By Railfan & Railroad Staff

After years of work and the construction of platforms to specifically serve Amtrak trains, the nation’s passenger railroad has told officials with Miami Intermodal Center that it will not be serving the station next to Miami International Airport. Miami Today reports that Amtrak informed officials in a letter in December that it was “currently not feasible” to serve the station even though all of the infrastructure needed to support Amtrak’s Silver Meteor and Floridian trains has been built. 

While commuter operator Tri-Rail will still use the station, some platforms specifically built for Amtrak will remain unused. Instead, Amtrak trains will continue to stop at Hialeah, nine miles from downtown. Among Amtrak’s excuses for not wanting to use the station at Miami International was that it would require a lengthy backup move to get to and that the lease terms for the facility were too much. 

Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation have said they are now looking for other ways to use the facility, including the platforms built to Amtrak standards.