting down late-night train service for downtown and Miami airport

The idea sounded plausible enough: Run late-night Tri-Rail trains to and from downtown Miami and Miami International Airport to serve swing-shift workers, late-night revelers and air travelers who arrive after sundown.

But a pilot program started last year by South Florida’s publicly subsidized commuter line failed to draw enough riders to justify the service, a spokesman confirmed this week. The trains will stop running effective June 30. The affected segments include southbound trains after 9 p.m., and northbound trains after midnight.

MORE: Tri-Rail has made two recent changes. What to know if you ride the train

“The discontinued trains ran for the last year as a pilot program to gauge demand for late night service,” Vince Sciullo, project manager for public affairs, said in an email. “Unfortunately, due to low ridership we could not justify continuing to run the service at this time.”

Go to SunSentinel.com for the full story.