Your train just pulled into a South Florida station. Can you get a free ride from there?

Jeff Kleinman

You’ve taken a train to the airport station, and there you are holding your bags.

What now?

Don’t worry: You won’t be stranded.

Trains that run through South Florida — Tri-Rail, Brightline, Metrorail — offer shuttle bus and ride-share services that can help you get to your destination beyond the rail station.

Brightline — the fast-going yellow trains with stops in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and downtown Miami — just partnered with Uber. Passengers can now book a car ride when they buy their train tickets online.

Tri-Rail offers regular shuttle bus service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from the closest station just west of I-95.

And most Metrorail stations are served by county bus routes.

Here is a look at connections for each of the major train lines in South Florida:

Brightline

Brightline just entered a partnership with Uber.
Brightline just entered a partnership with Uber.

Train service: Brightline runs from downtown Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Prices vary depending on when you plan to travel and if it’s a one-way or round trip.

Uber from the stations: In January, Brightline announced a partnership with rideshare service Uber. Requests for an Uber ride from a Brightline station can now be made through the train service’s app or website. They are not free. The enhanced Brightline+ service also includes airport and event shuttles, which can be booked during advance train ticket-buying process. “It is critical to our guest experience that access to our stations is convenient and seamless,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “This partnership meets our guests’ preferences and demands by unlocking an online fleet of vehicles to provide a door-to-door service when using Brightline.”

Rides and shuttles: “Premium” Brightline passengers get rides within a five-mile radius. Brightline+ shuttles connect passengers to Miami International Airport, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport.

Tri-Rail

Tri-Rail has a partnership with Uber.
Tri-Rail has a partnership with Uber.
Tri-Rail passengers have a variety of transit options at each station.
Tri-Rail passengers have a variety of transit options at each station.

Train service: Tri-Rail runs through 18 stations through Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Tri-Rail also offers a variety of discounts, including for students, seniors, and for a child or a person with a disability. Frequent riders can buy 12-trip and monthly passes.

Uber from the stations: Tri-Rail partners with Uber and taxi companies to offer free rides from several train stations: West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Cypress Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Sheridan Street, Golden Glades, Miami Airport. Riders need to upload the Tri-Rail ride-share voucher to their personal Uber accounts. Tri-Rail passengers can take two Uber trips each day.

Taxi options: Tri-Rail partners with several taxi companies. Free rides are available from Yellow Cab in Broward and Metro Taxi in Palm Beach County. Passengers will need to call the dispatch, 954-777-7777 in Broward or 561-444-9999 in Palm Beach, for service. Rail passengers also can take free electric shuttle rides through the Freebie app.

Broward airport shuttle: Free, seven-day-a-week shuttle bus service operated by Tri-Rail takes passengers from the Fort Lauderdale Airport station to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

Miami airport transit options: Several transit options converge at the Miami Airport Tri-Rail station.: Metrorail Orange Line, Bus routes 7A, 37, 42, 57, 150 Miami Beach Airport Express, 110 Route J, 238 East-West Connection, 297 27th Ave Orange MAX, 338 Weekend Express.

Other shuttles at stations: West Palm Beach (Downtown trolley), Boca Raton (Innovation campus shuttle), Hollywood (Hallandale Beach community bus route 3), Opa-locka (Opa-locka express shuttle), Pompano Beach (city community shuttle blue route), Fort Lauderdale (LauderGO community shuttle), Fort Lauderdale Airport (South Florida Education Center shuttle, Dania Beach community bus), Hialeah Market (Miami-Dade Transit bus route 32, Doral shuttle), Miami Airport (City of Miami Flagami trolley).

Metrorail

Buses stop at most Metrorail stations.
Buses stop at most Metrorail stations.
A train leaves the Northside Metrorail Station on Northwest 79th Street.
A train leaves the Northside Metrorail Station on Northwest 79th Street.

Train service: Metrorail runs along a 25-mile track with service to Miami International Airport, and stretching from Kendall through South Miami, Coral Gables and downtown Miami; to the Civic Center/Jackson Memorial Hospital area; and to Brownsville, Liberty City, Hialeah, and Medley in Northwest Miami-Dade. Metrorail stations have free Wi-Fi and bicycle racks, which can also be found in some rail cars. Metrorail fare is $2.25 each way or $5.65 for a one-day pass.

Transportation at the stations: Metrobus and Metrorail transfers are free, although you will have to pay 95 cents if you’re transferring from a Metrobus/Metrorail to an express Metrobus route.

Miami airport service: The bus stops at the Miami airport Metrorail station are at the ground level. Buses drop off passengers on the east side of the station and pick up passengers on the west side.

Metromover: Transfer directly to Metromover at the Government Center station for both the downtown loop and the Omni and Brickell legs.

Amtrak

Miami’s Amtrak station is near a transit station for Metrorail.
Miami’s Amtrak station is near a transit station for Metrorail.
Transit connections are available near Miami’s Amtrak station.
Transit connections are available near Miami’s Amtrak station.

Train service: The nationwide Amtrak train service running the Silver Meteor and Silver Star routes has stations across Florida, including in Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Miami/Hialeah. Prices and discounts vary depending on where you’re going and when.

Transportation at the stations: The South Florida stations are served by shuttles, buses and rideshares. The Miami Amtrak station in Hialeah is a 10-minute walk to Metrorail and a station for southbound Tri-Rail trains to the Miami airport and northbound trains to Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.

Advertisement