Aventura station

Aventura
Aventura station in April 2023
General information
Location19796 West Dixie Highway
Ojus, Florida
United States
Coordinates25°57′27″N 80°08′51″W / 25.957455°N 80.147407°W / 25.957455; -80.147407
Owned byMiami-Dade County
Operated byBrightline
Line(s)Florida East Coast Railway
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingYes; paid
Bicycle facilitiesRacks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedDecember 24, 2022
Services
Preceding station Brightline Following station
Fort Lauderdale
toward Orlando
 Brightline MiamiCentral
Terminus
Location
Map

Aventura station is a Brightline station in Ojus, Florida.[1][2] It is located on West Dixie Highway, west of the Aventura Mall and the city of Aventura. The station is built on land purchased by Brightline (then known as Virgin Trains USA) and donated to Miami-Dade County, which funded a portion of the construction with $76 million.[3] A groundbreaking ceremony was held September 3, 2020. Prior to Brightline's ongoing suspension of service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the station had been expected to open in the fall of 2021.[4] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on December 20, 2022.[5] Despite a scheduled opening date of December 21, 2022, passenger service did not begin until a few days later, on December 24, 2022, due to some last-minute finishing touches to the station.[6]

Inter-city service is provided to MiamiCentral in about 17 minutes, and trains run as far north as Orlando. The station is 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) on a 3-acre (1.2 ha) site. There are 240 parking spaces at the Aventura station, as well as a Miami-Dade Transit bus drop-off.[7] Complimentary shuttle service is available to and from the mall. Brightline has also started the design of another bridge that will connect the platform to Aventura Mall in the future.[8]

The infill station is expected in the future to serve as the terminus of planned commuter rail services in Miami-Dade County and Broward County. The Miami-Dade Northeast Corridor Rapid Transit Project line would run between Aventura and MiamiCentral,[9][10] and the Broward line would operate as far north as Deerfield Beach.[11][12]

  1. ^ Hanks, Douglas (October 11, 2019). "Miami-Dade approves $76 million to bring Brightline trains to Aventura Mall". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  2. ^ Lyons, David (November 20, 2019). "Brightline says it's on time to open new South Florida stations by next year". Miami Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  3. ^ Larsen, Keith (January 24, 2020). "Virgin Trains USA buys Aventura station site for $18M". The Real Deal Miami. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "After setbacks, Brightline's Aventura Mall station full steam ahead". Local 10. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Bojnansky, Erik (December 22, 2022). "Brightline's Aventura station remains closed". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "Grand opening held for new Brightline station in Aventura". WSVN. Sunbeam Television. December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  7. ^ A. O. L. Staff (November 4, 2022). "Is Brightline's Aventura station open yet? Curious305 takes a behind-the-scenes look". www.aol.com. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "BRIGHTLINE OFFERS PREVIEW OF NEW AVENTURA STATION". www.gobrightline.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Price-Williams, Abigail. "MEMORANDUM" (PDF). Miami Dade County. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  10. ^ "Brightline close to county deal on commuter tracks. Next up: Fights over stations". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Lester, David C. (August 24, 2021). "Florida's Broward County considering commuter rail line in FEC corridor". Railway Track & Structures. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Lyons, Davis (September 5, 2021). "Broward commuter rail link not likely until 2028". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 12, 2021.