Fort Lauderdale, FL
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Hollywood, FL (7.7 mi).
About Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the seat of government of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Florida. After Miami and Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale is the third-most populous city in the Miami metro area, which had a population of 6,166,488 in 2019.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Large city — metro tier (range $2–4B) | $3B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1.5× on $200M base | $300M |
| Track: Fort Lauderdale → Hollywood | 7.7 mi × $500M/mi | $3.9B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $60M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $7.2B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The Brightline station district downtown. Fort Lauderdale's Brightline station already proves the market for higher-speed rail, sitting downtown with Tri-Rail connections and the airport minutes south. The maglev terminal would co-locate with this proven infrastructure, serving cruise passengers, beach tourism, and the Broward employment base.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Dania Beach, FL — coastal city on the US-1 corridor.
- West Park, FL — small city between Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood.
- Hallandale Beach, FL — beach and casino district on the corridor.