The Community Flyer
Updates on passenger rail systems and projects from across the country
- Austin Opens Capital MetroRail: MetroRail's first day of service on Monday, March 23 went off smoothly, with trains running on or near schedule all day. The vast majority of passengers arriving at 6:25 p.m. on the last southbound train at the Downtown Station stayed on the train for a return trip. Results of the first day of service leave unresolved whether in a few days or weeks, when joy riders stay home, MetroRail's ridership will reach the transit agency's modest projections. Capital Metro reported 2,942 boardings Monday.
- Los Angeles Gold Line Foothill Extension Approved: Politicians from the San Gabriel Valley have for years made very clear where they want transit investment funds to be spent in their section of the Los Angeles region, on an extension of the light rail Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa and eventually Ontario Airport. Yesterday, they got what they wanted: a commitment of $690 million from the board of L.A. County's Metro transportation authority, with the goal of opening the first phase for service by 2014, three years earlier than originally planned.
- Caltrain Prepares for Electrification: After 10 years of study, Caltrain officials will approve plans to electrify the railroad from San Francisco to San Jose, setting the stage for quicker, cheaper and greener trains within five years. The board of directors said it expects to certify both the state and federal environmental reports for the $1.23 billion project, which will allow Caltrain to expand to 114 trains from 90 each weekday.
- Rail Runner Opens Kewa (N.M.) Station: State, local and tribal officials opened the Kewa Rail Runner station with service beginning on March 22. The station is only the second to open on Pueblo land and is the 12th overall for the Rail Runner Express. The project was funded with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
- Metrolink (Calif.) Welcomes New Crash Energy Management-Enabled Passenger Cars: At the Port of Long Beach, Metrolink Board Chairman Keith Millhouse, Chief Executive Officer Eric Haley and a distinguished group of leaders greeted the arrival of the system's first two Crash Energy Management (CEM)-enabled cars. Delivered from their manufacturing site in South Korea, the cars are the first of 117 cars the agency will put into service later this year after a rigorous testing program. Metrolink will be the first commuter rail system in the nation to adopt these state-of-the-art cab and passenger cars, which feature a unique collision-absorption technology.
- SEPTA Receives First New Silverliner: Three new, completely outfitted Silverliner V Regional Rail cars have arrived in Philadelphia -- finishing a journey that started on the other side of the world nearly two months ago. It's also a major step in SEPTA's plan to put 120 new, state-of-the-art cars on the railroad, replacing portions of the fleet that date back more than 40 years.
- Ridership for Seattle Link Light Rail Reaches 3.3 Million: Ridership on Sound Transit's Central Link light rail continued rising this year after the Sea-Tac Airport station opened in December, according to the latest ridership report. Average weekday boardings in February were estimated at 16,741, up from 15,965 in January and 15,196 in the fourth quarter of 2009. The 14-mile line opened in July although it temporarily ended in Tukwila at an International Boulevard station before the final station opened at Sea-Tac, providing an uninterrupted link between downtown and the airport.
- High Speed Rail Project Brings 1500 Jobs To Chicago: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) are to highlight federal funding for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program's Englewood Flyover in Chicago. The project received $133 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program to build a rail flyover in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood that will significantly reduce rail congestion.
- Angels Flight (Calif.) to Reopen: The California Public Utilities Commission has approved the safety certificate for the historic Angels Flight rail line in downtown L.A., nine years after a fatal accident closed the funicular. In a letter to Angels Flight Railway Co., the PUC said that it had "no major safety concerns" regarding the rail line, which runs up and down Bunker Hill. The company has faced numerous delays in reopening Angels Flight.
- Port Authority Awards Contract for World Trade Center Station: On Feb. 25, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board awarded a $542 million contract to a Skanska joint venture for a World Trade Center Transportation Hub project -- the largest contract let to date for the hub, which is expected serve more than 200,000 commuters daily after it opens in late 2011.
- Illinois Creates High-Speed Rail Commission: On Thursday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill creating the Illinois and Midwest High Speed Rail Commission (SB 2571). The 12-member commission would issue a road map by March 2011 on how best to structure a public-private partnership to design, build and operate a high-speed rail system at speeds of 150 miles per hour and greater. It also would issue recommendations on how to fund the network and integrate the new bullet trains with airports, Amtrak service and public transportation systems throughout the Midwest.
- Kansas Established Passenger Rail Program: The Kansas House has given initial approval to a measure laying the foundation for expanded passenger rail service through the state. The bill would establish a passenger rail program and fund within the Kansas Department of Transportation. It also authorizes the transportation secretary to enter agreements with Amtrak or other carriers to expand service through Kansas.
- Iowa Invests $1 million to Study Chicago-to-Omaha Service: Gov. Chet Culver says the Iowa Transportation Commission has approved as much as $1 million for the study of Chicago to Omaha passenger rail service through Iowa. The funds will be used to provide the required state match for the $1 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration under the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program.
- Minneapolis Moves Forward with Streetcar Plans: The City Council is expected to approve the 30-year vision for local rail transit corridors first laid out in 2007 and passed by the Public Works and Transportation Committee last week. In addition, it will take the first step in readying one "starter" corridor for further planning later this year, with plans to eventually ask Washington to fund 50 percent of construction costs. The Minneapolis streetcar route network would extend the reach of the region's existing and planned rapid transit lines by connecting stations in the city's dense urban core.
- Exeter (N.H.) Working to Expand Downeaster Station: The Planning Board is behind a grant request to purchase the Exeter train station's former baggage building with an eye towards constructing a transportation center. The application for funding through the state Department of Transportation's Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program is due April 1. Members of the Exeter Train Committee approached the Planning Board on Thursday, March 25, with their grant proposal. The board approved the request.
- VIA Rail (Canada) Cuts Montreal-Quebec City Travel Times, Will Replace Windsor Station: VIA Rail Canada announced that as of April 6, travel times on the Montreal -- Quebec City route will be significantly reduced with the introduction of new schedules. Trip times will be shortened by as much as 20 minutes, while arrival and departure times for certain trains will be changed to better suit customer needs.
Meanwhile, VIA's new Windsor station will be fully accessible and will be built on a site near the existing building. Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2011, it will replace a structure originally built by Canadian National in the early 1960s and expanded by VIA in 1982. The majority of the $6 million in funding for the new Windsor station and related improvements will come from Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan. VIA's Windsor Station Project is linked with other work currently or soon to be underway throughout the Quebec-Windsor Corridor, which generates almost 90 per cent of VIA's ridership and 75 per cent of its revenue.
- Study: New Orleans-Baton Rouge Service Would Have Positive Effect: A proposed passenger rail link between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that has been opposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal would provide positive economic and social benefits to justify the public subsidy needed for its operations, according to an independent evaluation commissioned by the Southern High-Speed Rail Commission and the Louisiana transportation department.
- Cleveland to Study Commuter Rail Options: A stress-free ride into Cleveland on a winter weekday morning and the ability to navigate the west side without a car are among dreams brought to you by regional rail enthusiasts in the public and private sectors. Attempting to make their dreams for Northeast Ohio a reality, the rail proponents are using funds procured by U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton's office as well as from agencies like Ohio Department of Transportation, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. The funds are being used to study the feasibility of an expansive network of commuter rail lines.
- Study: High-Speed Rail Could Work in Colorado: High-speed rail is feasible along Colorado's interstate 70 and 25 corridors and would generate billions in economic benefit for the state, a new study says. The study -- sponsored by the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority (RMRA) -- says there are several options for high-speed rail between Fort Collins and Pueblo along I-25 and between Eagle County and Denver International Airport along I-70 that meet guidelines set by the Federal Railroad Administration.
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