Brightline, along with its partners in Boca Raton, Aventura and Miami-Dade County, Fla., celebrated the ribbon cutting of its Aventura and Boca Raton train stations ahead of the stations opening for service on Dec. 21.
The opening of the Boca Raton and Aventura stations brings Brightline’s total number of stations to five on the network that currently runs between Miami and West Palm Beach.
“Brightline is on a mission to build a better way to get there. We’re connecting the state and economies, making it easier to do business while expanding your backyard in so many ways,” said Brightline President Patrick Goddard. “Opening our stations in Aventura and Boca Raton is a community-wide effort that will alleviate congestion and regionalize south Florida. Thanks to our amazing partners who made this vision possible.”
The 22,000-square-foot Boca Raton station began construction in January 2022 and includes a parking garage with capacity for 455 vehicles. The station’s construction was supported with a $16.5 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) through its FY20 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.
“The Federal Railroad Administration is proud to provide federal funding for the construction of this new passenger rail station in the city of Boca Raton, helping local communities access high-quality passenger rail as a transportation option, improving and expanding America's rail network will connect economies in new ways while getting people where they need to be conveniently, reliably and safely,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose.
The 34,000-square-foot Aventura Station features 240 parking spaces, a bus drop-off for Miami-Dade Transit passengers, newly landscaped and hardscape areas and a pedestrian skybridge that transports guests from the vertical transportation towers to the train platform.
The Aventura station has been designed to LEED Silver criteria as part of Brightline’s goals to reduce contribution to global climate change, enhance individual human health and protect water resources. These LEED Silver station design features include a solar canopy and installation of electric charging vehicles to reduce emissions and encourage clean transportation, a careful selection of materials to increase healthy indoor spaces and smart technology to reduce water use.
“This station is an important piece of our plan to bring commuter rail service to the northeast of our county. Miami-Dade's investment in this station finally brings a new, fast and convenient connection that is our first important step in providing relief from traffic while slashing our carbon footprint from our transportation system – the largest contributor to climate change in Miami-Dade,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
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