Metromover is located in Miami, Florida, and it is a mass transit system that is free. It is an automatic people mover train that was built in 1986. This train serves the downtown area of Miami, as well as the Park West, Omni and Brickell neighborhoods. This transit system connects directly to the Metrorail at the Brickell and Government Center stations. Originally, it only had service in the downtown area. Later it was expanded to the service areas that it has today.
Stations, Service and Fleet
The Metromover is an easy and fast way to travel around the various neighborhoods of greater Downtown Miami. The train system consists of twenty-one stations and three loops. The stations are about two blocks from each other, and they are close to all major places and buildings in the downtown area.
Today, this train system is a very important part of Miami’s downtown life. Miami’s rapid growth has made the Metromover very popular with its citizens. Ridership has more than doubled in the last ten years, from 14,952 passengers every day, to 31,100 passengers per day as of October, 2011. The system currently has a fleet of seventeen Adtranz C-100 vehicles, and twelve Bombardier Innovia APM-100 vehicles.
All loops run every day from 5 am to midnight. The schedule is adjusted for special events. During the rush hour the Inner Loop trains arrive every ninety seconds and during normal hours they run every three minutes. The Outer Loop trains run every five to six minutes and when the track is shared they run every two to three minutes.
Operating Costs
It took more than one hundred and fifty million dollars to build the Metromover. The operating budget just for the Inner and Outer loops is close to ten million dollars a year. The approximate cost per ride is one dollar. Because all rides are free, passenger numbers have continued to increase every year since its first operating year.
