FL: Tri-Rail could shut down by 2028 if it can’t find new funding

Tri-Rail trains have been rolling down the tracks since early 1989. Now, some are wondering whether the cash-strapped commuter rail service will run out of money and be forced to shut down.

The 80-mile passenger line relies heavily on state and federal funding. But with federal stimulus money drying up and the state signaling it plans to eventually cut off funding altogether, Tri-Rail officials are looking to Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties to save the day.

Each county currently contributes $4.2 million a year to Tri-Rail.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the agency that owns and operates Tri-Rail, plans to ask all three counties to initially increase their contribution by $10 million. But there’s no guarantee they’ll do it.

“Is Tri-Rail worth saving? That’s the question,” Broward Commissioner Steve Geller told the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week. “The answer is absolutely. But at what price? There’s thousands of people a day riding Tri-Rail. And we don’t want those people in cars on I-95. But if they want to go from $4.2 million to $30 million, I don’t think we can come up with that.”

Tri-Rail needs to fill a projected budget gap of $90 million.

An estimated 15,000 people a day ride Tri-Rail, with round-trip fares as low as $5.

The fares bring in $15 million each year, just 10% of Tri-Rail’s $150 million budget.

Expenses include $98.4 million for train operations; $35.8 million for train and station maintenance; $13.6 million for personnel; nearly $2 million for administrative services; $1.5 million for professional services, and nearly $1 million for legal services.

Revenues include $15 million from ridership fares; $60.7 million from the state; $4 million from the Federal Highway Administration; and $71 million in COVID-related federal stimulus dollars.

The COVID money will run out in 18 months, said David Dech, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority/ Tri-Rail.

When that money dries up, Tri-Rail will need to dip into reserves to keep running if another funding source can’t be found.

Jeremy Baker, the agency’s finance director, laid out the cold, hard facts Friday during a public budget workshop.

“By the end of Fiscal Year 2028, we (will) only have $8 million in the bank,” Baker told the board. “We’re good this year. We’re good next year. We’re good the year after that. It’s dicey once you get into (Fiscal Year) 2027/2028.”

During his presentation, Baker displayed a pie chart showing that 65% of Tri-Rail’s budget goes to operations and 23% to maintenance.

“There’s not a whole lot to chop away at,” Baker said.

During Friday’s budget workshop, Tri-Rail’s governing board talked about increasing fares and cracking down on people who cheat the system and ride for free.

“Enough of this getting to ride the train for free,” Dech told the board. “You’re going to get one warning and then it’s off the train. You don’t get to ride from here to there. One person yesterday had nine warnings. and he got to ride the train and was told not to do it again. That has to change. And it’s going to change this month.”

Tri-Rail plans to post signs at stations warning people they need to buy a ticket to ride, agency spokesman Victor Garcia told the Sun Sentinel.

“We have an open system,” Garcia said. “You can walk up and get on a train before you buy a ticket. The guards walk up and down the aisle and ask for tickets. If you don’t have a ticket, we give you a warning the first time. The next time you’re caught you’re supposed to get a citation. You have to go to court and can be fined. It looks like we just keep giving people warnings.”

Supporters of Tri-Rail say it plays a crucial role in regional transportation by linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, a metropolitan area of more than 6 million people.

A second commuter train service on the Florida East Coast Railway corridor, dubbed Coastal Link, would operate between downtown Miami and Jupiter. Combined with the Tri-Rail line, total daily ridership for both lines would reach an estimated 30,000.

Broward and Miami-Dade counties are seeking a qualified firm to take on operational responsibilities. Tri-Rail submitted a bid for the project late last year. The bid has not yet been awarded.

Tri-Rail officials argue it makes sense to keep both commuter lines under one umbrella due to the financial and operational efficiencies.

That second commuter line could end up being Tri-Rail’s saving grace.

Said Garcia: “If we can’t find money for Tri-Rail and Tri-Rail goes away, hypothetically we could run Coastal Link instead.”

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