Northeast Corridor Rapid Transit (Coastal Link)

Alignment

The Northeast Corridor would run commuter trains for 13.5 miles on the existing Florida East Coast Railway (FECR), which already carries Brightline intercity trains and FECR freight. Trains would run from MiamiCentral in downtown Miami to Brightline’s existing Aventura station, with five new stations: Wynwood/Edgewater (near NE 27th Street), Design District (near NE 39th Street), Little Haiti (near NE 61st Street), North Miami (near NE 125th Street), and FIU/Biscayne (near NE 151st Street, serving FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus). The project also includes a train maintenance and storage facility at an existing rail yard near the Metrorail Transfer Station. Trains would run every 30 minutes at peak times and every 60 minutes off-peak and on weekends.

The line is the first segment of the planned 85-mile Coastal Link commuter rail corridor through Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Broward County’s commuter rail project is timed to follow it. The sponsor is Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), the department that now runs Miami-Dade Transit. Brightline holds the exclusive right to run passenger trains on the FEC line, so the county must negotiate access with it. A 2026 draft agreement would have Brightline run and maintain the trains through a subsidiary. In October 2026, however, WLRN reported that the operator was not settled and was likely to be the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs Tri-Rail.

Updates

2026-10 — State restores $200 million, but county balks at the Brightline deal

The state added $200 million for the corridor to the Florida Department of Transportation’s five-year plan, a year after the money was cut from the state budget. Together with $389 million in federal funds and $337.9 million pledged by the county, that covers the $927.3 million construction cost. The same day, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office said the proposed Brightline agreement “does not meet that standard,” citing a county-commissioned consultant’s report. The report flagged Brightline’s bankruptcy restructuring, its dispute with the FECR, and too much cost-overrun risk left with the county. No commission vote is scheduled.

2026-06 — Draft operating agreement with Brightline surfaces

A 149-page draft agreement, dated May 31, would have Brightline operate and maintain the trains at an estimated $33.9 million a year plus a 10% operations fee. The county would owe at least $250 million if it ended the deal for convenience. The agreement needs approval from the County Commission. The FECR, which owns the tracks, sued Brightline in 2025 over the talks, and the two companies are in arbitration.

2025 — Design reaches 60%; service targeted for 2032

DTPW reached 60% design in late 2025, working with FDOT, Brightline, the FECR, Tri-Rail, CSX, and Amtrak, and set a 2032 target for starting service. The county’s early-2026 fact sheet listed $389.5 million in FTA New Starts funds, $129.8 million in flexible federal funds, $207.9 million in local funds, and $8 million from the state, leaving $192 million unfunded.

2024-10 — FTA commits up to $389.5 million

The Federal Transit Administration admitted the project into the Engineering phase of its Capital Investment Grants program and committed up to $389.5 million, about 42% of the $927.3 million cost. At the time, the county was targeting service in December 2027 and counted on $200 million from FDOT. Before the FTA signs a full funding grant agreement, the county must submit a revised financial plan.

2024-03 — Federal budget recommends $263.65 million

The federal government recommended $263.65 million toward the project, which was then estimated at $538.07 million.

2021-03 — Commuter rail chosen as the preferred alternative

The Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization selected passenger commuter rail on the FEC corridor as the locally preferred alternative. The county has since completed a Categorical Exclusion document for the project’s environmental review.

2020-11 — Access agreement with Brightline approved

The County Commission unanimously approved an access agreement with Brightline for commuter service on the FEC corridor. At the time, candidate stations included NE 151st Street (FIU), North Miami, El Portal, Little Haiti, the Design District, and Wynwood.