WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — For the first time since February 2020, more than 350,000 passengers are using Tri-Rail throughout South Florida.
South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), which runs Tri-Rail, said this uptick could be for many reasons.
WPTV spoke to passengers and SFRTA's director for some perspective.
Some passengers were at the West Palm Beach station waiting to head south to Miami on Thursday, while others were waiting to head north toward Magnolia Park.
Tri-Rail ridership continues upward trend in the first quarter of 2023! March ridership surpassed 350,000 for the first time in three years. 📈 pic.twitter.com/AzBOyac7rf
— Tri-Rail (@Tri_Rail) April 5, 2023
Rosetta Clevenstein drove to Palm Beach County from Palm Coast, a beach town north of Orlando.
She was on her way to Miami to vacation on a Disney cruise ship. She did half of the trip by car and half by train.
"We thought traffic will be heavier, and we thought it'd be safer to take the train," she told WPTV as she waited for the southbound train to arrive.
Other people also find it more convenient and cheaper.
A recent study by SFRTA found 50% of people on the train are using it to get to and from work. About 30% use it for leisure, and about 50% are also using it to get to the airport.
David Dech, the executive director of SFRTA, said there are a few reasons for the uptick.
"Gas prices are still continuing to be pretty high," he said. "We're seeing a lot more people returning to the workplace. We're seeing an improved Tri-Rail service, we think. I think it's a combination of things."
For the first time in three years, there's been a slow and steady increase in riders. Some weekdays, they're seeing close to 14,000 people on board. Dech said it's all about looking forward.
"I want to be able to where we have a service here that we have people riding where we don't have to look backward and say, 'how things used to be' or use the term this is the 'new normal,'" he said.
However, there are still things to work on, according to Dech and other passengers.
"We have a long way to go," Dech said. "We have some reliability issues that we need to work on, and we have some cleanliness issues that we need to work on."
He told WPTV they're already working on putting more security on the trains and trying to attract more people to make the train part of their commute.
