If you’re tired of fighting traffic in PortMiami on a busy cruise day you’re not alone. But a new plan is being considered that would give cruise passengers a non-stop train ride from the airport straight to the cruise port.
According to news reports, Miami-Dade transportation officials are reviewing recommendations for a direct, non-stop train connecting Miami International Airport (MIA) and the local cruise port that is getting busier by the year.
While Brightline already provides convenient rail service to a station near PortMiami (about 2 miles), the new proposal would bring cruisers right into the cruise terminal area.
A recent study showed that the train service would help relieve traffic on those hectic weekends when as many as nine or more cruise ships can be sailing in and out of the port in a single day.
Cruise Fever recently reported that Carnival Cruise Line was sending out notices to warn guests about the traffic in Miami. The letters told cruisers to give themselves extra time when heading to the port on embarkation day, so they didn’t miss their ships.
Cruise Capital of the World
Miami isn’t recognized as the “Cruise Capital of the World” for nothing.
PortMiami welcomed a record 8,564,225 cruise passengers in fiscal year 2025. This is a 4% jump from the year before and the highest total in the port’s history, even though Port Canaveral barely edged out Miami for the title of “world’s busiest cruise port” for 2025.
Currently, all of those passengers, even the ones that fly to Miami, still have to utilize a car to get to the ship.
Cruise traffic in Miami is expected to keep rising in the years ahead, so city officials are trying to think ahead with this airport to cruise port train idea.
When traffic in PortMiami has been a problem some guests have reportedly even ditched their rides and walked the final stretch, luggage in tow.
A non-stop train could offer a much smoother option for the thousands of passengers who fly into MIA each week before boarding their ships.
What’s Being Considered
Two main options are under review by the city:
- Option 1: Extend the existing MetroMover people-mover track by about 9 miles. It could use the current freight train bridge or the Miami River bridge, but each car would carry only about 50 passengers.
- Option 2: A higher-capacity 10-mile extension of the Metrorail system, which would include building a new bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
What About Cost?
The estimated cost is $600 million to $800 million to build, with annual operating expenses of $9 million to $15 million.
The project is still in the early planning stages and would need funding to advance.
But with record passenger numbers at both PortMiami and Port Canaveral, ongoing traffic warnings, and more ships sailing from Miami, many cruise travelers hope this direct rail link moves forward.
Arriving the Day Before
But many are asking how this will benefit cruise travelers when most advise that you arrive the day before the cruise date. After all, one delayed or canceled flight and you could miss your ship, so planning same-day flights is asking for trouble.
While some still like to book same-day flights and hope for the best, this train route will be most beneficial for those disembarking and needing a quick ride to the airport. It’s the transit from PortMiami to MIA that will most likely be utilized by cruisers more often, still helping ease that port traffic.
The Uber/Lyft and taxi lines get very crowded in PortMiami. It’s common to see a row of people looking at their Uber apps and waiting for their rides, and this can take longer than most expect because of the traffic.
Being able to hop right onto a train and head to the airport would be a gamechanger. But it’s also a fairly long cruise port from the first terminal to the last, so some kind of tram system for even getting to the train station would have to be solved as well. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction.
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