Tri-Rail schedule from West Palm to Miami route, tickets online info
Southbound Tri-Rail train departs from Delray Beach station in PBC
The southbound Tri-Rail train departs from the Delray Beach station on its way to Miami.
Andres Leiva, Palm Beach Post
South Florida’s publicly run passenger train, Tri-Rail, will start its rush hour express service between downtown West Palm Beach and downtown Miami on Monday, July 1.
Here are five important things to know about Tri-Rail train from West Palm Beach to Miami.
1. Tri-Rail’s new route, schedule from West Palm to Miami
The weekday express train is scheduled to leave the West Palm Beach station on Tamarind Avenue and Clematis Street at 6:30 a.m., arriving at the MiamiCentral station at 8:05 a.m. The service is scheduled to leave MiamiCentral at 5:35 p.m. and arrive in West Palm Beach at 7:05 p.m.
The new train does not go north in the morning or south in the evening. Passengers can board at any station on the express train’s route. In addition to West Palm Beach and MiamiCentral, the stations are Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the Miami Metrorail transfer station in Hialeah.
For $17.50, passengers can travel about 90 minutes from West Palm Beach to Miami in the early morning and return in the late afternoon, stopping at five stations instead of the 17 on the non-express route.
More: Cost, details revealed for West Palm Beach Tri-Rail link from Mangonia to VA Medical Center
2. Ticket prices, fees for Tri-Rail
The faster train’s fares are the same as Tri-Rail’s non-express routes.
Here are the costs one way from West Palm Beach:
- To Boca Raton: $5
- To Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: $7.50
- To Miami Metrorail or MiamiCentral: $8.75
A ride from the Boca Raton stop will cost $5 to the Fort Lauderdale airport station and $6.25 to the Miami stops.
Tri-Rail’s non-express service between West Palm Beach and Miami takes more than two hours, requiring riders to board a second Tri-Rail train at the Metrorail stop.
Previously: Tri-Rail to offer express trains to Miami to help commuters get to work for $17.50 a day
3. Tri-Rail tickets compared to Brightline’s South Florida train service
The cheapest one-way ticket on the privately run Brightline costs $24 for one passenger. It takes 80 minutes to go from its downtown West Palm Beach station to MiamiCentral without delays and stopping in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura along the way.
Brightline used to offer South Florida commuters what was effectively a $10 per ride pass — $399 for 40 rides — but started raising prices this year. It now offers riders in the region a 10-trip pack for $350, effectively $35 a ride. Brightline wants to boost service on its profitable Orlando route cutting available seats for trips within South Florida.
Rides on Tri-Rail’s express service are covered by its regular multi-trip passes. A regular monthly pass for non-disabled adults costs $110 for unlimited trips. A monthly pass rider who takes the express service both ways for all the 23 weekdays in July will have effectively spent $4.78 per day.
Brightline’s price hikes led Tri-Rail to launch its new service. Its operator, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, approved the express service May 31, at an estimated cost of $2.5 million.
4. Tri-Rail offers Uber, Lyft, taxi credits for passengers
Tri-Rail passengers can get a $5 credit when taking Uber, Lyft or a taxi to and from train stations, except MiamiCentral, if they present drivers with a valid EASY Card, which is dispensed at the stations’ ticketing machines. Riders can put money on the cards to pay train fare. Anyone who wants to claim the credit can learn more at tri-rail.com/pages/view/ride-partners.
5. How to purchase Tri-Rail tickets online, plus the Tri-Rail app
- The EASY card: Riders who want to purchase tickets online can sign up for Tri-Rail’s EASY card. The EASY Card is Tri-Rail’s automated fare collection system. With the EASY Card, users add cash value up to $150 to pay one-way fares, or load the card with all of Tri-Rail’s different fare products including the monthly, 12-trip or weekend passes. The EASY Card automatically deducts the appropriate fare when users tap the card on any of the validators located on all station platforms.
Chris Persaud is The Palm Beach Post’s transportation reporter. You can reach him at [email protected].
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