Brightline breaks ground on Aventura Station in south Florida

Brightline and Miami-Dade County officials broke ground yesterday for Aventura Station, which will be built on three acres in Adventura, Florida.

To be constructed near Adventura Mall, the 17,500-square-foot station will include an 860-foot platform inside of Florida East Coast Railway/Brightline right of way. The site will include 240 parking spaces and newly landscaped areas.

Aventura Station will fit into Brightline’s existing rail system, which now serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Additional stations are planned in Boca Raton and at PortMiami.

After Aventura Station is completed in fall 2021, Brightline plans to provide both hourly trips and express service during peak morning and evening weekday travel periods. Travel time between downtown Miami and Aventura is estimated at 15 minutes.

The county is providing $76 million for the station, which is expected to generate $90.8 million annually in economic impacts over a 30-year period.

“A long-time necessity for northeast Miami-Dade County, the Brightline commuter-rail stop at Aventura will provide much needed relief to road congestion and easy mobility for commuters to downtown Miami,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman in a press release.

The station project includes the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over railroad right-of-way and Biscayne Boulevard that will provide direct access to the Miami-Dade Transit bus terminal in Aventura Mall.

“Working together with Brightline, we’re bringing rail to an area that’s not currently serviced by any public transit rail line, and connecting residents and visitors to more opportunities, more places and more possibilities,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.