Riding the rail is how Mary Beth Bates gets from Fort Lauderdale to Miami International Airport.
“Super convenient. My office is on Las Olas, on the other side of 95. It’s just so convenient to get here. You can take an Uber to here, get to the airport with no stress,” she said.
Voucher program ending soon
As for that Uber she takes — to save money, Tri-Rail is ending its program at the end of the year that provides a $5 voucher for cab fare or rideshare to and from the station.
“We were kicking in money for that, and we are looking everywhere where we can start reeling in some of those expenses,” said Dave Dech, executive director of Tri-Rail.
State funding slashed dramatically
The regional commuter train system is looking for ways to save money and raise funding after the state severely cut its annual contribution from about $60 million to $19 million. Tri-Rail is also asking counties to contribute more.
“There’s been no deal yet, but I can say they’re definitely moving in the right direction; we’re not at zero,” Dech said.
Record ridership adds urgency
This comes as Tri-Rail is seeing record ridership. In fiscal year 2025, the system carried 4.5 million riders — up 100,000 from 2024. About 15,000 people take the train each day.
“There’s a lot at stake here,” Dech said. “If we don’t come up with funding, we have to figure out how to dump 15,000 a day on I-95. If we don’t come up with funding, Tri-Rail as we know it could cease to exist.”
Reserves last until mid-2027
“Traffic is getting unbearable. There’s too many people living here. We can’t get rid of Tri-Rail,” Bates said.
Dipping into its reserves, Tri-Rail has enough money to operate on its own until June 2027. Officials hope to reach a funding resolution before then.
