Roa D's Hard for Tri-Rail a S It Toils on I Ts F Ast Tra Ck

Home , Boca Raton station, Cypress Creek station, Deerfield Beach station, Delray Beach station, Hialeah Market station, Mangonia Park station

!OKBUG! WWW.HERALD.COM BRO FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2004 I 3B BROWARD PLUS

SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING PUBLIC TRANSIT Roa d’s hard for Tri-Rail as it toils on its fast tra ck

I Tri-Rail hopes to improve rush-hour service so trains A SECOND TRACK will run once every 20 LEGEND minutes by 2006. Mean- Second track complete while, construction delays Planned/under construction a re a continual nuisance. Mangonia Park station BY MICHAEL HIBBLEN West Palm Beach station [email protected] Palm Beach Airport Station Tri-Rail is hoping its SOUTHERN BLVD. $334 million double-tracking project will lead to improved service and increased rider- Lake Worth station ship. But until construction is complete, the project will sometimes mean some aggra- N Boynton Beach vating delays both for Tri-Rail 5 miles station Turnpike J. ALBERT DIAZ/HERALD STAFF riders and for drivers who need to cross the railroad. ATLANTIC AVE. HOLIDAY FARE: Volunteer Shanna Gugliotta, carrying a tray of pie slices, surveys the dining room at the Salvation The commuter rail agency Delray Beach station Army’s Thanksgiving meal in Fort Lauderdale. reopened the Hollywood Bou- Boca Raton station levard crossing this week after PALM BEACH COUNTY two weeks of work at the site. 441 95 The crossings at Johnson Street and Stirling Road will Deerfield Beach station be closed next year, as will the BODY AND SOUL Pompano Beach station one at 79th Street in Miami. Tri-Rail riders also have been affected by the construc- Cypress Creek station MANY OF BROWARD COUNTY’S NEEDY tion. At times over the summer, only 20 to 30 percent of Fort GET A HOLIDAY MEAL AND A RESPITE Lauderdale trains were on time. But on- BROWARD station AT SHELTERS AND RESTAURANT S time percentages have since COUNTY 595 gone back up into the 70s and BY NATALIE P. McNEAL 80s, Tri-Rail spokeswoman Fort Lauderdale Airport station [email protected] Bonnie Arnold said. ‘‘It’s getting better,’’ she Sheridan St. station For Doris Reed of Fort Lauderdale, who, with her said. ‘‘We’ve put new plat- Hollywood station husband, Johnny, is raising eight of their grandchildren, forms and new pieces of track into service, and actually, last Golden Thursday’s free meal at Hops was a godsend. Glades weekend 100 percent of our station 1. ‘‘I finally get a break,’’ said Reed. ‘‘Seven days a week I trains were on time.’’ cook on the hot stove. [Today] I don’t have to wash dishes The construction project Miami 2. 95 or clean up after anyone.’’ eventually will give Tr-Rail International Airport Reed was one of 300 people in foster families who two parallel tracks along the 3. railroad’s 72-mile corridor, TAMIAMI TRAIL 4. celebrated Thanksgiving with a meal of ham, turkey, which runs mainly along Inter- dressing and mashed potatoes at the Hops restaurant in state 95 from near West Palm MIAMI-DADE COUNTY Pembroke Pines. The restaurant and microbrewery was Beach to near Miami Interna- 1. Opa-locka station closed to the public. tional Airport. 2. Tri-Rail/Metrorail transfer LILLY ECHEVERRIA/HERALD STAFF When the project is com- station 3. Hialeah Market station FOSTER FESTIVITIES: Nia Brown, 2, and mom Natasha plete in March 2006, the com- ‘‘It’s an annual tradition,’’ and ushered in guests. muter service hopes to run 4. Miami Airport station said Robin Tompkins, Hops’ Arty Ram, who said he is Pew watch other kids at Hops in Pembroke Pines. trains every 20 minutes during THE HERALD general manager. homeless, went to the Salva- the morning and afternoon A bounce house for kids tion Army shelter because he rush, compared with once an was inflated outside the was planning to meet friends WHAT’S OPEN, WHAT’S CLOSED hour now. In the world of other possible expansion pro- entrance. Snow cones and there. mass transit, more frequent jects, including passenger rail cotton candy were handed ‘‘This is a special celebra- service is one of the keys to service alongside the Dolphin out as if it were a state fair. tion,’’ Ram said. Here is a list of what is be open and closed today: attracting more riders. Expressway. In Fort Lauderdale, about Erin McNamee, volunteer Even with this summer’s The agency also is studying 600 people showed up for a coordinator for the Salvation • Federal courts: Open. delays, Arnold said Tri-Rail the feasibility of running pas- meal at the new Salvation Army, said that most of the • Broward courts: Closed. saw a 12 percent increase in senger trains on the Florida Army Center for Worship guests were homeless. One • County and state offices: Closed. ridership during June and July East Coast Railway tracks, and Service at 100 SW Ninth person was so thankful for • Federal offices: Open. and a 9 percent increase in which, unlike the tracks used Ave., a squeaky clean 38,000- the meal that he gave her • Broward County libraries: Closed. August. by Tri-Rail now, cut through square-foot building. what he had: 30 cents and Tri-Rail averages about the heart of most downtown U.S. Postal Service: Open. The kitchen there cooked some CremeSavers candy. • 10,500 boardings per day — areas. 30 whole turkeys, averaging One of the youngest • Broward schools: Closed. the equivalent of 5,250 round- The FEC had no interest in 24 pounds apiece; 40 bone- guests was a 7-year-old girl, • Buses and trains: Regular schedule. trip riders. allowing passenger service as less turkey breasts; 242 who arrived alone. A volun- • Malls: Open. Building new track on a Amtrak and later Tri-Rail pounds of stuffing; and 420 teer ate with her. The little • Garbage collection: Regular pickups. working railroad is a compli- were first being planned but pounds of yams. Seventy-five girl told the volunteer that cated job. now is considering the possi- • Stock markets: Open. volunteers set up tables, her mother said, ‘‘Thank ‘‘It’s been a challenge, to bility. Local leaders also sup- worked the dessert station, you.’’ say the least, to be able to port the idea as a better way to maintain passenger and freight get people who live and work traffic on the railroad as well in densely populated areas out as do our job and get the rail- of their vehicles. road upgraded and con- But Arnold said none of HOLLYWOOD structed,’’ project manager these projects would start Thomas LeBeau said. until the double-tracking pro- Up to 200 people have been ject is completed in 2006. working on the project, In the meantime, passenger Yacht c rew s aves3from sunken boat LeBeau said, with some oper- Cynthia Bolden of Miami takes ating track-laying equipment, the train several times a week BY HECTOR FLORIN captain, Felix Toledo, pro- others building and recon- and is hopeful the project will [email protected] vided water and towels and structing stations or working lead to more reliable service. A yacht crew made a helped treat the fisherman on the 12 bridges that need to ‘‘That’s my complaint, the Thanksgiving morning res- with the cut finger, the rescu- be built. delays,’’ she said, ‘‘because cue, saving three fishermen ers said. As the final phase of double sometimes they’ll be so late. whose boat sank off Holly- During a conversation on tracking continues, Tri-Rail Late, late. But other than that, wood beach. the yacht, the fishermen told officials also are looking at it’s pretty decent.’’ The rescuers took the fish- their rescuers that their 21- ermen to the Bahia Mar foot boat started sinking Yachting Center in Fort Lau- quickly. derdale, where police and fire The men were in the ocean officials arrived. The three for an hour and a half before did not suffer serious injuries, the yacht came along, Trujillo although one was taken to said. Broward General Medical ‘‘The three of them looked Center for treatment of a cut very tired,’’ Trujillo said. finger, Fort Lauderdale police Added Hernández: ‘‘They Sgt. Andy Pallen said. R.C. WHITE/FOR THE HERALD were agitated and very ner- Police identified the fisher- HELPING HAND: A fisherman from the sunken boat vous.’’ men, all residents of Holly- accepts a T-shirt from a Fort Lauderdale police officer. The yacht was headed to wood, as Panagiotos Alexopu- Fort Lauderdale from Miami los, 42, who owned the Beach to rendezvous with the sinking boat; Theodoros or ‘‘puzzle’’ in Spanish, saw a Yacht crew members then yacht’s owner. Kokavessis, 47; and Savas man floating on a boat fender, found two other people in life It was scheduled to return Itsines, 40. rescuer Fausto Trujillo said. jackets and took them to Thursday night to Miami About 9:30 a.m., the crew A fender is used as a buffer Bahia Mar. Beach, where an on-board EMILY MICHOT/HERALD STAFF of the 75-foot yacht Acertijo’s, between the boat and a Trujillo, Teresa Thanksgiving dinner was SLOW WORK: Interruptions come often for workers laying which roughly means ‘‘quiz’’ marina dock. Hernández and the yacht’s scheduled. new track for Tri-Rail at the Hollywood station.

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Story HBRB_031126 System MIAE by ALIPMAN Time 22:08:31 Date 11/25/04

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