| PREMO Light Rail | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | In planning |
| Owner | Broward County |
| Locale | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Stations | 3 (Phase 1) |
| Service | |
| Type | Light Rail |
| System | Broward County Transit |
| Operator(s) | Broward County Transit |
| History | |
| Planned opening | 2028 (Phase 1) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 3.5 mi (5.6 km) (Phase 1) |
| Character | Fully elevated |
PREMO Light Rail (also known as Broward County Light Rail) is a proposed light rail transit system planned in Broward County, Florida, United States,
The system will connect Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades. When completed, the light rail system will be owned by Broward County and operated by Broward County Transit.
Plans for the PREMO Light Rail system were officially announced in or about the early 2023, as part of Broward County Transit's Premium Mobility Plan (PREMO) – a $4.4 billion, 30-year program to improve public mass transportation service within the county. [1] [2] [3] [4] This program was approved by county residents in 2018, when they approved the creation of a 1% transportation surtax to fund the new projects under the program. [1] [3] [4] [5]
The first phase of the light rail system – a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) line running between Fort Lauderdale—Hollywood International Airport and the Broward County Convention Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale – is scheduled to be completed by 2028-2029 at an estimated cost of $1.25 billion. [1] [3] [4] [5]
The light rail system is also one of several infrastructure projects relating to Fort Lauderdale—Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades targeted for completion by the early 2030s. [1] [5] [6] [7] Fort Lauderdale—Hollywood International Airport is the second busiest in South Florida, behind Miami International Airport, and Port Everglades is one of the world's busiest cruise ship ports, behind PortMiami. [7]
Roughly 130,000–665,000 passengers are anticipated to ride the PREMO Light Rail system annually. [1] [8] Trains are expected to run every 5-to-10 minutes. [9]
In 2024, it was announced that the Broward County Transportation Department awarded a contract for designing the light rail system to Jacobs. [5] [10]
PREMO Light Rail will be built in multiple phases. [3] [4] [11]
Phase 1 will include the construction of the initial 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the system, running on an elevated alignment from an intermodal center at Fort Lauderdale—Hollywood International Airport to Port Everglades and the Broward County Convention Center; the intermodal center at the airport will connect the light rail line to the airport terminals via a new automated people mover, and to a new commuter rail station via a walkway. [3] [8] [12] [13] The system's initial operations will operate along the line built in this phase of the project. [1] [14] [15] A maintenance and storage facility will also be constructed as part of this phase. [1]
Phase 1 is expected to be completed by 2028. [1] [3] [4] [11]
Phase 2 will extend the system further north and west through Fort Lauderdale, via the Dixie Highway (SR 811) and Broward Boulevard (SR 842). [3] [8] [11] It will be constructed after the completion of the first phase. [1] [3] [11] [8]
Future extensions of the system will extend light rail service west to the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, with two routing options proposed. [2] [3] [8] One option would bring the system further north to near North Lauderdale, before turning west and southwest to the mall. [3] [8] [11] Another option would see the system continue west to the mall via Sunrise Boulevard (SR 838). [3] [11] [8]
Once all extensions are constructed, the system is expected to be 23.3 miles (37.5 km) in total length. [1]
Three stations will be built as part of the first phase of construction – and be served by trains upon the commencement of PREMO Light Rail's initial operations. [1] From south-to-north, these stations are: [1] [3] [8] [15]