Miami Public Transport

"Miami Transportation

Port of Miami

Miami is home to one of the largest ports in the United States, the Port of Miami. It is the largest cruise ship port in the world. The port is often called the "Cruise Capital of the World" and the "Cargo Gateway of the Americas". It has retained its status as the number one cruise/passenger port in the world for well over a decade accommodating the largest cruise ships and the major cruise lines. In 2007, the port served 3,787,410 passengers.  Additionally, the port is one of the nation's busiest cargo ports, importing 7.8 million tons of cargo in 2007. Among North American ports, it ranks second only to the Port of South Louisiana in New Orleans in terms of cargo tonnage imported/exported from Latin America. The port is on 518 acres (2 km2) and has 7 passenger terminals. China is the port's number one import country, and Honduras is the number one export country. Miami has the world's largest amount of cruise line headquarters, home to: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.

Public transportation

Public transportation in Miami is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and SFRTA, and includes commuter rail (Tri-Rail), heavy-rail rapid transit (Metrorail), an elevated people mover (Metromover), and buses. Miami has Florida's highest transit ridership as about 12% of Miami's population uses transit on a daily basis.

Miami's heavy-rail rapid transit system, Metrorail, is an elevated system comprising 22 stations on a 22-mile (36-km)-long line. Metrorail runs from the western suburbs of Hialeah and Medley through the Civic Center, Downtown, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and ends in the southern suburb of Pinecrest. A free, elevated people mover, Metromover, operates 21 stations on three different lines in downtown Miami, with a station roughly every two blocks. Several expansion projects are being funded by a transit development sales tax surcharge throughout Miami-Dade County.

Tri-Rail, a commuter rail system operated by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, runs from Miami International Airport northward to West Palm Beach, making eighteen stops.

Construction is currently underway on the Miami Intermodal Center and Miami Central Station, a massive transportation hub servicing Metrorail, Amtrak, Tri-Rail, Metrobus, taxis, rental cars, private automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians adjacent to Miami International Airport. Completion of the Miami Intermodal Center is expected to be completed by 2010, and will serve over 150,000 commuters and travelers in the Miami area. Phase I of Miami Central Station is scheduled to be completed in June 2010, and Phase II in 2011.

Two new light rail systems, Baylink and the Miami Streetcar, have been proposed and are currently in the planning stage. BayLink will connect Downtown with South Beach, and the Miami Streetcar will connect Downtown with Midtown.

Road and rail

Miami is the southern terminus of Amtrak's Atlantic Coast services, with its final station located in the suburb of Hialeah.

Miami-Dade County is served by four Interstate Highways (I-75, I-95, I-195, I-395) and several U.S. Highways including U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 27, U.S. Route 41, and U.S. Route 441. For information on the street grid, see Miami-Dade County, Florida#Street grid. Some of the major Florida State Roads (and their common names) serving the county are:

* SR 112 (Airport Expressway) Miami Beach to MIA
* SR 821 (The HEFT or Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike: SR 91/Miami Gardens to U.S. Route 1/Florida City)
* SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) Golden Glades Interchange to U.S. Route 1/Kendall
* SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) Downtown to Turnpike via MIA
* SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway) 826/Bird Road to 878
* SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway) Kendall to Turnpike/Homestead
* SR 924 (Gratigny Parkway) Miami Lakes to Opa-locka

In 2007, Miami was identified as having the rudest drivers in the United States, the second year in a row to have been cited, in a poll commissioned by automobile club AutoVantage. Miami is also consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for pedestrians."