Exploring the Miami Metromover: A Great Downtown People Mover 

In my opinion, another hidden benefit of "quirky non-standard" transit is that it makes the general public excited about transit. Think of it as good advertising for public transit in general; those 7 million riders are probably more likey to now vote for broader transit improvements

As a Miami resident I think it’s very useful it complements the metro rail and metro bus and is handy with running 5AM-12AM 7 days a week

Exactly, Metromover is so successful because of its connections, not just with Metrorail, Tri-Rail and Brightline, but also with connecting with multiple routes of the Metrobus network like dedicated bus loops at Government Center and Adrienne Arsht Center stations, it's a fully built-out system unlike the Jacksonville Skyway and DPM (the Detroit People Mover was meant to be a downtown circulator of a bigger regional plan with different rail lines and the then SEMTA Commuter Rail being expanded to Ann Arbor and Port Huron as feeders; Detroit and the suburbs couldn't agree on anything for the 600 mil. promised by Gerald Ford and so only the circulator got built before federal money was withdrawn by Reagan), and of course it goes where people wanna go, becoming a catalyst for downtown development! 7 million a year for a system that has been 4.4 miles long is impressive! As for Metromover expansion, they've been wanting to expand it to Miami Beach, which would help increase ridership and transit connectivity to Miami Beach big time of course because of all the tourists and would help ease crowding on buses to Miami Beach from downtown, but sadly in February 2024, the Miami Beach City Commission voted to oppose a Metromover extension to South Beach. Brickell was named after Ohioans William and Mary Brickell, who came to the mouth of the Miami River with their children in 1871. They opened and operated the area’s first trading post and post office. The Brickells traded with the Miccosukee and Seminoles who traveled from the Everglades. The Brickells had extensive real estate holdings that included all of present-day Brickell and extended south to Coconut Grove. Along with Julia Tuttle, who's considered the founder of Miami, who owned extensive land north of the Miami River, the Brickells had been involved with negotiations with Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami and, also along with Tuttle, agreed to give land to Flagler when he brought his railroad here. Mary Brickell took control of the family’s real estate holdings, and Brickell is now the booming Financial District of the city thanks in part to Mary! She developed Millionaire’s Row on present-day Brickell Avenue, as well as Brickell Hammock, which is now The Roads.

Glad you could ride our quirky little system!. I’ve ridden on it many times it honestly works really nicely for getting around downtown, really wish Detroit and Jacksonville could take inspiration for how to make a downtown people mover actually work well and connect different parts of the city. Really hope they can extend it to South beach someday as there was that idea in development recently, there needs to be better transit as an alternative to the extremely backed up MacArthur causeway and maybe actually get more native Miamians to get there (most of us avoid it for the traffic 😅)

Definitely has that airport shuttle feel. I've seen the Metromover from below but never rode it while I was in Miami. Next time I visit I will find time to ride it for sure.

You hit the nail on the head!!! As opposed to Detroit, the Miami’s Mover success comes from the great connections to other transit systems!!! It’s just replacing trams in the transit hierarchy, just below Metro for shorter distances and more frequent stops! Definitely makes me want to visit Miami, thanks for the awesome video

Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. station is named after a Bahamian-American judge who served as a US district judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida (from 1993 to his death in 2003), as well as serving on the Florida Third District Court of Appeal and the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. He was the first African-American to serve as a circuit court judge in Dade County and was also the first African-American appointed to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal in 1980. The Freedom Tower by Freedom Tower station was built in 1925 as the headquarters for the former newspaper The Miami News, and was inspired by the Giralda in Seville, Spain. In the 1960s, the US government used the building to process all the Cubans who arrived as refugees, and so it earned the nickname of the Freedom Tower! And I know other systems like the Metrromover of course go through buildings as you said, but the fact that Liziba station on Chongqing's Line 2 monorail isn't just an apartment building, but a 19-story apartment building, makes it so cool! Both the residential building and the station opened in 2005 (so the system wasn't retrofitted), and the station uses specialized noise reduction equipment to isolate station noise from the surrounding residences! Chongqing, China is a huge densely populated but mountainous city, with multiple river valleys, so using monorail or an elevated metro is the most effective option, and Chongqing's monorails are capable of transporting 32,000 passengers per hour per direction!

Well, that tears it! Now I’ll have to make a trip back to Miami. I remember seeing the guideways being built when there for a convention in Oct. of ‘81 and being fascinated by it even then. Thanks for yet another enlightening video, Thom!

I love taking MetroMover when ever I visit Miami and am around the downtown area. You're able to see a nice scenery from around downtown.

It is probably the only downtown people mover that actually gets you where you need to go and has good frequency (I’m looking at Jacksonville and Detroit).

I rode it today to Jury Duty. I love it!

I stayed at a hotel in Brickell last year that was less than a block away from one of the Metromover stations and it worked pretty well for me. I used it to transfer to the Metrorail, trolleys, and buses.

Well done, really showed Miami off very well !

The broken door at 1:44 LMAO

Thanks for sharing this informative look at the Metromover. It looks like it fills a good niche and glad it's high frequency, that's so important. Would it be safe to say this is a use case scenario where such a system makes sense. You're not kidding about it being like a roller coaster!!

I've always said Florida needs to build another one of these in Broward County/Ft Lauderdale. Have it run right along 595 stopping at every exit/road intersection (the way this part of Florida is set up almost every exit has a plaza on the corner that would be well served by one of these) and have it stretch all the way out east to the Ft Lauderdale Tri Rail station and maybe even out to the airport. You mentioned in your Tri-Rail video that the train is located pretty inconveniently with nothing around and all of the stuff around to either the east or west, and I think this would help solve that issue.

Nice review of the Metromover! I think another reason it’s popular may be that walking around downtown Miami (at least the part near the interstate access and north of the Miami River) can be a harrowing experience. Lots of fast-moving cars (especially near the I-95 ramps) and poorly-timed traffic signals obviously designed for cars over pedestrians. It’s nice to not have to fight with vehicle traffic. Perhaps Miami could benefit from a bit of traffic calming, especially in the areas that don’t have the Metromover as an alternative.

Great video like always Thom. Metromover is one of my favorite systems.

Definitely a useful system, and the connections to other transit is the key. As a last mile solution, it can't be beat, but having as a stand alone system, like Detroit, would have hindered its usefulness. As for stations that go inside buildings, Los Angeles Metro Rail A Line has a station in Pasadena that goes through an apartment building, Memorial Park station.

I got to ride this as a kid when we visited Miami once, I thought it was SO cool. Coming from a town that didn't even have public buses back then it was really mind blowing.

Thank you for this video. I actually got very emotional at some of the showcasing of Miami. The older brutalist architecture left from the 80's at Government center at 6:18 and Riverfront station at 8:17 versus what the city I grew up in is becoming with City Center across the water. I didn't appreciate the Metro Mover growing up, it was just part of Downtown and I assumed most cities had one. And any Miami local or visitor knows the feeling at 10:10, where you are just exhausted from existing outside. A recent MetroRail North expansion was announced, would be excited to see that covered in the future!

I like it. Almost a monorail. That center guideway makes switching easier than monorail (and i assume provides the power. Heavier understructure than monorail, but not by much. Design should allow for speed outside of center-city. Assume too that the center guideway is staunch enough to keep it from being blown off, even in high winds. I'd like to see the cross-section of the grip on the guideway.

Wow @Milesintransit just uploaded their version of this system!! So amazing!!

That is a really unique way to get around, I’ll say that!

Interesting System. Never seen something simillar in Europe before excpet at the airports. Thanks for shareing! 😃

This is awesome I wanna ride it now!

From your video, it works well as both an inner city transport and a tourist attraction. Considering that Miami is a tourism city that is visited by many North Americans, it might have a role of making people adapt to public transit systems. That would be great, since many Americans are still not used to use them, and sometimes, even afraid of them.

Definitely have to take a trip to Miami to try all the great transit plus head to Orlando on the Brightline.

The Miami Metromover is an Innovia APM (Automated People Mover) system - formerly made by Bombardier Mobility, since autumn 2021 by Alstom. These APMs can be found at many airports. Per example the LAX Airport People Mover Train (Los Angeles Airport).

That is truly a quirky little system that obviously is successful. I shudder, however, at how much the infrastructure cost, even if it is of a lighter engineering style to a skyrail metro system (like Vancouver B.C.) or a heavy rail metro system. Down under in Melbourne we have many differing views on both sides of politics about the amount of money currently being spent on grade separation of road and rail, the soon-to-be open metro line augmenting the existing central downtown rail loop and the yet-to-be constructed suburban rail loop given current inflation and other more important spending issues for government spending. Thanks for another interesting insight into U.S. city transit. Cheers from Michael.🙂

I'm excited for the Morgantown WV video. That system has always puzzled me

I love the metromover. Whenever we go to events in downtown I park as far from the event that is serviced by the MM.

I agree that downtown Miami has a similar 80s/90s aesthetic like you see in Japan

This people mover is awesome!!! And free!!! That makes it even more awesome!!!

Hey Tom. Thank you so much! I always wanted this covered as I am I Miami resident and watched the brightline, Tri rail, and now this video lol. Did you know?: besides the metro rail and the metro mover, these are not the only forms of transportation in Miami. There is also a busway that goes from the south terminus of the metrorail, to Florida city. They are even adding railroad crossing so the buses get the right of way! If I was the city, I would use articulated trolly busses for express rush hour service. I think it is a decent idea. Also, maybe you cover that too! Thanks for the video! Edit: btw I spelled “buses” wrong and put “busses” here it is *trollybuses

The Metromover is a very underrated system. Its reliable and much easier / cheaper than parking. If the connection to Miami Beach is ever built, it will be amazing.

Just had a look at the city's rail network, this MetroMover is perfect for on-demand transport inside the CBD! It definitely should be expanded!

Great example of how a People Mover can supplement a Metro rail system for "final mile" transit. Honestly with the scale of the infrastructure for this system, I could see it running with longer trains with higher capacity to make it more like a mini metro, or honestly almost like a mini version of the Chicago El

I know Los Angeles could use this system In their downtown area, and maybe having a second line extending to the San Fernando valley.

We've ridden this a few times after brightline rides to Miami. We plan to head back down to Miami and do a vlog of all 3 lines.

Honestly a system like this would be great in smaller towns like Portland ME. the city has a very dense downtown and no viable way to get places faster than walking. This would be especially good to run over the casco bay bridge and over to a plaza with the main supermarket and onto the railway station. And then it could go a little further in either direction to a park and ride which would be enormously helpful considering a vast majority of the people in the city actually live in other parts of rural Maine and simply commute in for a job, the restaurants, or a hockey game. Of course BRT may be the more realistic option but one could argue the same for Miami.

Holy Ghost of Pittsburgh Skytrain! As a Western Canadian, I'm partial to the UTDC Skytrain technology that Vancouver (and Detroit) uses however rubber-tyred automated mini metro's are almost just as good and more need to be built if you ask me... Especially if you can deliver automated rapid transit at a fraction of the cost of a traditional automated metro which is sometime's the case...

That’s something else I want to do next time I visit Miami. I want to go to that city when I can drive to Key West and there will be a lot to see with all those water views.

Great video.

Brilliant video sir! And without Lyndsey keeping an eye on you?

I enjoyed that video👍👍

I've heard of Metromover, but I learned more about it! Now, I know there's a right way to make people movers: make them feeder routes that (in your words) "go where people want to go". If I ever come to Miami and ride this train, I'll be sure to film the front or back window of it. Thanks for the video!

Frequency and number of stations is key. Miami, hot, muggy and rainy with open air stations and the frequency of sideways rain you really can't wait around often for trains 😁

I rode the people mover when I was in Miami a few years ago. Riding up front and watching the changing scene out the front window was spectacular; it was like the driver's view (except no driver). Cute? Well, the only thing that would make it cuter would be animals. Perhaps they could extend it through the zoo and it could race cheetahs or orangutans? 😉 Of course, they'd have to remember the motto about cheetahs: CHEETAHS NEVAH PROSPUH! 😂

Informative insight 🚊 Thank You for sharing

Looks like LRT (people mover) in Singapore that transport people between HDB's. Serves as a good feeder

This is a neat system

the frequency is amazing. I would take that over large capacity any day.

If its working for Miami and want to see it grow, they should look in new trains at the same time and make sure the existing structure can support different rolling stock

When i go to downtown I take the pepole mover, though i never knew it was that big extensive lol

Morgantown resident here! Excited to see your PRT video. Love seeing our little city represented.

Los Angeles could use a people mover downtown. It had plans for one in the 1960/70’s and even some of the infrastructure was built including sky bridges, tunnels, and station locations like the roof of the LA World Trade Center.

I rode it when I went to Miami for a water polo tournament back in 2017. It was the weirdest transit system I've ever taken. I don't remember where I went on it or how useful it was, so I'm interested to hear from locals how useful it is. It reminds me of the old Sydney monorail (I'm Australian), but from memory it was much more useful and cheaper

An interesting experiment, but long term it will be interesting to see if this system is cheaper than conventional steel rails and wheels....

Great review! Seems like it works on same type of concept as Chicago loop downtown area

@Thom-TRA Hi TRA we have a similar people mover in Singapore and its called the LRT (Light Rail Transit). You should come to singapore one day and i will bring you for a ride and tell you bout the history of this LRT system in singapore.

How much was the trip from Orlando to Miami on the Brightline? I’m taking it from Miami to Orlando one day and then back like a round-trip.

some metromover cars should do two of the three lines on some trips.

METROMOVER AND FIRST

Free carnival ride.

Wow! 7 million rides a year over just 4.5 miles is incredible and higher than any of Chicago's bus lines (busiest bus line is #66 Chicago Ave line at 5 million/year in 2023)! I think the success of this line us due to 3 things you mentioned, frequency, close stations, and connections to Metrorail, meaning that you can get to the line from Metrorail, can be assured of getting on a train whenever you want, and that it will take you close to wherever you want to be throughout downtown. You don't have to worry about planning to use this line. The high frequencies means they don't need large vehicles. It's a great circulator as can be seen by the incredible ridership. A light rail line could not do this over the same routing.

Seems like it basically does the same thing as DLR, but more quirkier because... no reason... Not sure if I like it tho, a DLR-like system would've been more preferable imo

Is there any rail transit directly to/from MIA airport?

Does it use the same announcement system as MARTA? I swear the jingle noise sounds familiar to me

Nice bus🚊👍🏽

I'm kinda surprised these aren't more common in CBDs across North America

I find Miami so funny. It went from having no transit in early 1984 to ten years later having regional rail, metro, and a people mover. And then it feels like the system has just gone into a coma, apart from the airport extension and the works happening because of Brightline. Imagine if Miami was actually able to have an ongoing program of transit expansion like LA: where might it be today? I bet the new GTA game in vice city won’t include the metromover, metrorail, tri rail or Brightline, just like the last game didn’t (sigh) Also people who oppose elevated rail (looking at you Sherman oaks) need to come to Miami, and figure out which is the real blight on cities: elevated metro or freeways (or stroads for that matter).

Do they check your bags on the Brightline ?

It looks like the area is all CBD. is there much in the way of residential on or near the line? Frequency is good but I don't think I heard you mention the hours of operation... Does it run 24 hours a day or just during the business day hours?

Since there are no fare gates, how does Miami keep unhoused people from living on the trains? I didn't see any employees shooing people away in the video.

"coming soon" are you going to morgantown?

Even if it is kind of a goofy and questionable system you’d be surprised how crowded it can get at times. Be nice if the ran more two car movers frequently.

Do you think you review the Detroit people mover?

1:43 I wonder why only one of the door panels opened here?

setember 28 was my birthday the day before filming

The long term durability of things like that are a problem as when the company that made them folds spares become increasingly difficult to get hold of.

Trains going through buildings isn't that rare. Heck in NYC the LIRR main line between Jamaica and Penn runs through the bottom of a building at Kew Gardens. That's not some single track people mover or small metro train, that is the busiest section of main line for the busiest commuter railroad in the Americas.

I talked to a guy that could have been you or your brother Saturday May 4th at Orlando International Airport wearing a black suit and he asked where he could get a taxi. He had a faint Dutch accent.

That beep when the announcement is being made that a train is coming sounds the exact same as the Atlanta Subway

So why can't Atlanta beltline use similar technology?

what about the appearance from street level? Is this just another version of the old "El" which obstruct vision and overpower the ground-level environment?

I really hope the metromover gets new cityval or innovia 300 vehicles with open gangways like Shanghai's Puijang line (innovia) or Rennes metro B (cityval)

It's a decent filler to make up for the lack of a walkable downtown.

As a daily user of the metro mover / Metrorail system, I would like to say that is actually a very unreliable transport. Usually you will be faced with delays, or will just get stuck in between two stations for minutes, in the worst cases I been stuck there for 15 min. The metrorail is as unreliable as the mover. On weekends don’t use it or you will be late for everything. The times are not accurate on a 75 % of the cases, and the other 25% , when happens to be on time, it will be stopped at a station also for a matter of minutes, this one up to 45 min. So overall the reality is that the metro mover/ metrorail system is characterized by unreliability.

when you see the front of the Brightline train, you say: wow finally the US are reaching the 21th century. then you realize that it's a diesel train... Well, it's better than nothing anyways. The US are slowly, very slowly, developing a modern public transport system with new train lines, streetcars and metros... Good job American friends!!!

If only Fort Lauderdale gets its mass transit system together.

Queue MARTA's Georgia State station passing thru buildings.

The idea of Metromover is really really GREAT 👍 BUT the disgin of the cabine is discusting 🤮 We dont have to see the tires !!! Come on ,in USA they can make something so much sexy and futuriste 😊 Like a space machine 🛸

It’s the same as the air train where there’s no driver. No seats in it, why.

From my clumsy perspective it seems like those stations are way to easy to fall off from

If i am the mayor of Miami i make a world disign concours to create a new disign of those not sexy cabines...

My experience with the metro mover after living in Miami The metro mover has been delayed The metro mover has been delayed The metro mover has been delayed The metro mover has been delayed

yoo

It's not an airport peoplemover, the system has some size. You're very young and mobility clearly isn't an issue for you. But plenty of riders are not, and there's no reason for the vehicles to have next to no seating to accommodate their needs.

It's a glorified guided busway from the looks of it. Sorry, I'm just too urbanist to celebrate proprietary systems. 😅