In Spring 2023, Brightline opened their infill station called Aventura Station, located north of Miami (near the border of Miami-Dade County and south of Broward County/Fort Lauderdale).
Around Aventura Station, the major destination is Aventura Mall. Aventura Mall is one of Miami’s largest and luxurious mall. There is no sky bridge that connects the station and mall. In order to access to/from the mall, you have to use a ride share (like Uber or Lyft) or a local taxi. Brightline used to offered a complimentary shuttle bus to/from the mall, but they have indefinitely suspended the shuttle service after May 2024.
Station Layout
Aventura Station is a small station. At the main entrance of the station, there is a security checkpoint and customer service area (to purchase tickets or if have questions).
After passing through security, you’ll be at the lounge area. There are to types of lounge, general lounge and premium lounge. Right by the general lounges are restrooms and a snack store. In the Premium Lounge, there are compliment snacks and drinks. The station has free Wi-Fi.
Opinion
This is one of the worst station I have ever been. The area is not bad nor is Aventura Mall. However, accessing Aventura Mall is difficult! There is no skybridge, no shuttle, or no Metro bus connections. Walking is dangerous because of traffic and lack of sidewalk. Also, most of the time, Miami’s weather is hot and humid. It is unbearable. You have to get a ride share (Uber or Lyft) to travel between the mall and station.
Also, I saw someone paid almost $45.00 to travel from Aventura Station to MiamiCentral (for seventeen minutes ride). That is pretty steep for a short commute. I rather take Uber Black for faster and personal luxury ride.
Time Saver from Downtown Miami to Aventura Mall / Sunny Isles Beach
The station itself is at a good position because it is near to Aventura Mall and Sunny Isles Beach. If taking the Miami-Dade Transit MDT Metrobus from Downtown Miami (routes 93, 119, and 120) to Sunny Isles Beach or Aventura Mall, the travel time is around one hour and thirty minutes. Brightline train from Downtown Miami to Aventura is around seventeen minutes! That is a huge time saver!
Shuttle Bus Problems
NOTE: As of May 2024, Brightline Shuttle Bus to/from Aventura has been discontinued.
It’s good that Brightline had a compliment shuttle bus to/from Aventura Mall. However, traveling to Aventura Mall is easy. But returning to Aventura Station is a challenge.
At Aventura Mall, there are no signs or schedule about the Brightline’s Shuttle. There is a risk that the shuttle bus may or may not show up. I wanted my journey to be stress free and not to worry if the shuttle will arrive or not. The best option to travel to the rail station is using Uber/Lyft/Taxi or other car sharing programs. For Uber, I have paid $10 from Aventura to rail station.
Sadly, it is a challenge to walk from Aventura Station to/from Aventura Mall. Despite that Aventura Station is across Aventura Mall. It is impossible to cross because of a major highway and railroad tracks in between. Walking to/from the mall is highly discouraged (and dangerous because of the traffic).
Solutions to the problem
One of my quotes is if you complain, you better have a solution.
The solution to travel between the mall and station is building a skybridge. Hopefully in the near future, Brightline, Aventura Mall and the county can contribute a sky bridge to the mall. Having a skybridge will be connivence in traveling to/from the Aventura Mall.
Archives
Brightline offered a complimentary shuttle bus that travels to/from the station every 30 minutes. However, Brightline ended the shuttle service between the station and mall. Below are the archive information (for historical documentation).
Shuttle Bus to/from Avenutra Mall
Brightline offers a compliment shuttle bus to/from Aventura Mall called Aventura Mall Connector (or shuttle).
As of Summer 2023, the shuttle bus departs every 30 minutes. The travel time between rail station and the mall is around 5 to 10 minutes (including the heavy mall traffic).
The image above is a post of the Brightline’s Complimentary Aventura Mall Connector. The poster states:
Complimentary rides to and from
Aventura Mall. Shuttles depart every 30 minutes.
No parking. Just shopping and transit.Service Hours
Brightline Aventura Mall Connector Sign
Monday – Friday: 5:30 am – 8:15 pm
Saturday: 7:00 am – 9:15 pm
Sunday: 8:00 am – 9:15 pm
Aventura Mall Connector Shuttle Map
Below is the Aventura Mall Connector Shuttle Map to/from Aventura Station and Aventura Mall.
Shuttle Stop at Aventura Station
The shuttle stop is located at the station’s parking lot under the “METROBUS” bus stop. There are no Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) Metrobus that stops at that station for the moment. Maybe the future, MDT may expand a bus route by the station.
Shuttle Stop at Aventura Mall
Once the shuttle bus arrives at Aventura Mall, the shuttle drops off and picks up Brightline passengers by the Serafina Restaurant.
If building a sky bridge is a challenge, it would be nice if Brightline integrates a shuttle bus real time arrival (or map) onto their Brightline App. Passengers can get an idea where the shuttle bus is located. Without knowing where the shuttle bus is, there could be a risk that the passenger may miss the train.