Planning and construction In 1989,
American Airlines made a decision to create an
airline hub at MIA for its flights to
Latin America and the Caribbean. A $6.5 billion
capital improvement program was started in 1994 to expand the facilities at MIA, which included the construction of a new passenger
terminal to be used exclusively by American Airlines. Known as the North Terminal, the new facility would ultimately consolidate four of the airport's seven pier-finger concourses into a single mile-long () linear concourse, which would allow for more daily aircraft operations per
gate. It was designed with a
level of service goal for domestic passengers to complete their connection within 30 minutes after entering the terminal. This would decrease walking distances by 70 percent for domestic connecting passengers and 40 percent for international connecting passengers, with 60 percent of all terminal passengers using the system daily. A contract was awarded in 1999 to
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America (MHIA) and
Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) to design the APM system and build its
rolling stock, with an original completion date scheduled for June 2005. The North Terminal project was originally managed by American Airlines; however, following a series of schedule delays and budget overruns, project management was transferred in 2005 to the
Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD), the
Miami-Dade County government agency that operates MIA. The cars were shipped from Japan and placed on the train
guideway at MIA in June 2008. The first phase of the North Terminal opened to the public in November 2009; three stations and approximately of guideway were constructed at the time, and the remainder of the Skytrain construction was scheduled for completion the following year. Skytrain began operations on September 15, 2010, The Skytrain was recognized in 2011 when MDAD received an "Award of Merit" for its construction from
Engineering News-Record annual competition for best construction projects in the
Southeastern United States. As part of MIA's art and exhibitions program, two
site-specific art pieces were installed at Skytrain stations in 2012:
Roberto Juarez' mural
MIA Flower Fence (2011) is featured on a wall in the Station 1
mezzanine, and
Paul Villinski's sculpture
Air Chair (2005) hangs from the ceiling of the concourse outside the Station 2 entrance.
2023–2025 suspension and repairs During an inspection in May 2023, extensive
cracking was discovered in three of the concrete piers underneath Station 1, prompting an
engineering investigation. The cracking had previously been identified during an inspection in 2021, but the issues were determined to be "minor" at the time. By early September 2023, engineers had discovered "accelerated deterioration" of the piers. Following the investigation, a county-contracted engineer ultimately recommended an immediate closure of the system, and the Skytrain was suspended indefinitely at the end of the day on September 15. After $4.2 million of emergency repairs, service resumed on March 29, 2024 between Stations 2, 3, and 4. Initially planned for mid-2024, the system resumed full operations following the reopening of Station 1 on August 29, 2025. The total cost of the structural repairs was $7.8 million. ==System==