By the way...

My Texas friend left this afternoon and hopped on Tri-Rail to get the Ft. Lauderdale Airport.  We looked at the schedule to make sure he had plenty of time - two hours away from take-off when he arrived at the station, at the scheduled time.  However, they stopped his train at the Boca station with a report that an AmTrak train had been in an accident - it turns out it was a train/pedestrian accident at the Pompano station.  So, his train wasn't going to move for a while.  Panic ensued, he called me and I couldn't get through due to a busy network.  We eventually made contact and somehow he found a cab to share with someone, for a flat fare of $60, would take him to the Fort Lauderdale airport.

So, it is not a perfect system - what is?  But, if you are adventurous, it is worth a try.  If you do try it, try to build in a lot of lead time and maybe find something productive or interesting to do or visit while you wait.  He made it on the plane in plenty of time using the alternative mode of transport.