All Aboard Florida tops off Lauderdale train station

Construction contractors topped off the Fort Lauderdale train station that will be the middle stop in All Aboard Florida’s South Florida passenger rail network from West Palm Beach to Miami.

“More than 65 percent of the work has been completed on the entire system between Miami and West Palm Beach,” said Mike Reininger, president of All Aboard Florida’s Brightline rail service, expected to start in mid-2017. ‘We look forward to launching service in less than a year.”

Reininger spoke publicly at a topping-off ceremony Friday, marking the completion of the 60,000-square-foot train station’s structure and the start of interior work that includes the pouring concrete walls and installing escalators.

So far, more than 5,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured for the station, located along Northwest 2 Avenue between Broward Boulevard and Northwest 4 Street.

In mid-August, work started on a precast parking structure next to the station. Crews have finished the installation of the underground stone columns. Work is currently underway on the placement of foundations for the precast structure.

The  train station in Fort Lauderdale was planned and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in association with the Miami-based Zyscovich architecture firm.