By Joedamadman on English Wikipedia (Joseph Madden) – Image:Miami-Dade Metromover.JPG on English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Thirty years ago the Miami Metromover began operation. The free operation began service in May 1986 and now has three distinct loops that move passengers around Downtown Miami and adjoining areas with ease. The system is the largest and most successful downtown people mover system in the United States – a clear testament to the vision planning Miami-Dade and City of Miami officials had in the 1970’s. Much of the growth of Downtown Miami and the areas nearby, particularly Brickell can be attributed to the system.

As Miami’s downtown area has grown, more and more riders have used Metromover, which links onward to Metrorail (At the Government Center and Brickell stations) and Tri Rail via Metrorail at the Miami Central (Orange Line) and Metrorail/Tri Rail Transfer (Green Line) stations.  Metromover now carries over 30,000,000 passengers a year and provides the type of rapid transit for people who work in Downtown Miami or the Brickell area that the CTA provides around the Loop in Chicago. For those who live in the city of Miami in newly built condos Metromover and its onward links means you may not even need a car very often much like the large cities of the Northeast and Midwest.

In discussion about public transit in southeast Florida, Metromover’s impact in transforming Downtown Miami is often forgotten. Now if we could just figure out a way to get people to Downtown more efficiently, Miami could emerge as one of the world’s great cities.

Metromover system map:

By Self-made, taken from original design by Howchou – Own work, based on File:Miami Metro.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39456217