Miami's baby trolley system is growing up, with the addition of downtown route.
Friday morning, with a ceremonious ribbon cutting ceremony by Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, new routes officially opened through Brickell and Biscayne Boulevard.
The green and orange rubberized trollies already roll through the Health District, Marlins Park, and Overtown. And now, riders can use trolley transit to get to these Miami spots:
Financial District
Mary Brickell Village
Brickell Key
Miami Convention Center
Bayfront Park
Freedom Tower
Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus
AmericanAirlines Arena
Museum Park
Adrienne Arsht Center
Miami International University Art and Design
Margaret Pace Park
Omni Bus Terminal
And the expansion isn’t over: early next year, there are plans to add routes on Northwest 20th Street from Northwest 27th Avenue to the Omni area, and on Coral Way from Southwest 37th Avenue to Brickell Drive.
With crazy parking issues surrounding the new Marlins stadium, the trolley has been a helping reprieve. On game days, about 2,000 ride the trolley, city director of Capital Improvements Albert Sosa told the Miami Herald. On a regular day, about 500 people hop aboard.
The trolley system launched March 1 and customers will be able to ride for free for at least the first year. The $20 million project runs Monday to Saturday every 15 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Perhaps it was the addition of the trolley that helped land Miami the number eight spot on Walk Score's list of American cities with the best public transit. Walk Score based its ratings on "how well a location is served by public transit by assigning a 'usefulness' value to nearby transit routes based on frequency, route type, and distance to the nearest stop on the route."
PHOTOS: See the newest addition to Miami's roads:
Miami Trolley System
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