Brightline and Miami-Dade break ground on an Aventura station near the mall
Leaders from Miami-Dade County and Brightline broke ground on a train station in the Aventura area on Thursday, the next planned stop for the high-profile express service.
The $76 million station was approved by county elected officials last October as part of a plan to expand access to the service most recently known as Virgin Trains. Brightline said in August it was seeking to terminate its relationship with the Richard Branson-led group.
The station, which will connect with Aventura Mall at the 19800 block of West Dixie Highway via a pedestrian footbridge, is expected to be completed in fall 2021. The site includes 240 parking spaces and a bus drop-off for Miami-Dade Transit passengers. Zyscovich is the architect of record, and construction will be managed by Lemartec.
Brightline will provide express service during the peak morning and evening weekday travel periods, as well as hourly trips when service begins. Miami-Dade County will offer subsidized fares for a percentage of riders between Aventura and the MiamiCentral station downtown. Trip time between downtown Miami and Aventura is expected to take 15 minutes. Additional stations remain planned for Boca Raton and PortMiami.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Thursday the expansion represents the next step in the county’s SMART Plan for expanding transportation access. The station is being paid for through the county’s half-penny sales tax.
“The people that will gain are the residents of Miami-Dade county ... as they take the train to Aventura and other points further up,” Gimenez said.
Also in attendance was Esteban “Steve” Bovo, chairman of the county’s transportation and finance committee and current Miami-Dade mayoral candidate. He called the advent of Aventura station a “game changer.”
“We are going to change the way we move in Miami-Dade County,” he said. “It may not be for many of us, but it will definitely be for a generation that’s coming that is existing on making sure we give them the proper alternatives.”
In an email, Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, who will face off against Bovo in November’s mayoral election, released the following statement:
“I support true transit focused solutions that achieve ridership, focus on reducing traffic and improve transit. We need transit fares that attract riders to the platform. I am waiting and hoping to see true ridership projections based on fair fare pricing.”
Jose Gonzalez, executive vice president of Florida East Coast Industries, said his company estimates the station will create 400 jobs and have a $90 million annual economic impact.
Brightline service remains suspended as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.
