Tri-Rail arrival in downtown Miami misses another schedule
A Nov. 1 start of Tri-Rail passenger trips at MiamiCentral Station is no longer feasible, Executive Director Steven Abrams told the South Florida Transportation Regional Authority Friday, another setback in long efforts to bring the rail line downtown.
Mr. Abrams argued that Tri-Rail hasn’t been able to complete needed training for its staff to run the service because the government line depends on cooperation from Florida East Coast Railway and Brightline, separate private firms that used to work as one.
In addition, Mr. Abrams said the authority has a problem with dispatchers. In a previous authority agreement with Florida East Coast, Tri-Rail was obligated to provide two dispatchers to FEC to dispatch the trains. Now, he said, FEC is asking for more.
General Counsel Teresa Moore explained that FEC told the authority it needs seven months to hire and train enough dispatchers, which would require added payments from Tri-Rail.
“Now, they’re coming back with the position that it could be more involved than two dispatchers even though that’s what our agreement says, to the point where they’re stating the possibility of having to construct a separate dispatch desk, which of course is a more expensive proposition,” Mr. Abrams said. “We don’t necessarily accept that view at this time, but they will present their proposal on it and we will evaluate it.”
To upgrade Enhanced Automatic Train Control software to operate the trains safely, he said, FEC is expected to cooperate to complete required testing.
Brightline was to re-qualify one of its engineers on the FEC portion of the downtown link, and that person is to train Tri-Rail’s designated person, who then would train the entire crew.
On Friday, the authority was awaiting from Brightline numbers pinning down costs associated with that training.
“I can’t put a date on it,” said Mr. Abrams when asked how much time it would take for the station to open. “[If] we don’t obtain that cooperation on the most timely basis, then the schedule slips.”
A report from Miami-Dade’s Inspector General says a realistic date to begin Tri-Rail on the Downtown Miami Link is in early 2023.
Meanwhile, the authority is working on issues within its own purview such as running tests, meeting with funding partners, and continuing to meet biweekly with Brightline.
Tri-Rail service into downtown was supposed to run by March 2017 but problems in the design and construction of the station and the trains have delayed the $70 tax-funded project.
The authority is in the process of hiring a replacement for Mr. Abrams, who announced in January he would resign in January. That came one month after he disclosed construction defects at Brightline’s MiamiCentral station that prevented Tri-Rail trains from using the downtown station. The authority already had hired recruiting firm Krauthamer & Associates to find an executive director to replace him for not disclosing the defects as soon as he was made aware of them.
Tri-Rail serves Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties through 18 stations but has never reached downtown. The line extends to the Hialeah and Miami International Airport stations connecting with Metrorail.
Tri-Rail saw a 70% recovery of pre-pandemic passenger levels in February, hitting 6,988 riders on Saturday, Feb. 19. Saturday ridership has been averaging 5,500.
Ralph Rapa
June 1, 2022 at 2:29 pm
Greetings fellow sentient being and taxpayer:
Hmm…it was less than a month ago that Steven Abrams, the Dear Leader of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, placed his foot in his mouth over service into Downtown Miami. Dear Reader: be not deceived: Mr. Abrams is responsible for Tri-Rail’s dilemmas. Here is why, and by all means, I challenge any of you to fact check:
1. Abrams was in the driver’s seat of the SFRTA’s Governing Board long before he resigned that position to be considered for that which he currently occupies. He has made the comment before, and I paraphrase, that Tri-Rail was in trouble long before he became Executive Director. Let me get this straight…he leaves a front office job at White Star Line to captain the Titanic? Why? To move the deck chairs around? Not buying it…this proves that he is either on the take for his own gain, and/or doubly culpable for failed oversight as Chair of the Board as well as Executive Director.
2. Abrams abdicated his power to a hand-chosen team of equally-inept persons, whom he called his “Executive Team”. These included fetid characters like Teresa Moore (the de-facto Executive Director), Noel Pfeffer, Diane Hernandez Del Calvo, and Christopher Bross. Bross served his time as useful idiot to the others, and was pushed out by the overly-ambitious Del Calvo.
3. This “Team” then took it upon themselves to make decisions on their own without due consideration of the experienced transportation professionals that remained in Tri-Rail’s Administration. When they did not fit the “Teams” ideals, or gave answers not in line with the Team, they were shown the door.
4. Rather than back-fill these positions with other competent employees, the “Team” left these positions open, despite having dedicated funds to fill them. Then, to cover themselves, they hired consultants at 3 times the cost of a full-time employee to give them the answers they wanted to hear. Wrong answer? Get another consultant. The downward spiral of personnel leaving this circus continued, and now the SFRTA is in a crisis of not having enough personnel of its own for day-to-day functions. Turnover at the SFRTA is astronomical.
5. Now, Tri-Rail cannot commit to the November timeframe given by the Dear Leader. Is this really the South FL Regional Transportation Authority, or should the State consider a rebranding? I think that the “Pompano Beach Mutual Admiration Society & Model Railroad Club” would fit much better.
Would it not so some sense of justice and responsibility to assess liquidated damages against Mr. Abrams’ separation package for every month that this Miami Central project has remained uncompleted? Should not the remaining members of the “Executive Team” be severed from the agency immediately and replaced by competent leadership?
These are some things to consider, at the Tri-Rail equipment, rolling stock, and station facilities continue to fall into disrepair.
William P
June 2, 2022 at 3:42 pm
I’m sure FEC is super difficult to work with. But TriRails constant delays and non-sense… feel like typical government workers. What a joke. They should have been running those trains a long time ago. Every three months, we will find out there is another delay.
Ralph Rapa
June 2, 2022 at 3:45 pm
Deceit! Malfeasance! Incompetence! Steven Abrams, his Executive Team, and any Tri Rail Board Member who supports them should be shown the door…without compensation!
Enough!
Concerned Citizen
June 2, 2022 at 9:40 pm
Taxpayer dollars incinerated while cost of living explodes higher. We need accountability and we need it now!!!!
JLS
June 4, 2022 at 6:19 am
And with all these blunders, we’re hoping that this route will be safe for travel? These are highly complex systems being managed by this cast of characters.