MIAMI — Virgin Trains USA will look to add stations in Boca Raton, Aventura, and at PortMiami to boost ridership on its Miami-West Palm Beach route.
The Palm Beach Post reports that Virgin Trains announced the plans last week in a month report to bondholders, saying, “We expect that these stations, which are anticipated to be operational in 2020, have the potential to generate in execuss of two million additional annual trips along our rail system.”
The proposed station in Boca Raton would in the parking lot of the city’s library, with the city contributing the land, a parking garage, and a pedestrian overpass, while Virgin Trains would build the station. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer told the paper he had pitched the idea of a station in his community because residents had expressed interesting in using the service a convenient stop was available.
Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group of travel companies, mentioned the possibility of a station at PortMiami during an April appearance at the rebranding of Virgin’s MiamiCentral station, noting it would allow passengers to connect to Virgin cruise ships at the port. [See “Virgin Group’s Branson highlights MiamiCentral rebranding,” Trains News Wire, April 5, 2019.]
Aventura, about 17 miles north of Miami, would add an additional stop between the existing MiamiCentral and Fort Lauderdale stations.
