Broward County

Miami-Dade

Railcar Rehab

County wants to replace Metrorail cars

By Cynthia Archbold

No more commuting in filth with failing air conditioners or stewing in Metrorail cars stalled on the tracks. County commissioners decided Tuesday that it’s time to bite the bullet and replace the entire Miami-Dade Metrorail fleet — a $345.4 million endeavor.

Metrorail has been hauling Miami commuters since 1984, and the aging cars are breaking down and past the point of repair, commissioners concluded.

“We need to do it. They’re falling apart and they’re continuing to fall apart,” said District 13 Commissioner Natasha Seijas. “It’s really a disgrace the way they look. The money is already there.”

Miami-Dade Transit Director Harpal Kapoor urged the commission to scrap plans to rehab the cars and, instead, buy new ones because it would be more economical in the long run, saving about $140 million over 30 years.

Rehabbing the existing Metrorail cars would cost around $300 million, while investing in new ones is estimated to cost about $354 million. Ultimately, commissioners concluded it would be cheaper to start over and buy 136 new cars plus an extra 62 for new rail lines the county hopes to build in the next few years, including an airport extension and East-West and Northern corridors.

“What are we going to do — rehab for three years?” District 7 Commissioner Carlos Gimenez asked, noting that the Metrorail cars on the tracks today are almost ready for their 30-year retirement.

“We all think this is a bitter pill … but we must swallow it,” District 8 Commissioner Katy Sorenson said. “We have to have a transit system that works. We did throw money away and we can’t continue to throw good money after bad.”

Sorenson and the other commissioners lamented that the county has spent $5.3 million in consulting fees on whether to restore or buy new railcars.

Another thorn in commissioners’ sides is the fact that the cars could have been restored cost-effectively if they had been maintained properly, rather than neglected. The whole Metrorail system was supposed to have been completely rebuilt back in 1999, after 15 years of use, halfway through its 30-year life expectancy. However, at that time the county had no money budgeted for the required maintenance, according to a memo prepared by County Manager George Burgess’ staff.

Now, commissioners believe fixing the cars is cost-prohibitive. Funds to buy new cars would come from the half-cent transportation tax that county voters approved for such projects in 2002. In 2004, commissioners approved a resolution to rehab 136 Metrorail cars for $211 million, but the project never materialized, according to the memo.

Since then, the decision to fix or replace the Metrorail cars has fallen through the cracks during the administrations of three mayors and three county managers. Kapoor has only been running Transit since June 2007.

The lack of maintenance during the last 20 years has not gone unnoticed by the federal government. In 2001, the Federal Transit Administration, which enforces maintenance standards, issued a “watch letter” to the county requiring that it hire maintenance technicians. The county has since been under the federal microscope and risks losing $1.4 million in federal matching funds needed to expand Metrorail.

Despite the controversy, county staff says new Metrorail cars could be on the tracks in three years.

Meanwhile, on March 24, the county plans to hold a public hearing to discuss plans for the new Metrorail line connecting the Earlington Heights station with the Miami Intermodal Center under construction near Miami International Airport. This segment, which will provide transportation for tourists and airport workers, will not be constructed with federal funds but with the county’s half-cent transportation tax money and state funding. The meeting begins at 7 p.m., with an open house at 6 p.m., at the Sheila Winitzer Central Administration Building Auditorium, 3300 N.W. 32nd Ave., Miami.