The major constraint with my commute is that the Tri-Rail trains only run every 40 minutes. After the 8:20am train they only run every hour until 3:50pm. The MetroRail trains run every 5 minutes, alternating Green and Orange. The question is: Is it better to take the Green Line to Tri-Rail or the Orange line to MIA?
There is a 9 minute trip from MIA to the Tri-Rail Transfer station, these trains run very slowly on the trip from MIA to Hialeah and TriRail because of single tracks and the historic train bridge. Below are some a Google Street View images of this bridge.
This means that I may want to take a Green train to TriRail Station instead of Orange line to MIA. The orange line also loops south to get to the airport wasting time by going back south.
There are northbound Tri-Rail trains that leave MIA at 7:00am, 7:40am and 8:20am. Any of these work for me. The trains that leave MIA get to the Tri-Rail transfer station 9 minutes later. So the same trains leave TRI at 7:09am, 7:49am and 8:30
The ride from Dadeland South (DLS) to MIA is 33 minutes on the Orange line. There is a 6:20 orange train that arrives at MIA at 6:53. Just 7 minutes wait and I should be on the 7:00am northbound Tri-Rail. Total Travel time 1:18, with only a 7 minute wait at MIA.
The ride from DLS to Tri-Rail Transfer Station (TRI) is 38 minutes on the Orange line. There is a 6:25 green train that arrives at TRI at 7:03am. Just 6 minute wait and I should be on the 7:09am northbound Tri-Rail. Total Travel time 1:13, only 6 minutes wait at Tri-Rail.
The total ride time from Dadeland South to Tri-Rail Transfer is 33 minutes + 9 minutes for a total of 42 minutes versus 38 minutes to take Metro from Dadeland South to the Tri-Rail transfer station. So even though the Metrorail has three additional stops between Earlington Heights and Tri-Rail transfer station, it only takes 9 minutes to get from Earlington Heights to TRI. The MetroRail takes 4 minutes to go from Earlington Heights to MIA and then another 9 minutes going from MIA to TRI. If only the trains could run faster on the MIA to TRI section.
The Winner is- Green line trains at 6:25, 7:05 and 7:45am. Green line beats Orange by 5 minutes because spending 10 minutes more on the MetroRail saves 5 minutes on the overall trip. The slow 9 minute ride from MIA to TRI on the single tracks causes a 5 minute loss. However, waiting 5 minutes at the air-conditioned MIA station and being able to get a seat, with a table, on the train makes the MIA station a more attractive option.
Below is a list of the durations for all the trains leaving Dadeland South from 6:20 to 7:45 on both the Green and Orange lines. The best trains are the Green at 6:25, 7:05 and 7:45. The next is the 6:20. 7:00 and 7:40 Orange line at 1:18. The worst one is the 6:30 and 7:10 Orange trains out of DLS. Missing the 7:00 train and taking the 7:10 train adds 32 minutes to the commute.
The Complete MetroRail Schedule is here
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