The Brickell Monorail Loop
An elevated 8.4-mile ring that finally makes Brickell walkable.
The pitch
A driverless elevated monorail circling Brickell, Downtown, and Edgewater on a single track every 90 seconds. Stations every quarter mile, every station within a five-minute walk of the next. Zero cars added to the surface grid; existing Metromover folded into the loop as a feeder.
Why now
Brickell's job density now exceeds Manhattan's per square mile in some blocks. The Metromover hits capacity by 8:30am most weekdays and the surface streets are at war with sidewalks. Capital is sitting in the EB-5 and CRA buckets waiting for a fundable transit project. The Loop is the smallest viable fix that meaningfully changes the experience of being downtown.
Where it fits
Anchors at Brickell City Centre, Mary Brickell Village, the Adrienne Arsht Center, the AAA, Bayfront Park, Wynwood-Edgewater border, and the Miami River walk. Connects to the existing Metromover at three points and to Brightline at MiamiCentral.
Specs · back of the envelope
- › Length: ~8.4 miles, single bidirectional track with passing loops
- › Stations: 19, all step-free, all canopied
- › Cars: 4-car driverless trains, 280 passengers each
- › Headway: 90 seconds peak, 4 minutes off-peak
- › Power: third-rail, solar canopy at each station
- › Construction: $2.1B–$2.7B est. · 6-year build
- › Fare: integrated with Metromover (free) or $2.50 standalone