Rail connection at MIA?

February 7, 2011 10:04 PM

How can I get from Miami Int'l Airport to the Space Coast region of Florida without renting a car?

I'll be arriving at MIA (with my 3-year-old daughter) after a trans-Atlantic flight. We need to get up to the Melbourne/Palm Bay region (just south of Cape Canaveral). I think there is a rail corridor running along I-95 but I don't know anything about the mechanics of getting from MIA to the rail hub. Is there an easy way?

posted by pandabearjohnson to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

If you're thinking of Tri-Rail, it doesn't run that far north, although it does appear to directly serve MIA. The only Amtrak service in Florida appears to be the Silver Service which is twice daily and doesn't actually run straight up the Atlantic Coast; looks like the closest station is Kissimmee, which is still far. And Amtrak only runs twice-daily, with both trains in the morning. (The service in question is intended as a long-distance one to the Northeast.) So unless there's some other railroad you're thinking of, looks like you're out of luck.
posted by madcaptenor at 10:44 PM on February 7, 2011

Apropos of the above-the-fold-question: not necessarily easy and it doesn't seem too terribly cheap ($90 round trip for two passengers), but if you don't want to rent a car and rail doesn't work out you can shuttle bus it from the airport to, apparently, the McDonald's in either Melbourne or Palm Bay.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:45 PM on February 7, 2011

No rail service here (other than the trains that pass through). Your options will be the above mentioned shuttle bus or a Greyhound bus to the Melbourne Airport station (middle of Melbourne, north of Palm Bay). The logistics of getting to the Miami bus station may be an issue (no clue where it is).

Honestly, I think I'd go with the shuttle option. It will be quicker and more direct, especially if traveling with your young daughter, and will get you actually in Palm Bay.
posted by izoralee at 2:08 AM on February 8, 2011

Basically you're going to have to pay someone else to drive you. Inter-city public transit is basically non-existent in the US everywhere except the Northeast and Pacific coast, and even there coverage is far from universal. So you're talking about a taxi or a shuttle, and you're probably going to spend way more than renting a car would be.

Here's one such service. Here's another. If the latter is any indication, you're looking at $45 a head one-way.

By comparison, renting a car from Enterprise is going to start around $25/day.
posted by valkyryn at 4:42 AM on February 8, 2011

You're probably better off with one of the shuttles. You and your child will likely be quite tired and driving around there can be insane.
posted by mareli at 6:00 AM on February 8, 2011