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Major commuter rail, expansive downtown station to go online this summer

by Lauren Arbuckle

The Brightline commuter train features bright yellow and pink designs.

The Brightline, which will begin service in Miami in August, will feature sleek, eye-popping train cars.

A new public transportation system will arrive in Miami by the summer, and is bringing with it a massive mixed-use development to Downtown Miami.

Brightline, the new rapid-transit line linking Miami to Orlando, is expected to begin service out of Downtown Miami in August, the commuter rail’s company, All Aboard Florida, said in a press release last week. Service will first begin between West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale in July followed shortly by Miami in August, the company said. The company has not said when Orlando’s station will go online.

The new, privately funded express system aims to increase public transportation in Miami. The Magic City is the considered the 11th most dangerous city for pedestrians, according to a study by Smart Growth America. City leaders have long tried to increase public transportation modes as well as the walkability of the city, and the Brightline figures to be a major part of those efforts.

The development being built to accommodate the Brightline will not only be a train station, but a transportation hub with room for office and living space. MiamiCentral’s primary function will be to act as a hub, however, with access to all modes of transportation, including  Metrorail, Metromover, busses, trolleys, bike rentals, taxies and more.

Accompanying the station will be two residential towers, expected to hold upwards of 800 dwelling units, many of which will be affordable studios and small one-bedroom apartments. Developers are hoping to attract a “younger working group,” advertising the residential portion of the project as a “live-work-play address,” according to previous Miami Agent Magazine reporting.

Another 12-story tower is also in development, and will contain office space, parking and a grocery store, according to The Real Deal. The train station will be completed by the time the train is operational, and the towers will be completed by 2018, the real estate blog said.

Photo credit belongs to Brightline and All Aboard Florida.

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