MIAAirport Guide

The Metrorail from Miami airport into the city

Find the MIA Mover, pay the Metrorail fare, choose your downtown stop, and avoid the overnight service gap.

An elevated rail platform under a curved station roof
An elevated rail station

The Orange Line reaches downtown Miami and Brickell for $2.25 per person. First, take the free MIA Mover from the terminal to the Metrorail station. Late evening and weekend trips require a change at Earlington Heights. Trains stop leaving the airport shortly after midnight and resume around 5 a.m.

One solo traveler filmed the trip through Government Center to the downtown Metromover, liked the $2.25 fare and said the airport corridors would be harder with a lot of luggage.

From baggage claim to the train

  1. After collecting your bags, go to Level 3 and follow signs for the MIA Mover. Its airport station sits between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. The Level 3 Skyride moving walkways lead toward it from the terminal areas.
  2. Ride the free MIA Mover to the Miami Intermodal Center, also called Miami International Airport Station. It runs about every 3 minutes. This is where Metrorail, Tri-Rail and Metrobus connect. The MIA Mover is a separate train from the North Terminal Skytrain and the Concourse E train. Our MIA Mover guide covers the airport connection.
  3. Follow Metrorail signs and board the Orange Line toward Earlington Heights and downtown. MIA trains run every 10 minutes during weekday peaks, about 6 to 8:30 a.m. and 3 to 5:30 p.m. They run every 15 minutes at other times, including the evening and weekend shuttle to Earlington Heights.

At the Metrorail gate, tap a contactless debit or credit card, phone or watch. You don’t need to buy an EASY Card first. MIA’s public transportation page says you do, but Miami-Dade County lists contactless payment at Metrorail gates. An EASY Card or EASY Ticket works too. The discount fare is $1.10. The gates don’t take cash. If you’re paying cash, buy an EASY Card or EASY Ticket at a station vending machine.

MIA lists EASY Card vending machines at the Intermodal Center, and Miami-Dade says every Metrorail station has a ticket vending machine.

One traveler filmed a MIA Mover outage and followed staff directions to a replacement bus. If the Mover is out when you arrive, follow the posted detour or ask airport staff where its replacement leaves.

Where should you get off?

For downtown before Government Center, the Orange Line stops at Culmer and Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre. For central downtown, aim for Government Center. The free Metromover serves downtown, Omni and Brickell. Miami-Dade lists Metromover service from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For Brickell, stay on Metrorail to Brickell station. The Orange Line continues south through Coconut Grove, Douglas Road, University and South Miami to Dadeland South.

The rail line does not go to Miami Beach or a PortMiami cruise terminal. For Miami Beach, Route 150 Airport Express picks up on the west side of the airport Metrorail station at ground level and goes to Mid Beach and South Beach. It costs $2.25 each way and runs every 30 minutes, from the airport station at these times:

Day First Route 150 Last Route 150
Weekdays 5:23 a.m. 11:18 p.m.
Saturday 5:22 a.m. 11:16 p.m.
Sunday 5:24 a.m. 11:18 p.m.

For a ship, prearranged cruise line transfers to PortMiami board at the North bus station by Concourse D, Level 1, Door 1, or the South bus station by Concourse J, Level 1, Door 33. You can also take a taxi from the airport. Don’t treat a downtown rail stop as the cruise terminal. If your destination is farther north toward Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach, Tri-Rail is the separate train at the Intermodal Center.

The hours that change your plan

The airport’s downtown guide describes the Orange Line as running roughly 5 a.m. to midnight. The detailed airport service listing gives the departures that matter when you’re at MIA:

Operating day First MIA departure Last MIA departure What happens on the way downtown
Weekdays 5:04 a.m. 12:17 a.m. Through trains to Dadeland South run until 7:44 p.m. From 8:02 p.m., MIA trains run only to Earlington Heights. Change there.
Saturday and Sunday 5:11 a.m. 12:21 a.m. MIA trains run only to Earlington Heights. Change there for downtown and points south.

The last departure falls after midnight on the following calendar day. In the gap from roughly 12:20 a.m. to 5 a.m., no Metrorail train leaves MIA. The MIA Mover runs from 5 a.m. until about 4:41 a.m. the next morning, so reaching the Intermodal Center does not mean you can catch a rail train. Before a late trip, check Miami-Dade’s live Metrorail schedule and service alerts.

If your arrival misses the last train, use the taxi stands outside baggage claim on Level 1 or check ride-app pickup. A taxi to downtown runs on the meter, with no fixed price. The rates on trips from MIA:

  • $2.95 for the first one-sixth mile
  • $0.85 for each further one-sixth mile up to one mile, then $0.55
  • a $2 airport fee, and a $15 minimum fare
  • $0.40 per minute of waiting, and 30% above the meter for SUVs and vans

MIA lists ride-app pickup on both Level 1 arrivals and Level 2 departures. Your app gives the designated door. If an elevator or escalator is out during your rail trip, check Miami-Dade’s elevator and escalator status before relying on that station.

Sources