MiamiCentral
| Company type | Mixed-use development and rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation, Real estate |
| Founded | April 15, 1896 |
| Headquarters | Miami , United States |
| Products | Rail transportation services, Residential apartments, Office space, Retail space, Hotel |
| Owner | All Aboard Florida (subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries) |
| Website | www |
MiamiCentral is a rail station situated in Downtown Miami, Miami, Florida. It accommodates both the Brightline inter-city rail and the Tri-Rail commuter rail networks. The station forms part of a larger mixed-use complex that incorporates residential, office, commercial, and retail components.
A pedestrian bridge spanning NW 3rd Street directly connects MiamiCentral to the Government Center station, which provides access to both Metromover and Metrorail lines. Additional transit options are available nearby at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Metromover station and the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Metrorail station.
The development of MiamiCentral was undertaken by All Aboard Florida, a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), which operates Brightline. The architectural design was crafted by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in collaboration with Zyscovich Architects.
Original FEC Station: 1896–1963
MiamiCentral first opened its doors on April 15, 1896, serving as the southern terminus for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). This role continued until 1905 when construction commenced on the Overseas Railroad extension toward Key West. In 1912, FEC erected a wooden passenger depot at what would later become the site of the Dade County Courthouse, built between 1925 and 1928. Regular FEC passenger operations persisted until January 23, 1963, when union strikes caused service disruptions.
Following municipal demands to remove downtown rail lines north of the courthouse, the original downtown terminal was demolished by November 1963. Although proposals were made to establish a new station at Buena Vista yard near North Miami Avenue and 36th Street (US 27), these plans never materialized. The former station location remained as parking lots until construction for MiamiCentral began in 2014.
After FEC ceased passenger rail services, Miami’s only inter-city rail service was provided by Seaboard Coast Line Railroad—later incorporated into Amtrak in 1971—which operated from the deteriorating Allapattah terminal at Northwest 22nd Street and Seventh Avenue (US 441). In 1978, Amtrak relocated to its current Miami station near Hialeah.
New Station
In March 2012, All Aboard Florida—then a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries and owner of the Florida East Coast Railway—announced intentions to establish a higher-speed passenger rail connection between Miami and Orlando. By May 2014, they unveiled plans for a site featuring two tracks alongside an elevated island platform, complemented by transit-oriented development including ground-level retail and upper-level hotel, residential, and office towers.
Initial site preparation began in August 2014 with the removal of parking areas, followed by foundation work and framing starting mid-2015. By October 2016, approximately 70% of the rail infrastructure was complete, alongside ongoing construction of office and residential buildings. Brightline initiated revenue service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale in January 2018 while MiamiCentral remained under construction. Service to MiamiCentral officially started on May 19, 2018.
The completed MiamiCentral design features a dining and grocery marketplace known as Central Fare, retail space totaling , one residential tower comprising 800 apartments, and two office buildings: 3 MiamiCentral (12 stories) and 2 MiamiCentral (). The station includes five tracks—three dedicated to Brightline trains and two serving Tri-Rail.
The Tri-Rail Downtown Miami Link project represented a $70 million local investment aimed at extending Tri-Rail service into MiamiCentral. Service commenced on January 13, 2024, following an official ribbon-cutting event. Additionally, MiamiCentral is planned to serve as the southern terminus for the Northeast Corridor Rapid Transit Project commuter rail line.
Station layout
Platforms A through C along Tracks 1 to 3 accommodate Brightline services heading to the Orlando destination. Meanwhile, Platforms D and E on Tracks 4 and 5 are designated for Tri-Rail's Downtown Miami Link operations.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Brightline stations
- Residential condominiums in Miami
- Office buildings in Miami
- Hotels in Miami
- Passenger rail transportation in Florida
- Florida East Coast Railway
- Higher-speed rail
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 2018
- Transportation buildings and structures in Miami
- 2018 establishments in Florida
- Tri-Rail stations in Miami-Dade County, Florida
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings
- Former Florida East Coast Railway stations