transfer from Miami airport to train station

[sfvoyage]

Is anyone familiar with the time required to get to the train station at MIA airport after landing there?

 

I'll be flying UA domestic, arriving at MIA at 5:25pm. If all goes well (no flight or baggage delay), what's the likelihood that I'll make the 6:17pm Tri Rail train going north towards Boynton Beach.

I understand I'll have to walk a bit from the baggage claim to the MIA station and then take the People Mover to the MIC (Miami Intermodal Center) for the Tri Rail train. What's the typical travel time (for a fast walker with a wheelie suitcase)? Also, I assume there are escalators and/or elevators everywhere, so no worries about lugging a big suitcase up or down stairs, right?

[CruiserBruce]

You are collecting bags? I would say there is a very good chance you make that 6:17 train.

 

Yes, there are escalators everywhere. 

[BNBR]

If no checked bags, easily.  Waiting for bags, almost impossible to say.  You may or may not make it.  I've had some pretty long waits for bags at MIA.  Cutting it close and my gut says you are more likely to miss it than make it.

[yoj13]

no people mover involved.  On exit, just walk straight across the road  to the transport hub.  Everything is exceptionally well signposted so follow the signs for Tri Rail.   Buy yur ticket from the machine and take the elevator onto the platform.  Simple and we are not US citizens but have done this journey lots of times  up as far as Fort Lauderdale.

[sfvoyage]

4 hours ago, BNBR said:

If no checked bags, easily.  Waiting for bags, almost impossible to say.  You may or may not make it.  I've had some pretty long waits for bags at MIA.  Cutting it close and my gut says you are more likely to miss it than make it.

 

You're right - we can't predict the wait for bag delivery.  My flight arrives tomorrow at 5:25pm, but as a proxy, I went on MIA's website and saw that there are 26 flights scheduled to arrive today during that hour, but I don't know if that signifies heavy, normal or light traffic for that airport.  Also, out of those 26 flights, only 11 are domestic ones.  So if international and domestic bags are segregated and served by different baggage handlers, that may work in my favor.

 

In the final analysis, it's probably still impossible to predict...

[sfvoyage]

2 hours ago, yoj13 said:

no people mover involved.  On exit, just walk straight across the road  to the transport hub.  Everything is exceptionally well signposted so follow the signs for Tri Rail.   Buy yur ticket from the machine and take the elevator onto the platform.  Simple and we are not US citizens but have done this journey lots of times  up as far as Fort Lauderdale.

 

On MIA's website, the instruction says to take the MIA mover.  I called the MIA help line and asked if I can just walk instead of taking the MIA Mover, but the phone agent insisted that I cannot walk and must take the MIA Mover.  I kind of recall just walking from the train station to the airport a few years ago, so I am confused now.  Maybe that help line lady was incorrect?  If it is possible to walk, how long does it take, for a fast walker?

Edited December 7, 2019 by sfvoyage

[BNBR]

3 minutes ago, sfvoyage said:

 

You're right - we can't predict the wait for bag delivery.  My flight arrives tomorrow at 5:25pm, but as a proxy, I went on MIA's website and saw that there are 26 flights scheduled to arrive today during that hour, but I don't know if that signifies heavy, normal or light traffic for that airport.  Also, out of those 26 flights, only 11 are domestic ones.  So if international and domestic bags are segregated and served by different baggage handlers, that may work in my favor.

 

In the final analysis, it's probably still impossible to predict...

 

Flying AA in to Miami has often been brutal waiting for bags.  To the point we try very hard to skip checked bags almost entirely because of it.  But sometimes it's also quick.  Never know.  Worst case you miss the train and take the next one.

[sfvoyage]

1 minute ago, BNBR said:

 

Flying AA in to Miami has often been brutal waiting for bags.  To the point we try very hard to skip checked bags almost entirely because of it.  But sometimes it's also quick.  Never know.  Worst case you miss the train and take the next one.

 

Yes, normally the next train is no big deal, but on Sunday evenings, the next train is 3.5 hours later.  That's why I was trying to gauge my chance of making that particular train.  We'll just have to wait and see.

[BNBR]

2 minutes ago, sfvoyage said:

 

Yes, normally the next train is no big deal, but on Sunday evenings, the next train is 3.5 hours later.  That's why I was trying to gauge my chance of making that particular train.  We'll just have to wait and see.

 

Yeah it can be brutal.  Check Brightline as well.  A short Uber to that station.  Also price out Uber to your destination and have standby options.

[capriccio]

5 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

Flying AA in to Miami has often been brutal waiting for bags.  To the point we try very hard to skip checked bags almost entirely because of it.  But sometimes it's also quick.  Never know.  Worst case you miss the train and take the next one.

 

Depending upon your arrival gate it can be brutal getting to your bags.  The AA terminal is so large (it seems larger than many airports!) you may have to walk, take the people mover, and ride the train - or a combination of all 3 - just to get to your luggage!

[sfvoyage]

Just now, capriccio said:

 

Depending upon your arrival gate it can be brutal getting to your bags.  The AA terminal is so large (it seems larger than many airports!) you may have to walk, take the people mover, and ride the train - or a combination of all 3 - just to get to your luggage!

 

I'm flying UA, which uses concourse G, I believe.  Last time I did that, it was a longish walk from baggage claim to the MIA Mover and then another walk to the bus terminal, which should be in the same terminal as Tri Rail, IRRC.

[sfvoyage]

5 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

Yeah it can be brutal.  Check Brightline as well.  A short Uber to that station.  Also price out Uber to your destination and have standby options.

 

Thanks for the tip; I hadn't heard of Brightline before.  Unfortunately, it doesn't serve Boynton Beach.  Not many alternatives (bus/Greyhound service is almost nil, and Uber/Lyft is quite expensive for the long distance).  I could rent a car, but that's a lot of hassle as well.  Most likely, if I'll miss the earlier train, I'll have a leisurely dinner at MIA and take the (much) later train.  Next time I'll check the train schedule before deciding to fly into Miami; I had assumed it runs hourly, not realizing the limited service on Sunday evenings.  Lesson learned!

[Flymia]

How did it go? 

[sfvoyage]

1 hour ago, Flymia said:

How did it go? 

 

I was lucky.  The UA flight arrived half an hour ago, and there was no wait for my bags.  (I was, however, unlucky that my bag handle was damaged.)

 

In any case, I had no problem getting to the Tri Rail station on time.  About 10 minute walk to the MIA Mover, and then a 5-min ride on the Mover to the MIC for the train station.  (They were doing some road work on a bridge yesterday, and we had to take a shuttle van between the airport train station and the Haialael train station.  )

[BNBR]

Awesome.

[BlueHerons]

We just did this a couple of weeks ago coming back from Europe and the TriRail was so much better than driving I95 and paying to park.  

 

We spent $20 for both of us round trip.

 

We ubered back and forth from the Broward Blvd station.  An additional $10 each way plus tip.