Editing Tri-Rail (section)

=== 2009{{endash}}2022: Growth and airport station<span class="anchor" id="2010s: Growth and Coastal Link"></span><span class="anchor" id="2009–present: Growth and Coastal Link"></span> ===
[[File:Fort Lauderdale SAL station NW.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Lauderdale station]], built in 1927, serves Tri-Rail and [[Amtrak]].]]

In 2009, Tri-Rail service was nearly cut drastically, with the threat of being shut down altogether by 2011,<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.cnweeklynews.com/commentary/editorial/1696-we-cant-let-trirail-close|title=We can't let Tri-Rail close! |work=CNN |date=June 7, 2009|access-date=2011-11-28|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100421233216/http://www.cnweeklynews.com/commentary/editorial/1696-we-cant-let-trirail-close|archive-date=April 21, 2010}}</ref> even as ridership was at a record high, as Palm Beach County withheld its funding of the system and looked to cut its funding from $4.1&nbsp;million to $1.6&nbsp;million per year. This would mean that Broward and Miami-Dade counties would also have had to cut their support to $1.6&nbsp;million each to match. The state, which was also running a budget shortfall and did not pass a rental car tax increase to help fund Tri-Rail, would have had to cut its support as well. This would have caused an immediate cut from 50 to 30 daily trains and a complete cutting weekend service, followed by additional cuts and possible shut down two years later.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/090401/story2.shtml|title=Tri-Rail may be forced to cut half its weekday routes, eliminate weekend service |last=Polansky |first=Risa |publisher=Miami Today News |date=April 2, 2009|access-date=2011-11-28}}</ref> Schedules were decreased slightly, but service was never cut altogether, as dedicated federal funding was attained through the $2.5&nbsp;million grant as part of the [[American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009]].

After a 25% fare increase in mid-2009, annual ridership dropped by 15% (about 600,000) in 2010.<ref name=SFTRA2013>{{cite web|title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2013|url= http://www.sfrta.fl.gov/docs/overview/2013_CAFR_15MB.pdf|publisher=South Florida Regional Transportation Authority|date=December 12, 2013|access-date=2014-06-12}}</ref> However, in 2011, Tri-Rail again saw increasing ridership due to sustained high gas prices, averaging about 14,500 riders per weekday by the end of year. Throughout the year, ridership increased at a rate of about 11% per month, paired with a decline in automobile travel <ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/driving-on-the-decline-as-gas-prices-remain-2023383.html |title=Driving on the decline as gas prices remain above $3 a gallon |last=Salisbury |first=Susan |date=December 9, 2011|newspaper=Palm Beach Post|access-date=2011-12-09}}</ref> and an increase in employment, with 285 companies and 2,829 individuals joining in the discount program.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tri-rail-ridership-2011-20120112,0,5335928.story|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203081946/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tri-rail-ridership-2011-20120112,0,5335928.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2013|title=Tri-Rail's ridership soars in 2011|newspaper=Sun-Sentinel|last=Turnbell|first=Michael|date=January 12, 2012|access-date=2012-01-12}}</ref>

In 2011, the dilapidated Pompano Beach station received a $5.7&nbsp;million federal grant, to be redone as a "green station," generating more than 100% of its energy demand through solar power, with the excess to be sent to the grid or stored for nighttime lighting. Construction started in spring 2012 with the station remaining open during construction.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-11-27/news/fl-tri-rail-pompano-station-20111127_1_tri-rail-spokeswoman-bonnie-arnold-tri-rail-line-second-track |title=New Pompano Beach Tri-Rail station will be solar-powered |last=Turnbell |first=Michael |date=November 27, 2011 |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |access-date=2011-11-28 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224501/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-11-27/news/fl-tri-rail-pompano-station-20111127_1_tri-rail-spokeswoman-bonnie-arnold-tri-rail-line-second-track |url-status=dead }}</ref> The crossing of Race Track Road and the Tri-Rail line near the Pompano Beach station, rough for several years, was also repaired in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-11-25/news/fl-race-track-crossing-20111125_1_rail-crossings-public-highway-rail-grade-crossings-repair-crossings |title=Rough railroad crossing in Pompano Beach irks jostled drivers |date=November 25, 2011 |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |last=Turnbell |first=Michael |access-date=2011-12-01 |archive-date=2013-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723060150/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-11-25/news/fl-race-track-crossing-20111125_1_rail-crossings-public-highway-rail-grade-crossings-repair-crossings |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In early 2012, it was announced that a second Tri-Rail station in [[Boca Raton]] was once again being considered at the busy intersection of [[Glades Road]] (S.R. 808) and [[Florida State Road 809|Military Trail]] (S.R. 809), near [[Town Center at Boca Raton|Town Center Mall]], [[Florida Atlantic University]] and large office parks. A station was proposed for this location in the early 2000s while many other stations were being renovated. [[Boca Raton station (Tri-Rail)|Boca Raton station]] near [[Yamato Road]] (S.R. 794) is the busiest station in the system<ref>{{cite news |last=Streeter |first=Angel |date=January 4, 2011 |title=Second Tri-Rail station in Boca Raton proposed |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/boca-raton/fl-boca-raton-new-tri-rail-station-20120104,0,1907065.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203110206/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/boca-raton/fl-boca-raton-new-tri-rail-station-20120104,0,1907065.story |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |access-date=2011-01-04 |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel}}</ref> as of 2014, with 1,600 riders a day,<ref>{{cite news |last=Latzman |first=Philip D. |date=April 7, 2015 |title=As ridership increases, Boca Raton embraces train travel |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/boca-raton/fl-boca-raton-trains-tri-rail-20150407-story.html |access-date=2016-08-19 |work=Sun-Sentinel}}</ref> surpassing the [[Tri-Rail and Metrorail transfer station]] in [[Miami-Dade County]]. For this reason, and the fact that Glades Road is considered the most congested road in the county, an [[infill station]] there has been long considered.<ref>{{cite news |last=Streeter |first=Angel |date=May 11, 2014 |title=New Boca Raton Tri-Rail station on the horizon |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-05-11/news/fl-boca-raton-tri-rail-station-20140508_1_new-station-second-tri-rail-station-tri-rail-officials |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701223515/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-05-11/news/fl-boca-raton-tri-rail-station-20140508_1_new-station-second-tri-rail-station-tri-rail-officials |archive-date=2017-07-01 |access-date=2016-08-19 |work=Sun-Sentinel}}</ref> However, in 2019, plans for the station were ultimately canceled by the city and Tri-Rail.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baitinger |first=Brooke |date=2019-07-25 |title=Boca won't get a second Tri-Rail station anytime soon |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2019/07/25/boca-wont-get-a-second-tri-rail-station-anytime-soon/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Sun Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref>

Total ridership on the system fully recovered to earlier high levels in fiscal year 2013, to 4.2&nbsp;million.<ref name="SFTRA2013" /> Tri-Rail wanted to double ridership by 2021 to 30,000 daily riders by building the Coastal Link.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article18291674.html | title=Push to build Miami Tri-Rail station driven by desire as much as data  |work=Miami Herald | date=11 April 2015 | access-date=2015-04-14 |first=David |last=Smiley}}</ref>

[[File:Miami Central Station from NW 25th Street.jpg|thumb|[[Miami Intermodal Center]] opened in April 2015. It is the largest station in Florida, serving Tri-Rail, [[Metrorail (Miami-Dade County)|Metrorail]], and buses.]]
In April 2015, the Miami Airport station opened at the [[Miami Intermodal Center]], once again connecting Tri-Rail directly with the [[Miami International Airport]] for the first time since the original Miami Airport station closed in 2011. This new station has connections to [[MIA Mover]] (providing a direct link to the airport), [[Metrorail (Miami-Dade County)|Metrorail]], [[Miami-Dade Transit#Metrobus|Metrobus]] and [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]]. After extensive delays, [[Amtrak]] has yet to move its operations from its [[Miami station (Amtrak)|current station]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.miamiherald.com/news/traffic/article129451899.html | title=The trains are too long. The platform is too short. Bad news for the new station  |publisher=Miami Herald | date=January 29, 2017 | access-date=2017-01-30}}</ref> This new station was under construction since 2009, with a September 2011 closure of the original Miami Airport station to allow for construction of the new station.<ref>{{cite news |last=Turnbell |first=Michael |url= http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-tri-rail-miami-station-tour-20150402-story.html |title=Tri-Rail opens Miami airport station |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |date=April 5, 2015 |access-date=2015-04-05}}</ref>

On January 27, 2017, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority board voted to award [[Herzog Transit Services]] a $511&nbsp;million, 10-year contract to operate Tri-Rail beginning in July 2017.<ref name="2017 contract" /> The board disqualified the other five bidders ([[Amtrak]], [[Bombardier Inc|Bombardier]], [[First Transit]], [[SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit]] and incumbent operator [[Transdev]]), stating that they had all submitted "conditional" prices despite the request for proposals mandating that the bid price be final.<ref name="2017 contract" /> The other five losing bidders all protested the contract, with Transdev, Bombardier, and First Transit jointly requesting a court injunction to prevent it from being awarded.<ref name="2017 contract">{{cite web | url= http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article129203979.html | title=Massive Tri-Rail deal approved after bids tossed, warnings issued |publisher=Miami Herald |date=January 27, 2017 |access-date=2017-01-30}}</ref>