Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Tri-Rail, the commuter rail service connecting Palm Beach and Broward Counties with Miami-Dade County, will be the first transit agency to join in the creation of a South Florida regional system, giving Floridians the ability to use one fare card — a smart card — to travel on both systems. Palm Tran and Broward County Transit are expected to join later.

Trio of senators to tour Tri-Rail and discuss funding challenges.

As of Oct. 5, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority will either operate for 18 additional months, based on the funding provided by legislation, or operate for nine to 12 months with a reduced schedule.

Officers from approximately 20 different law enforcement agencies in South Florida will join staff members and volunteers from organizations, including Tri-Rail, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration, in distributing information about train safety.

The grassroots effort is being organized to inform the public of the impact the impending revenue shortfalls will have on service and to encourage them to contact their elected representatives with the message that Tri-Rail service is critical and must be saved.

Conductor George Green will serve as a community ambassador, educating families about the benefits of riding Tri-Rail and promoting public transportation as the single most important choice an individual can make to “go green.”

Preliminary figures show that Tri-Rail carried approximately 4.3 million passengers in 2008, representing a 22.9 percent increase compared to 2007’s approximate 3.5 million.

Tri-Rail is one of the few commuter rail systems in the country that can operate on such a pure blend of fuel, due to South Florida’s temperate climate.