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Government Center station (Miami)

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Coordinates: 25°46′33″N 80°11′45″W / 25.77583°N 80.19583°W / 25.77583; -80.19583
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●● Government Center
Metrorail metro station
Metromover people mover station
Three modes of transit operating simultaneously at Government Center station
General information
Location101 NW 1st Street (Metrorail)
138 NW 3rd Street (Metromover)
Miami, Florida
Coordinates25°46′33″N 80°11′45″W / 25.77583°N 80.19583°W / 25.77583; -80.19583
Owned byMiami-Dade County
Platforms
Tracks
  • 2 (Metrorail)
  • 2 (Metromover)
Connections
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels4
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeGVT
History
Opened
  • May 20, 1984 (Metrorail)[1]
  • April 17, 1986 (Metromover)
Passengers
20113.2 million[2] (Metrorail) Increase 3%
Feb 2014299,806[3] (Metrorail)
Feb 2014210,134[3] (Metromover)
Services
Preceding station Miami-Dade Transit Following station
Brickell
toward Dadeland South
 Green Line Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre
toward Palmetto
Orange Line Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre
toward Miami Int'l Airport
Third Street
toward School Board
 Omni Loop Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr.
One-way operation
Third Street
toward Financial District
 Brickell Loop
Miami Avenue
One-way operation
 Inner Loop Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr.
Next clockwise
Former services
Preceding station Miami-Dade Transit Following station
Brickell
toward Dadeland South
 Downtown Express Terminus
Location
Map

Government Center station is an intermodal transit hub in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida. It is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and serves as a transfer station for the Metrorail and Metromover rapid transit systems and as a bus station for Metrobus, Paratransit, and Broward County Transit buses. MiamiCentral is directly connected via a pedestrian bridge over NW 3rd Street. The station is located near the intersection of Northwest First Street and First Avenue, a part of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Building. It opened to service May 20, 1984, next to the site of a former FEC railway station which is now MiamiCentral.

History

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Metrorail and Metromover station

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Schematic of 2018 rapid transit and passenger rail service in the Miami metropolitan area

Development of the civic center was reinvigorated during the 1970s and early 1980s during a Downtown building boom. The boom spurred the development and construction of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, Metrorail, Metromover, and the Miami-Dade Cultural Plaza, which currently includes HistoryMiami and the Miami-Dade Public Library System Main Library.

Construction on the present-day Government Center station began in June 1982. The station was primarily designed by the Cambridge Seven Associates in collaboration with Edward D. Stone. The station was built by the Frank J. Rooney Construction Company. Metrorail service, between Overtown and Kendall, following the precise route of the FEC, commenced service May 1984.

An unused, partially completed ghost platform for a future East-West Metrorail line is adjacent to the west side of the mezzanine level below the current Metrorail station and is easily visible to passengers transferring from Metromover to Metrorail. This platform was part of the original design concept which interfaced with the atrium of the Miami-Dade County Administration Building, and the people mover station.

Florida East Coast Railroad station

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Main article: MiamiCentral

Next to Government Center station is the former site of a railroad station developed in April 1896 as the southern terminus of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). The downtown passenger terminal was demolished by November 1963.[4] The FEC still owns the old station site, which was occupied by parking lots until 2014. It is now MiamiCentral, an intermodal transit hub. It has been served by Brightline higher-speed inter-city trains since 2018, and served by Tri-Rail commuter trains since 2024.

Station layout

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The second floor of the complex includes the main fare control for Metrorail and platforms for the Metromover loops, as well as the Metrofare Shops area. The third floor of the complex is a mezzanine for transfers between the two services. A ghost platform for a never-built east-west Metrorail line is located on this level. The fourth floor of the complex is the Metrorail platform. It is the highest transit platform of the Miami-Dade Transit system in height and can hold up to eight Metrorail cars.

Transit connections

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Metrobus

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Route # Route Name Route Map Note
2 The Mall at 163rd Street via NW 2 Ave and North Miami Avenue Map
3 Aventura Mall via Biscayne Boulevard Map 24-hour service
7 Dolphin Mall via NW 7 St Map
7A Miami Airport Station via NW 7 ST/ NW 42nd AVE Map
9 Aventura Mall via NE 2 Ave Map
11 Downtown Miami ↔ Florida International University (FIU) Modesto Maidique Campus via Flagler Street and West 107 Ave (SR 985) Map 24-hour service
21 Northside station via West 12 Ave Map
77 Downtown Miami ↔ Miami Gardens at Miami Gardens Drive/North 183 St or 199 St via NW 7 and NW 2 Ave. (US 441) Map 24-hour service
95 95 Express (Golden Glades Tri-Rail station and Park and Ride Lot via I-95) Map Afternoon rush hours only
100 Aventura Mall via Miami Beach and Collins Avenue Map 24-hour service
203 Biscayne MAX (Aventura via Biscayne Boulevard) Map Rush hours only; limited-stop
207 Little Havana Connection (Downtown Miami ↔ Little Havana via SW 7 St & 1 St) Map
208 Little Havana Connection (Downtown Miami ↔ Little Havana via Flagler Street & SW 8 St) Map
211 Flagler MAX (Downtown Miami ↔ Sweetwater via Flagler St) Map Rush hours only; limited-stop
400 South OWL (Downtown Miami ↔ Dadeland South station) Map Overnight only
401 North OWL (Downtown Miami ↔ 163 St Mall Terminal) Map Overnight only
836 Express (Downtown Miami ↔ Dolphin Station Park and Ride) Map Weekday rush hour only; limited-stop
837 Express (Downtown Miami ↔ Tamiami Station Park and Ride) Map Weekday rush hour only; limited-stop

Broward County Transit

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Route # Route Name Route Map Note
109 95 Express (Downtown Miami ↔ Pines Boulevard (SR 820) at Flamingo Road (SR 823) via I-95 and Pines Blvd) Map Weekday rush hour only; limited-stop
110 595 Express (Sunrise BB&T Center ↔ Downtown Miami and Brickell via I-95) Map Weekday rush hour only; limited stop

Miami Trolley

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Route Name Route Map
Coral Way Map

Places of interest

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  • A Metromover car waiting on the lower level of the Government Center station.
    A Metromover car waiting on the lower level of the Government Center station.
  • A Metrorail train is approaching the upper level of the Government Center station with the Dade County Courthouse in the background.
    A Metrorail train is approaching the upper level of the Government Center station with the Dade County Courthouse in the background.
  • The Government Center Metromover transfer station
    The Government Center Metromover transfer station
  • A Metromover train is approaching Government Center station
    A Metromover train is approaching Government Center station
  • Passengers exit a northbound Metrorail train during rush hour
    Passengers exit a northbound Metrorail train during rush hour
  • Platforms overlooking the contemporary US Courthouse building.
    Platforms overlooking the contemporary US Courthouse building.
  • The ghost platform that is on the mezzanine level
    The ghost platform that is on the mezzanine level
  • A closer view of the ghost platform
    A closer view of the ghost platform
  • A Metrorail sign in the plaza
    A Metrorail sign in the plaza
  • View toward the southeast of the city center, with the FEC passenger trains and the Dade County Courthouse foreground, circa 1930s
    View toward the southeast of the city center, with the FEC passenger trains and the Dade County Courthouse foreground, circa 1930s
  • Critical Mass Miami assembling at Government Center
    Critical Mass Miami assembling at Government Center
  • Government Center with the Dade County Courthouse in the background and HistoryMiami in the foreground on the right
    Government Center with the Dade County Courthouse in the background and HistoryMiami in the foreground on the right

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Free Rides Bring Out Thousands to Opening of Miami Metrorail". The Tampa Tribune. May 21, 1984. pp. 1B–2B. Retrieved September 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/news_technical_reports_archive.asp[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "RIDERSHIP TECHNICAL REPORT". Miami-Dade County Transit. Retrieved 2 June 2014.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Howe, Ward Allan (Nov 3, 1963). "THE FLORIDA RUN: Railroads Anticipating a Busy Winter—New Schedule Effective Dec. 13" (PDF). New York Times. p. XX13. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
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