All Aboard Florida unveils plans for Miami station

City of Miami and Dade County officials joined All Aboard Florida executives yesterday to unveil designs for All Aboard Florida's new multi-modal hub in Miami.

The hub will include mixed-use development with residential, office, commercial and retail space, while serving as a connector between All Aboard Florida’s passengers and Miami’s existing public transportation systems, according to an All Aboard Florida press release. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill L.L.P. planned and designed the hub.

The transit-oriented development encompassing nearly 3 million square feet will span two sites: a nine-acre transportation hub in downtown Miami just east of Miami-Dade County Hall, and a two-acre site in historic Overtown.

In Miami, the passenger-rail system will be elevated 50 feet to align with existing public transportation systems, with retail spaces located beneath the tracks. The design will enable through-streets to remain open to traffic and create an atmosphere of walkability, while establishing a landmark terminal, All Aboard Florida officials said.

"All Aboard Florida will be one of the most transformative projects for the city," said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. "This multibillion dollar, private investment will spur economic and tourism growth in our downtown and the historic Overtown community, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact."

All Aboard Florida’s 235-mile network of rail lines will connect South Florida to Central Florida, with intercity stops and stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The project is estimated to eliminate more than 3 million cars from the region’s roadways each year.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, All Aboard Florida is the only privately owned, operated and financed express intercity passenger-rail project of its kind being developed in the United States, according to the company.

Each of All Aboard Florida's three planned stations in South Florida — Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach — will serve as gateways to their respective cities. In a report recently commissioned by All Aboard Florida, economists estimated that the rail project will add more than $6 billion to Florida's economy over the next eight years, including $1.3 billion in economic impact for Miami-Dade County through 2021.