Push aims to get behind-schedule Metromover upgrades on track

A behind-schedule upgrade of the Metromover transit system is seeking ways to get its timetable back on track while it continues to disrupt downtown mobility to let the county finish a long list of upgrades, a spokesman says.

In the past four months, the county has been overhauling the hydraulics that let the rubber-tire trains switch guideways, upgrading the power distribution system and center control to power trains more efficiently and keep them moving, and installing guideway wayside equipment that helps maintain the Metromover and its support systems, providing power, communication and switching functions, a spokesman from the Department of Transportation and Public Works said.

The automated people mover carried an average of 18,793 passengers per day in the downtown, Brickell and Omni areas of Miami’s core in February, the most recent county-produced statistics show. That’s down from 20,366 per day in February 2024.

The wayside equipment will be installed along the tail track – sections of the track off the main line that allow for storage space for the trains.

Currently, all these developments are still underway, and all require further installation to be completed, including the overhauling of the switch hydraulics, the power distribution system, and the upgraded central control systems, in addition to a backup facility, the spokesman said.

Other renovations include upgrading the Metromover fleet control to a new system, as well as finishing all related installations and vehicle testing and obtaining the necessary safety certifications to go with it.

According to the spokesman, the project continues to run behind schedule, with current estimates indicating that the project won’t be completed this year. According to then-Director Josiel Ferrer-Diaz, this delay is due mostly to the project’s complexity and all the replacements it entails.

“The project is a very, very complex project, working with older infrastructure and working as well with an established system that needs to continue to operate, which is the added challenge. Most projects of this type completely shut down the system. However, we felt that this is an asset for our community, so we established that the system needed to continue to operate,” said Mr. Ferrer-Diaz in an interview with Miami Today in December of last year.

“In doing so, this project has had some delays,” Mr. Ferrer-Diaz said. “Whereas initially the project was intended to finalize sometime in 2025, we’re projecting and finalizing a recovery schedule to finalize it sometime in the middle of 2026.”

The county today is “actively working on schedule recovery options,” according to the department’s spokesman.

The project is still operating under a set cost of $150 million, provided by both the People’s Transportation Plan and Federal Transit Administration funds.

“The repairs have caused late openings for service every other Saturday, primarily due to this project,” said the transportation department’s spokesman. “Additionally, there have been several weekday delays in opening the system that are also attributed to the ongoing work.”

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