| Jacksonville Skyway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Skyway train in front of theJacksonville Transportation Authorityheadquarters building | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Jacksonville Transportation Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Jacksonville, Florida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
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| Stations | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Automated people mover | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 1,100 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ridership | 305,400 (2024)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | May 30, 1989; 36 years ago (May 30, 1989)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Elevated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | Monorail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Third rail[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheJacksonville Skyway is anautomated people mover inJacksonville, Florida. It opened in 1989 and is operated by theJacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The skyway has three stations inDowntown Jacksonville and was extended in 1996 following a conversion from its original technology toBombardier Transportation equipment. It was expanded again in 1998 and 2000. The currently fare-free system comprises two routes across 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track, servingeight stations, and crosses theSt. Johns River on theAcosta Bridge. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 305,400, or about 1,100 per day as of the second quarter of 2025.
As of 2023[update], the Skyway typically only operates on weekdays, although JTA does occasionally operate the system on weekends when there are special events downtown.
The Skyway runs on an elevated two-waymonorail track. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) system serves eight stations inDowntown Jacksonville: five in theDowntown Core andLaVilla areas, and three across theSt. Johns River on theSouthbank. There are two routes running south fromRosa Parks Transit Station and branching atCentral station: one going west and terminating atLaVilla station, and the other going south over the river and terminating atKings Avenue station on the Southbank.[5][6]
From 1989 to 1996 the system usedVAL 256-type rubber-wheeled vehicles designed byMatra. This ran only on the 0.7-mile (1.1 km), three station Phase I-A segment. In 1997, this was replaced by the current system designed byBombardier Transportation, a version of its UM IIImonorail technology. In the current system, vehicles run on beams 34 inches (86 cm) wide and 28 inches (71 cm) tall, fixed on an 11-foot (3.4 m) wide guideway with parapet walls.[5][6] Each driverless train operates underautomatic train control, travelling at up to 35 mph (56 km/h), and can have two, four or six cars (although all current trains have two).
The Skyway connects to the JTA'sbus rapid transit system, known as theFirst Coast Flyer, at theJacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla.
An automatedpeople mover forDowntown Jacksonville was first proposed in 1972 to deal with traffic and parking issues in the urban core. In 1976, the city incorporated the system into its mobility plan, hoping to attract interest from theUrban Mass Transit Administration's Downtown Peoplemover Program. The initial study was undertaken by theFlorida Department of Transportation and Jacksonville's planning department, who took the Skyway project to theJacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in 1977 for further development. Early proposals recommended a comprehensive system over 4 miles (6.4 km) long that would connect into adjacent neighborhoods, but the project's route and scope were greatly reduced over the years to meet budget constraints and UMTA's parameters.[6][7]
After several stops and starts, UMTA selected Jacksonville as one of seven cities to receive federal funding for the "Automated Skyway Express" in 1985. Two other related projects areMiami'sMetromover andDetroit'sPeople Mover. UMTA's approved plan called for the construction of a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) Phase I system to be built in three segments; the agency awarded JTA $23.5 million for the initial 0.7-mile (1.1 km) Phase I-A segment.[6][7]
In July 1987, JTA selected French companyMatra to build the Phase I-A segment. Work was completed in May 1989 at a cost of $34.6 million and revenue service started June 5. At its opening the Skyway served three stations on its east–west route:Central,Jefferson, and Terminal Station and Convention Center (now LaVilla station) on the Northbank of Downtown Jacksonville. Subsequent extensions were planned to take the Skyway north toFlorida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ), and then south across theSt. Johns River over theAcosta Bridge. Development of these routes began in 1992 and 1995, respectively, but negotiations for a new contract with Matra failed when the previous one expired. In October 1994Bombardier Transportation was awarded a new contract to revamp the existing east–west segment with new technology and to complete the remaining Phase I extensions.[5][6]
The system was shut down on December 15, 1996, to replace the former Matra technology with Bombardier equipment; the older cars were sold toO'Hare International Airport inChicago for theirAirport Transit System. The northbound extension was completed, adding the Hemming Plaza (nowJames Weldon Johnson Park) andRosa Parks Transit Station stops, and the Skyway reopened on December 15, 1997, with service from thePrime F. Osborn III Convention Center to FSCJ. The southern segment opened on October 30, 1998, adding service toSan Marco Station on Jacksonville'sSouthbank. On November 1, 2000, theRiverplace andKings Avenue Stations opened, completing the Southbank segment and Phase I of the Skyway.[5]
Ridership on the Skyway has been far below initial projections; while JTA originally anticipated 100,000 riders monthly, it averaged less than a third of that by 2009. The primary reasons are the decline of the downtown workforce and lack of connections to other neighborhoods and modes of transit. The system became a major point of contention in Jacksonville, with critics considering it a "ride to nowhere" and a waste of resources. In 2010, after underperforming for over twenty years,The Florida Times-Union called it "a Jacksonville joke for a generation". However, others argued that expansion of the system and downtown revitalization could make it a success.[7][8]
In February 2012, the Skyway was temporarily made free to ride until a new payment system was installed. Ridership jumped 61%—to 481,000 annually. Ridership in 2013 averaged nearly 4,000 on weekdays (the system is closed on weekends except for special events) and JTA renewed the fare-free policy through the end of 2016.[9] As of August 2025[update], it continues to be free to ride.[10] In light of this momentum, JTA Director Nat Ford has announced the agency will apply for grants to expand the system with a new station in the fast-growingBrooklyn neighborhood.[11][12]
In December 2015, the Jacksonville Transit Authority announced plans to review the installation and operation citing problems that "Skyway’s current vehicles are so old the parts can no longer be replaced — four of 10 vehicles are out of commission — and JTA staff said industry experts did not respond favorably to the possibility of overhauling them".[13] The review considered options to refurbish the current rolling stock, buy replacement vehicles, expand the system, tear down the structure or convert it to alternative use such as a walking path. JTA said in January 2017 that they are "trying to keep the Skyway operating for another five years as it determines the future of the system"[14]
As part of the construction of the agency'sJacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC), the Convention Center station closed for a period of time to allow for the dismantling of original station elements (such as the overhead station canopy) and construct the new facility partially over the existing tracks. The existing platform was kept but with modifications made in order to tie everything into the new facility. While the new JRTC opened on May 4, 2020, the Skyway did not commence service to the facility until July of that year due to a temporary pause in Skyway service caused by COVID-19.
On March 3, 2021, JTA announced that it had approved plans to convert a portion of its Skyway maintenance facility property off Leila St in the Brooklyn neighborhood to the planned Brooklyn station, with construction to begin in September 2021 and completion projected for some time in early 2022.[15]
In December 2016, preference was given for replacement of the monorail byshared autonomous vehicles that would see vehicles run on the elevated route currently used by the monorail but also continue on an extended network at street level.[16][17] The system would have some similarity topersonal rapid transit or group rapid transit except at ground level it will either run in mixed traffic or its lanes will have grade crossings with other traffic.
In December 2017, JTA launched the U2C AV Test and Learn track which serves as an outdoor classroom to test and evaluate multiple vehicles and their associated technologies from the AV shuttle industry. As of 2020 vehicles from three different suppliers have been trialed. In 2019 the JTA indicated an interim phase would involve the modification of one of the monorail beams to allow use by autonomous vehicles while the Skyway continues to run on the other side.[18]
JTA revealed more detailed plans in 2020 that the U2C network will have 10 route miles – elevated track and ground level roadways – also covering surrounding suburbs such as San Marco, Springfield, and Brooklyn/Riverside (with the future possibility of connecting it with the proposedFirst Coast Commuter Rail network).[19][20][21]
In May 2021, theJacksonville City Council voted to remove $132 million from the budget for the U2C, leaving $240 million for the project.[22]
The Jacksonville Skyway has eight stations on two lines: the Northbank (LaVilla) line, and the Southbank (Kings Avenue) line. All trains run throughRosa Parks Transit Station,James Weldon Johnson Park station, andCentral, where they split.[5]
| Station | Line(s) | Location | Opened | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosa Parks Transit Station | Northbank Line Southbank Line | 201 W Union St | 1997 |  JTA Bus |
| James Weldon Johnson Park | Northbank Line Southbank Line | 301 Hogan St | 1997 | |
| Central | Northbank Line Southbank Line | 300 W Bay St | 1989 (rebuilt 1997) | JTA Bus Water Taxi |
| Jefferson | Northbank Line | 800 W Bay St | 1989 (rebuilt 1997) | |
| Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla | Northbank Line | 1101 W Bay St | 1989 (rebuilt 1997 and 2017–2020) | JTA BusGreyhoundMegabus |
| San Marco | Southbank Line | 701 San Marco Bl | 1998 | JTA BusWater Taxi |
| Riverplace | Southbank Line | 801 Flagler Av | 2000 | Water Taxi |
| Kings Avenue | Southbank Line | 1003 Kings Av | 2000 | JTA Bus |
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