News from the Americas

21 March 2022

U.S.A.

AMTRAK Stephen Gardner is taking over leadership of AMTRAK from William Flynn, who is retiring.

LOCO 938 Caltrain has unveiled repainted AEM7 Class loco 938 in the red, black, and white livery used on its class 36 diesel locomotives. The new 938 will be used to test newly erected catenary along the San Francisco – San Jose route before the arrival of new Stadler train sets. The erection of the new catenary is expected to be completed by the summer of 2022.

LONG ISLAND RR A new station was opened at Elmont on 20 November 2021 – the first new station on the railroad for almost 50 years. The eastbound platform opened first and the westbound facility will open during the summer of 2022. The platforms serve sports facilities of the New York Islanders at the new UBS stadium and also Belmont Park (which retains its own station). The new East Side Access in Manhattan is to open on 13 December 2022. There will be a new LIRR station underneath Grand Central station. The project will cost $11bn.

BOSTON MBTA has opened two new stations on the Green Line which both combine and replace two old and ill-equipped stations. St Paul and Street have been combined into the new Amory Street station. Babcock Street and Pleasant Street have been combined into a new Babcock Street station. The new stations have platforms 225 feet long and will accommodate “trains” of two Type 10 LRVs delivery of which will begin in summer 2026.

MICHIGAN CITY Long closed 11th Street Station was finally demolished at the end of 2021 as part of the 28km South Shore Line double tracking project. Street running in Michigan City is coming to an end during 2022 as a new off-street line is completed.

SEPTA CRASH At around 0830 on Thursday 9 December 2021 light rail vehicle 9070 collided with a freight train on a crossing at Darby Pa. The tram was headed for 13th Street station and had 30 people on board, six of whom received minor injuries. Because of Covid restrictions passenger numbers were well below the usual in normal times.

MIAMI (Florida) The Brightline commuter service to West Palm beach was restored at pre-pandemic levels on 8 November 2021 having been withdrawn in March 2020.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. The rebuilt light rail station at the International Airport opened on 25 October 2021. This involved a 450m extension, the original Airport station had opened during April 2013.

SAN DIEGO An 11 mile long extension to the Blue Line light rail route was opened on 21 November 2021 bringing light rail service to the communities of La Jolla, the massive University, Mission Bay Parkway, Pacific Beach and Clairemont.

SAN JOSE, California. The Santa Clara Transportation Authority intends to fund itself a quarter of the $9.14bn cost to extend the BART line from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and on to Santa Clara (6 miles). Work must start within two years to allow the money to be used this way.

PHOENIX The city has been successful in obtaining a grant of $158.1m to build a 1.6 mile extension to the Metrocenter Mall which is now to be redeveloped. The planned opening date is February 2025.

GALVESTON The tourist operation in this Texas city has been restored in November 2021, after a gap of thirteen years.

NEW YORK AREA The Port Authorities of New York and New Jersey have set a budget for 2022 including $3.4bn for operating costs and $2.7bn for capital expenditure. The New York SuBway class R32 trains, known as the “Brightliners”, are operating their final runs with riders crowding the trains for a “final run”. The R34s started service on 14 September 1964. An Amtrak train failed in the Hudson Tunnels between New Jersey and Manhattan on 2 February 2022 disrupting the morning rush hour services.

MINNEAPOLIS Major progress has been made with construction of the Green Line light railway with major civil engineering work completed on the western part of the route. Planning continues for the 16.2 mile 21 station Purple Line though disappointment has been expressed because it may not open until 2027. Plans for the Blue line are moving forward. This will provide transport for poor areas of the city with education, health care, and employment opportunities.

FLORIDA Brightline began operation of test trains between West Palm Beach and Cocoa (209 km) on 18 January 2022. Work continues along the full Orlando – Miami route (378.6km) and passenger services are planned for early 2023.

CANADA

ONTARIO Two tunnel boring machines sent from the Netherlands for work on Metrolinx’s two extensions around Toronto – the 8 mile long Scarborough extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West – have arrived at the ports of Oshawa and Hamilton.

NEW CORRIDOR TRAINS VIA Rail has unveiled the first of thirty two push-pull train sets from Siemens Mobility for service along the Quebec – Montreal – Toronto – Windsor Corridor.

CALGARY Twenty eight CAF Urbos LRVs have been ordered to work on the Green Line which is to open early in 2022. Each is 422m long with seats for 71 and a total capacity of 288.

Some problems have been found in several of the trams and a programme to remedy the situation is being finalised. The contracts include an option for 24 additional LRVs.

KAMLOOPS The Canadian National line between Kamloops and Vancouver was reopened on 5 December 2021 following its closure when buried under mudslides due to very heavy rains in mid and late November 2021.

MEXICO Track laying began at the end of January 2022 on the 257 km Izamal – Cancun section of the 1525 km long Mayan train project.

BRAZIL The virus pandemic has altered how container freight is sent across State borders and especially along the east – west corridor. There has been a remarkable increase in traffic transferring from lorries to long distance trains. The Transport Commission has adopted four proposals that will result in more passenger and freight traffic to be transferred to railways and inland waterways in order to reduce harmful emissions from road traffic.

18 November 2021

U.S.A.

NEW LEGISLATION The House of Representatives has passed a $1 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act. This includes extra funds for passenger and freight railways allowing them to catch up on deferred maintenance work. There will be substantial funds to help eliminate road:rail crossings. Amtrak chairman was delighted that it would now be possible to improve stations, obtain new fleets of coaches and expand and generally improve the services that could be provided.

NEW YORK: GRAND CENTRAL Governor Kathy Hochul was on the first Long Island RR train to run through the new tunnel under the Hudson to enter Grand Central station on 31 October 2021. The Brookvale Equipment Corporation is to convert four retired R110A subway cars into two pump trains that will be used to tackle flooding in New York subway. The Second Avenue Subway is a long-term saga. The line was approved by voters in 1967 at a cost of $2.5bn but financial problems facing the city in the 1970s halted the work. Some tunnel construction had begun between E110th Street and E120th Street. President Biden is to sign a major infrastructure Bill on 15 November 2021 and the expected cost has risen to $1.2trillion.

CANADA

OTTAWA O-Train light rail services have returned to normal following a 54 day gap due to a derailment.

VANCOUVER Heavy rainfall resulted in flooding cutting off the Port of Vancouver – normally the busiest individual port in Canada. Because of the extensive severe damage done to port facilities it was expected that it would take many weeks to complete repairs.

29 October 2021

U.S.A.

TRAINING FACILITY Transport Technology Center Inc (TTCI) has established an independent training and on-track test facility capable of meeting the needs of today’s railway industry. The Centre is a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads and is based in Pueblo, Colorado.

AMTRAK The National rail provider with Baltimore Penn Station held a ground-breaking ceremony on 22 October 2021 to mark the start of the $150m redevelopment and expansion project as part of the NE Corridor upgrade.

LA GUARDIA A plan to build an AirTrain Connection to the nearest point on the LIRR and Subway systems in Queens – 1.5 miles long with projected cost of $2.1bn has been put on hold while other options are examined.

PHILADELPHIA SEPTA’s King of Prussia rail project is now in line for Federal funding.

WASHINGTON DC The management has known since 2017 that the wheels on some of the 7000 series trains have been moving along the axles while the trains are in use. This resulted in a recent derailment near Arlington Cemetery station. 600,000 people use the trains each day.

CHICAGO Wabtec has won the contract to supply 200 new coaches for use on busy heavy rail lines. They will include features including the most up-to-date brake systems and improved access doors to help reduce the time spent at stations.

PHOENIX Application is being made for Federal funds of $158m to complete the funds necessary for the planned 1.6 mile extension from 19th Avenue and Dunlap to Metrocenter Mall at 29th Avenue and Dunlap.

CANADA

TORONTO Government of Ontario service between London and Toronto commenced in mid October 2021.

13 October 2021

U.S.A.

LONG ISLAND RR The company is continuing to operate reduced services due to the Pandemic although traffic is starting to edge up. Trains will start to serve the new Elmont Stadium through three stations – one on the main line, one on a short branch, and through Queens Village Station just to the east of the Stadium.

PHILADELPHIA AREA Local transport agency, SEPTA, is to develop a new vision of its regional railway network. A year-long analysis of feedback from the travelling public will look at their views on service frequency, the length of routes, fare levels,, connectivity with other transport modes (i.e. local bus routes, availability of taxis).

MINNEAPOLIS The Burlington Northern Santa Fe RR (BNSF) has refused to allow the Metro Blue Line extension to use its tracks for part of the way and the light rail extension will now require to run along County Road 81. However construction of the Southwest route is basically on schedule with construction under way on several major bridges taking the new route across major highways.

LOS ANGELES The Eco-Rapid Transit Board has approved option 1 for the 19.4 miles long light rail line to connect the Artesia light rail line with downtown L.A. The $9.8bn project has been waiting for twenty years to come on-stream. It will serve 1.4m people in communities including Maywood, Cudahy and Huntington Park. Over 83% of the people to be served belong to ethnic minorities with low incomes.

“BUILDER” DERAILED On 25 September 2021 the “Empire Builder” train from Chicago to Seattle was derailed near Joplin, Montana with eight of the ten coaches coming off the track. Three of the 158 passengers and crew were killed and fifty passengers received significant injuries.

SEATTLE A new suburban route is being developed running eastwards from downtown and serving Bellevue, Kirkland, and Redwood.

PORTLAND Work began on 28 September 2021 on the “Better Red” project – the TriMet MAX Red line extension between Portland International Airport and Hillsboro, Oregan, serving ten additional stops. The Federal Transit Administration will provide funding of $99.9m paying for nearly half of the total cost of $215m.

CANADA

TORONTO Work is advancing on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT projects. Laying the track is nearly complete and the erection of masts for the overhead catenary will begin soon and continue into 2022.

23 September 2021

U.S.A.

MERGER The merger between Canadian Pacific Railway (much of it running east—west) and Kansas City Southern RR (running mainly north-south) is gradually being accepted by potential rival companies. A combined CP:KCS would give comprehensive coverage of much of North America.

BART (San Francisco) Long sections of track, of power supply cables, are being replaced, many being around 50 years old and well past their design time.

LOS ANGELES Construction work on a 3.3 mile long section of the light rail between Pomona and Montclair cannot begin until additional funding is secured. Work on the 9 miles between Azusa and Pomona is 36% complete but also needs further funds for work to restart.

AUSTIN The Texan city’s Austin Transit Partnership has approved expenditure of $312m to start planning the future Orange and Blue transit lines. The Orange Line will be 20 miles long and will operate in a north – south direction. The Blue line will run from the city centre to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

DENVER Four heavy rail suburban routes have been established radiating from Union Station.

Route A to Airport 23.5miles long with 7 stations. Runs every 15 minute. Trip time 37 mins.

B Westminster 6.2 miles. 3 stations Hourly Trip time 15 minutes

G Wheat Ridge 11.2 miles 7 stations Half hourly Trip time 27 minutes.

N East Lake 13 miles 6 stations Half hourly 28 minutes.

The short route B may be extended later to Boulder and Longmont.

MINNEAPOLIS – ST PAUL Track laying on the Eden Prairie extension commenced during August 2021.

DETROIT The Qline tram service, discontinued on 29 March 2020 will restart services on 27 September 2021 and no fares will be charged until January 2022.

CANADA

ONTARIO The Ontario Government is acting as Regulator for the design and construction of the Scarborough Subway expansion. The National Government will fund up to 40% of several projects in the Toronto area. – The Ontario Line; The 3-stop Scarborough Subway extension; The Yonge North Subway Extension; and the Eglinton Crosstown Subway extension West.

MONTREAL: Troublesome ground settlement has developed, associated with the construction of a tunnel for part of a new light rail line.

BRAZIL The Ministry of Infrastructure is assessing applications from four companies to build a total of ten main lines of a combined length of 3300km at a cost of around $US 10.6bn.

4 September 2021

U.S.A.

FURTHER AID The US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on 27 August 2021 further aid to two public transport operators so that they could maintain services – Denver $304.2m and BART $330.8m.

EAST COAST STORM Storm Henri swept across the East Coast States on 22 August 2021 causing substantial damage to structures. In New York services on Metro North lines and LIRR were halted completely until the winds had moved on and overhead power wires could be inspected. Services restarted later on 23 August 2021.

POWER SURGE A momentary power surge caused half of the New York Subway lines to shut down for several hours on 1 September 2021. In fact the entire Subway system closed down for many hours. Hundreds of passengers were trapped on stalled trains, often in tunnels.

NEW YORK FLOODS Following extremely heavy rains on 1 September 2021 – as much as 6 inches fell over the space of an hour – water was noted to be pouring into subway station entrances, down escalators and filling up the space along platforms.

HURRICANE IDA Winds peaking at 150 mph swept in from the Gulf of Mexico on 29 and 30 August 2021 bringing down power lines and scattering the roads and railways with large amouints of debris. New Orleans trams and Amtrak trains were halted. The CityLYNX Gold Line service in Charlotte NC was restarted on 30 August 2021.

COOS BAY The Oregon port is having a new facility served by a new railway branch in order to handle 1m 40 foot containers each year.

CANADA

TORONTO The first 42 metre long Alstom Citadis tram for use on the Finch West light rail line arrived at Brampton Depot on 28/29 July 2021. The second will be delivered late in 2021. Two structures spanning nine tracks near Toronto Union Station have been erected to provide space for signalling equipment.

BRAZIL

SAO PAULO Detailed plans have now been publicised for upgrades to Metro Line 7 (Ruby line).

GRAIN RAILWAY Brazilian states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul plan to build a railway 933 km long across the grain growing area but this it is feared will concern the indigenous peoples already living there and concerns are being expressed by many international bodies who fear that traditional ways of life will be damaged.

20 August 2021

U.S.A.

NEW YORK – BOSTON The northern end of the NE Corridor links these two major centres but a much faster route via Long Island, proposed some years ago, has surfaced again – this time as a high-speed line It would run from Manhattan to Long Island then under Long Island in a new tunnel proceeding via Hartford and Providence (or via the traditional Worcester line) to Boston. A journey time of just 100 minutes is seen as possible.

SEPTA In cases now before the courts, seven former managers are alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars in bribes, or used Agency credit cards in a series of corrupt deals obtaining cash, or electronic equipment for their personal use. At least $1m is involved. All the managers are thought likely to plead guilty and thus face lower penalties.

WASHINGTON DC Regionally funded capital investment projects have resulted in a reduction in emergency track repairs, increased availability of station escalators, and in the provision of free Wi – Fi at stations.

WILD FIRES The Coast Starlight route was closed in Northern California for over a month after wild fires in the nearby extremely dry localities caused severe damage to the Dry Canyon Bridge. Similar fires damaged also the Feather River Bridge meaning that two main line routes in northern California were closed to all traffic at the same time. Both routes reopened in the first few days of August 2021.

CHICAGO The Surface Transportation Board has resolved a long-running dispute over how much the local commuter agency METRA should pay owner Amtrak for its use of Union Station. Metra must pay Amtrak $10.67m each year – a sum that both parties find acceptable.

ILLINOIS A High-Speed Railway Commission is being sets up with the aim of creating a main route between Chicago O”Hare International Airpport and St Louis. This would integrate with existing Amtrak services, and those of Metra and Intercity bus companies. The high-speed line would reach downtown St Louis in 127 minutes and would call at Champaign-Urbana (feeder service to Indianapolis taking 30 minutes) and Springfield (in 78 minutes) with links to Decatur, Moline, Peopia, and Rockford.

MINNEAPOLIS The first tracks have been laid on the Southwestern Green Line extension near Hopkins.

LOS ANGELES The first of the HR4000 metro cars for service in Los Angeles has emerged from the company’s Springfield Massachusetts plant. Sixty four cars were ordered from CRRC in April 2017 with options for up to 218 more. In fact the trains are substantially built at CRRC’s Changchun plant in China but final assembly and finishing off takes place in Springfield. Thus adhereing to USA’s “buy American” policy.

CANADA

TORONTO The first of two Alstom Citadis Sprint LRVs arrived at Finch West Depot on 28 and 29 July 2021. National Government funding may be available for a major upgrade to the Milton Corridor – the third busiest route within the Metrolinx area. Before the pandemic it carried 30,000 commuters each day.

SMART TRACK PROGRAMME The Ontario Government and City of Toronto have launched the Smart Track station programme that will add five stations to existing GO Transit corridors. Metrolinx is obtaining land for four stations (St Clair – Old Weston; Finch – Kennedy; King – Liberty; and Bloor – Lansdowne. A fifth station, East Harbour, will be delivered by the Transit Oriented Communities Programme.

EDMONTON EllisDom and AECOM have formed a partnership to advance the development of a high-speed line to Calgary via Red Deer.

VANCOUVER The Province and National Governments are contributing C$ 142m and C$94.7m respectively to the building of additional maintenance facilities for the ever growing SkyTrain fleet.

COSTA RICA The nation’s 3’6” gauge railway network is being extensively upgraded mainly to handle a growing freight traffic. Much of the track is being relaid, and bridges rebuilt. There are three commuter routes radiating from the capital San Jose and eight new dmus have been obtained from China, each with a capacity of 372 passengers. Plans for a standard gauge railway in the Central valley are slowly being pieced together. This would be electrified and operated by emus operating singly or in multiple and with a capacity of around 400 – 600 passengers. These plans have not yet moved on from being simply ideas perhaps for the future.

BRAZIL Local services around Sao Paulo in the direction of Campinas are to be reorganised. Three levels of service are planned along this corridor, a) an express service to Campinas via Jundai, 101km long, b) a semi-fast service between Francisco Morato and Campinas 65.8 km long and c) an all stops local service between Sao Paulo and Francisco Morato, 35.19km long.

2 August 2021

U.S.A.

CREW SIZE With Class 1 railroads now down to just seven (many of the names of former independent railroads remain in use but the actual number of owning companies is much lower) on many routes just a single crew member now suffices.

CREATE US Transportation Secretary Buttigieg with Illinois State Governor Pritzker toured facilities to learn how well the Chicago Region Transportation Programme (CREATE) is implementing seventy public-private infrastructure projects to improve railroad operations. 29% of all freight handled by the railways passes through Chicago and 49% of container traffic similarly goes by train.

METRO-NORTH RR The railway is to restore ferry services across the Hudson following a steady rise in traffic. The restored routes are Haverstraw – Ossining and Newburgh – Beacon. Several peak trains were restored from 21 June 2021, and a further batch will restart operation from 29 August 2021 taking the rail service back to 83% of the pre-pandemic level.

LA GUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK Plans for a people mover costing $2.1bn are likely to be actioned later this year.

PHILADELPHIA Passengers waiting to join Amtrak services at 30th Street Station (Moynihan station) often have to stand since few seats are provided. The lack of seats is probably related to a problem in the city regarding those who have no job or poor social security payments and have nowhere to go at night time.

TEXAS CENTRAL The operator of the Dallas – Houston high-speed railway will work with RENFE on the design, construction, testing, commissioning, and eventually operation of the new railway.

METROLINK, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA A 2.2 mile section including Simi Valley station to be double-tracked enabling an increase in service frequency and capacity.

DENVER A new tourist train from Denver (Col) and Moab (Utah) commenced operations on 15 August 2021.

PIKES PEAK The Broadmoor, Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway has celebrated its centenary of operation with the completion of a $100m rebuild of its track and rolling stock.

CANADA

CALGARY – BANFF A mainly passenger carrying line project may receive some finance from Canada Infrastructure Bank. The line would begin at Calgary Airport carrying mostly tourists bound for the delights of Banff, about 130km distant.. This would be the major traffic for the line.

VANCOUVER The expansion joints on a major bridge on the SkyTrain Expo Line are now 30 years old and are considered to be life-expired. Work started to replace them on 31 July 2021.

REVENUE During the quarter April – June 2021 Canadian Pacific earned a record sum – C$ 2bn. This was the company’s highest ever earnings for a quarter and 15% up on the previous year.

TORONTO AREA A state-of-the-art transport hub is proposed for Bloomington that would link together the Richmond Hill, Aurora, and Stouffville services.

DERAILMENT A major derailment took place on Canadian National near Pointe au Baril, Ontario on 26 July 2021. The locomotive and 24 of the 99 wagons ended up on the ground.

EDMONTON – CALGARY A high-speed line linking these cities on a route via Red Deer has been proposed. The cost would be CAD 9bn.

ARGENTINA The branch from Campo Quijano and Guemes in north west Argentina was reopened on 12 July 2021 after being closed 51 years ago.

BRAZIL Thirty six “Metropolis” eight car train sets for Lines 8 and 9 in Sao Paulo are to be supplied by Alstom’s local factory at Taubaté. The trains will each accommodate 2600 people and are similar to those supplied for Lines 12 and 13.

MEXICO A new railway is being built with the aim of opening up the Yucatan Peninsula to tourists. The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (FONATUR) has stockpiled over 15,490 tonnes of new rails and expects further deliveries to aid this project. It starts at Palenque and runs north and east to Cancún. It returns south and west rejoining the northbound line at Escárcega. The route is designated Tren Maya.

18 July 2021

U.S.A.

TRANSIT GROWTH The number of Americans going to work in nearby city centres has risen from 77m to 150m per on a typical weekday during the half century 1970 -2020. During the 1970s many of the commuters took some sort of public transport – bus, light rail, heavy rail suburban. The total number travelling to downtown doubled but most of the extra commuters in recent years have chosen to drive their own car to and from work. 3m per day travel to Manhattan but despite the availability of excellent heavy rail, local transit rail, very many bus routes, and several important ferry routes a high proportion of the new commuters travel in their own cars. Efforts are to be made to persuade as many of the commuters as possible to use some sort of public transport so that air pollution does not continue to rise to dangerous levels.

NORTH EAST CORRIDOR One of the major bottlenecks along the route could be unlocked if plans for a new twin-bore tunnel proceed. The 148 year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel would be replaced and track improvements completed over the next ten years.

BOSTON MBTA has awarded rail measurement contract to the Advanced Rail Management Corporation (ARM) for a four year period. ARM will measure details of rail wear, and actual track gauge every 6 inches along the Green Line, and every twelve inches along thee Red, Orange, and Blue Lines and identify when rail replacement might be appropriate.

TWIN CITIES Construction of the new light rail in Minneapolis is moving forward at a good speed. The relocation of the old railway for freight traffic has been completed and the laying of parallel tracks for the light railway is nearly complete. Funding has been secured for the operation of a second Chicago – Minneapolis daily passenger service.

MINNESOTA The State Transportation Body has approved plans for five projects designed to create new sidings into factory sites and represents a positive move to reduce road traffic with the problems of air pollution.

TEMPE Test operation of trams along the alignment past the Arizona State University is under way.

AMTRAK The passenger railway company is going ahead with plans to replace its fleet, many of its coaches being around fifty years old. Siemens Mobility will produce in its Sacramento factory 83 train sets for use on the North East Corridor and on many routes sponsored by individual States at a cost of $7.3bn.

SAN JOSE The 40 mile long light rail system remains closed after nine people were killed in a mass shooting Guadalupe Yard. The dead included key staff involved in the maintenance of electrical equipment.

CANADA

ONTARIO Plans for the 11.2 miles long extension of the Waterloo light rail system have been approved by the Government of Ontario and therefore can now seek funding. Ground was broken on 23 June 2021 for the Scarborough Subway extension. The new section of Subway will replace an earlier, now inadequate, light rail line.

EDMONTON Work on three extensions to the light rail system is now under way. Capital Line South, Valley Line West, and Valley Line north-west, phase 1.

1 July 2021

U.S.A.

NEW PASSENGER STOCK Amtrak has announced details of new coaches, sleeping cars, diners and food menus, to be introduced during the next few years.

NEW YORK The Subway network was used by around 5.5m passengers on a typical weekday. The virus pandemic slashed the traffic by over half but is now creeping up again from 2.2m in mid May 2021 to 2.4m towards mid June 2021.

BALTIMORE The route of the North East Corridor through Baltimore has included operating through a 1.4 mile long tunnel that is nearly 150 years old and is deteriorating to a major extent. It is now being replaced by a new route slightly north west of the old route and includes the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel (named after an slave who escaped by train in Baltimore). All Penn Line, MARC, and Amtrak trains will use the new double track line and commuter trains along the route will be converted to electric operation. A further two tracks and tunnel bores will be completed during the next few years for freight services.

LINE & FEEDER This is the name chosen for a proposed network to connect St Louis and Chicago with Rockford, Moline, Peoria, and Decatur.

ST LOUIS From 21 June 2021 the St Louis Metro will commence a programme for free Metrolink and Metrobus travel for residents who are permanently wheelchair disabled.

CHICAGO The Chicago Transit Authority started the Red Line Lawrence to Bryn Mawr extension project with a series of events on 7 June 2021. CTA unveiled the design of the rebuilt State and Lake station. When opened it will permit a full comeback of the Loop service.

DALLAS – HOUSTON Details of the 236 miles long Texas Central RR high-speed line have been announced with services operating at 200 mph and taking just 90 minutes for a journey. There will be one intermediate station – at Brazos Valley – which is close to Texas A&M University. The new line’s design is based on Japan’s Tokaido Shinkansen and is planned to be fully operational by 2026.

LOS ANGELES Ground was broken on 21 June 2021 as construction began on the Airport Connector branch to provide a link from the Airport to the Metro system. It will cost $898.6m.

CANADA

TORONTO The $757bn design, build, and finance contract for the 7.8km Scarborough Subway extension (Line 2) has been awarded to a consortium headed by Strabag. The purchase of 60 new streetcars is being funded by the Government of Ontario ($180m) Federal Government ($180m) and the city of Toronto ($208m). The trams will be produced by Alstom (ex Bombardier) plant at Thunder Bay from 2023. A new station at Bloomington on the Richmond Hill rail line situated three miles beyond the present terminus was opened on 28 June 2021. Car parking for 1000 cars has been provided within a three level structure.

HAMILTON The light rail transit project is to receive $1.7bn Federal funding with a similar sum from Ontario to ensure that the line can go ahead and be long enough to be viable.

4 June 2021

U.S.A.

GO-AHEAD FOR TUNNELS Twin tunnels between Manhattan and New Jersey needed to solve the problem of meeting traffic requirements along the north end of the North East Corridor which were blocked by President Trump have been given the go-ahead by the Biden regime. Half of the $11bn cost will be met by the Federal Government.

CHICAGO The Chicago Transit Authority has unveiled the “Refresh and Renew” campaign to welcome back former riders and attract new passengers. 125 stations will be improved during the remainder of 2021, each receiving a deep clean and repaint of buildings etc. Around 40 will be given new LED lighting, platform benches, trash bins, and windbreaks.

PIKES PEAK The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway reopened on 20 May 2021 after a $100m modernisation programme. Stadler has supplied three locomotives and the standard gauge line now uses the Strub rack system replacing the Abt system used since the 4.3km line was opened in 1891. The summit station is 4302m above sea level – the highest rack station in the world.

CALIFORNIA Nine employees were shot and killed at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail hub on 27 May 2021 in San Jose, California. The gunman then shot himself.

CANADA

TORONTO Federal funding to cover 40% of the construction costs on four projects around the city were announced on 12 May 2021.

BRAZIL Siemens Mobility has won the contract to supply a communications-based train control system for the planned semi-automatic operation of a 5 km extension to Metro Line 1 in Salvador.

17 May 2021

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The company providing inter-city services over much of the USA will require a subsidy of $3.88bn if it is to continue providing its present level of services across the country.

BOSTON AREA The communities of Somerville and Cambridge committed themselves to $50m and 25m respectively to keep the Green Line Extension project alive. The project has progressed well and parts will open later this year. Somerville will now possibly be released from its $50m commitment. Cambridge does not seek anything back.

NEW YORK AREA Service 24 hours per day resumed on the subway from 17 May 2021. Work on the extension of the Second Avenue Subway resumed in early May 2021. A ten block tunnel between 110th and 120th streets will be incorporated into the extended route.

WASHINGTON DC Thanks to funding from the National Government major service cuts on all forms of transport around the city has been avoided. Services will now be maintained at around 80-85% of pre-pandemic levels.

CHICAGO AREA Commuter services operator METRA is to convert three of its older diesel locomotives to battery power which will be emission-free. If successful more locomotives will undergo a similar change.

DENVER A diesel powered commuter service between downtown Denver, Boulder, and Longmont will be started in autumn 2021.

ATLANTA Bankhead station in Atlanta’s business district will be transformed in a $50m project in order to serve traffic from the new Microsoft Campus.

HOUSTON The George Bush Intercontinental Airport has awarded to Alstom a $105m contract to operate and maintain the automated people mover system for the next ten years. The previous ten year contract was operated successfully by Bombardier which is now part of Alstom.

HIGH – SPEED The Texas Central Railroad, which operates the high-speed railway between Dallas and Houston, has signed a $1.6bn contract with Kiewit and Mass Electric to provide the core electrical systems that will power the train lines.

SAN FRANCISCO The Municipal Transportation Agency is restoring the route F Market and Wharves route on 15 May 2021 as part of an effort to get the tourist industry going again.

HONOLULU The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) has indicated that about 60% of the 20 mile long route is complete and the Kapolei – Aloha section could be opened as soon as December 2021. The project cost has risen from $5.5bn to $12bn and the opening of the full route put back from 2026 to 2031.

1 May 2021

U.S.A.

SIEMENS is the preferred builder to supply Amtrak with 83 trainsets to operate on medium distance intercity services along the North East Corridor, the Cascades Corridor, and various State supported routes.

PIKE’S PEAK The Broadmoor Manitou and Pike’s Peak Cog Railway (14.3km long) is the world’s highest cog railway and North America’s highest railway of any sort. The line closed in 2017 to permit complete renovation of the equipment and buildings. Work on the hotel owned by the railway started in 2018 and has taken longer than expected due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There is to be a ceremonial reopening on 30 June 2021 (the 130th anniversary of the railway’s opening) but passengers will be carried from 1 May 2021.

SEATTLE Construction of the structures to support the elevated Federal Way Extension is well under way. Sound Transit is officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority.

CHICAGO Seven stations on the Metro are to have major upgrades during 2021. Two new stations are to be built. Auburn Park will be on the electrified suburban line near 147th Street. On the North Line the lift at Paterson Ridge will be rehabilitated. Around 45,000 worn out sleepers will be replaced across the suburban network. Work has begun on a new 8 mile long branch serving the Westlake Corridor. This is expected to open in 2025.

NEW YORK TIMETABLES Paper fold-out timetables for individual lines or stations have been discontinued as a cost-cutting measure when traffic collapsed at the start of the pandemic. They will not be re-introduced and in future passengers will need to rely on computer listings.

NEW JERSEY TRANSIT A 100 year old concrete retaining wall near Summit station on the Morris and Essex group of lines began to fall apart in 2017 and bits of concrete have had to be removed from the nearby tracks. Similar concrete walls have been inspected regularly but no damage has been found in them. Now after a delay of four years the wall near Summit is to be rebuilt – a complex job taking regard to future risks of a further collapse.

BATTERY POWER TESTED The Long Island RR is testing battery electric units (DEMUs) on the Oyster Bay branch part of which is electrified using a third rail. A 13 mile section has relied on diesel units. If a DEMU can use its batteries on the non-electrified section an the third rail where that is fitted a one-seat ride to/from the city will be possible.

CANADA In Toronto six residential tower blocks containing 3,500 homes are to be built above railway corridors close to down-town.

URUGUAY The completion date for the FC Central to modernise the railway between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros (273km) has been put back from September 2022 to May 2023. The delays are partly due to the long time required to obtain necessary land for sections of new route or for double tracking along parts of the present route.

8 April 2021

U.S.A.

MORE TIME The Federal RR Administration and two State based agencies, have extended the time for the public to comment on NE Corridor plans to 24 May 2021.

NYCT New York City Transit has taken steps to speed up services through changes made during the virus pandemic. Measures include the installation of 919 new digital timers on signals that hold trains in order to spread out services more evenly. Also 270 new digital time signals have been installed and the time that a train stands at stations awaiting its departure time has been reduced. Overall the NY Subway has run extremely smoothly during the pandemic partly due to the installation of 919 digital timers on signals that clear automatically a set time after a train has passed them and partly due to shorter times spent at station platforms. Traffic has fallen sharply due to the pandemic so trains need to stop for a shorter time than before.

LONG ISLAND RR LIRR issued new timetables from 29 March 2021 and now gives information at stations served about seat availability along a train.

PATCO A generous service has been provided to allow the much reduced number of passengers using the trains to space out safely. From 29 March 2021 the service was tweaked slightly and now operates every 7.5 minutes at peaks and every 15 minutes off-peak.

PINCH POINT Amtrak, Chessie RR, and Virginia Railway Express have launched a $3.7bn expansion program to ease the choke point between the NE Corridor and SE Corridor A new bridge across the Potamac River will be dedicated to passenger services leaving the present bridge for freight trains only. In future passenger services will not be held up by a slow moving freight.

GEORGIA In its 2022 Budget Georgia has included $6m to support the $50m transformation of Bankhead station which will serve the new Microsoft Campus at Quarry Yards.

MG TOWER This signal box on the main line to Pittsburgh near Altoona was built in 1944 to help the flow of very heavy freight traffic much of it war-related. The Tower was closed in 1994 and the deteriorating structure is likely to be removed in the near future.

CHICAGO The drop in revenue from fares reached $1bn in 2020 but experts felt that the drop “could have been worse”.

MINNEAPOLIS Plans for the extension of the Blue Line into the north west suburbs were made public on 11 March 2021 so that comments and suggestions could be made. Construction of the 14.5 mile long Green Line light rail line is making excellent progress with long viaducts over road junctions now completed.

SEATTLE AREA Track laying along the Sound Transit Hilltop branch is now 75% complete. It is likely that the extension will open as planned during May 2022.

CANADA

TORONTO Metrolinx has released its business case for a 8km northwards extension of Metro Line 1 from Finch to Richmond Hill. This will bring 26,000 people into walking distance of a Metro station.

23 March 2021

U.S.A.

BOSTON MBTA has taken all of its new 6-car Subway trains out of service following a derailment on 16 March 2021 at Wellington station on the Orange Line. The Orange Line will be closed between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square for three weeks while infrastructure improvements are made and points damaged in the derailment are replaced.

LONG ISLAND RR Following a drop in numbers carried due to the Coronavirus pandemic, several peak hour trains were cancelled. The result was quite severe overcrowding on some of the remaining trains and loud protests were made by regular travellers. Peak services were to be restored on and from 29 March 2021.

CHICAGO AREA Metra has awarded a contract to supply 200 bi-level coaches for use on Chicago commuter routes at a cost of $775.4m.

SEATTLE Construction work on the new metro line is proceeding smoothly and follows Highway 90 until it enters Mount Cook Tunnel close to the city centre.

CANADA

TORONTO The Ontario Government is moving to the next stage of planning the Yonge North Subway extension that will provide transportation within walking distance for 26,000 people and save commuting time of 22 minutes when people leave their car at home.

12 March 2021

U.S.A.

SERVICES RESTORED Various activities cancelled in early 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic were restored in April or May. Amtrak sleeping car service between Washington and Boston was to restart on 5 April 2021. On 10 May 2021 $2bn in aid was announced by President Biden to restore all long-distance Amtrak services to their pre-pandemic levels. In San Francisco F Line historic streetcar service is to restart in May 2021. The Cable Car service will not return until autumn 2021 because it will take time to train sufficient staff. Narrow gauge steam train on the Silverton branch will be restored in May2021.

NEW YORK AREA The need for some sort of metro or light rail service in south east Brooklyn is again being examined. From 8 March 2021 the Long Island RR has cut timetabled services by 63%. Most cuts are at peak hours but a few off-peak services are also reduced. The reductions are due to an on-going drop in traffic with many people continuing to work from home instead of working in a city centre office.

PHILADELPHIA SEPTA is initiating a Five Year Strategic Plan to assist local transport operations to recover following the collapse in traffic due to the pandemic and eventually to promote growth.

BALTIMORE Reconstruction of C&O RR’s 126 year old Howard Street Tunnel is proposed. This will allow double-stacked container trains reach the Port which would handle 160,000 additional containers per year and generate 7300 additional jobs.

PITTSBURGH It has become difficult to upgrade or rehabilitate the 53 Siemens LRVs dating from the 1950s due to a lack of spare parts. Although these trams are not yet sufficiently old to need to be replaced thoughts about replacing them are appropriate since it will take a couple of years to design new LRVs and then several years to build a new fleet.

MINNEAPOLIS Construction of Kenilworth Tunnel on the South West Green Line extension has

continued with the first major concrete pour on 11 March 2021. The location is just north of the West Lake Street station.

CHICAGO The Illinois Railway Museum is opening for its summer season on 11 April 2021.

SEATTLE Work is starting on Sound Transit’s 14 mile long “Line 2” between Seattle City Centre and the City of Bellevue to the east. The terminus will be at Redmond in the suburbs of Bellevue.

DALLAS The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) organisation is to continue enforcing the country-wide rule that passengers must wear a face mask when using DART services.

CALIFORNIA Federal funding of $13.6m has been granted to improve safety at four level crossings in the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster. Similar work at level crossings across the USA has cut fatalities following accidents by 57%.

MEXICO Monterrey Metro Line 3, 7.5km long, was opened on 27 February 2021. Twenty six articulated train sets were built by CRRC Zhuzhou for the line.

1 March 2021

U.S.A.

PIPELINE President Biden has cancelled contracts to build a major pipeline to take oil from sources in Canada to refineries along the Gulf coast. Rail will be used instead.

BOSTON Phase 1 of the South Coast Rail construction is going well and will be completed by the end of 2023. Commuter services will then operate to New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton. There will be 27 miles of new track and four new stations. A new timetable will be introduced for local routes on 5 April 2021 and will take into account changing travel patterns around the city. There will be fewer morning and evening peak services but more trains will run during weekday daytime hours and continue until 2300 instead of ending around 2100. Seven routes – to Kingston/Plymouth, Greenbush, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lowell, and Needham will have no service on Saturdays and Sundays.

NEW YORK Closure of the Subway at night between 01 and 05am to allow cleaning of the stations and walls, has been altered to between 02 and 04 am. The Subway has been reported as being cleaner than ever!!

CHICAGO AREA The Skokie area north east of the city was hit by an 18” snowfall landing on top of an earlier 12” fall on the night of 14/15 February 2021.

TWIN CITIES During the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic health car workers were allowed to travel free of charge. Now that the pandemic appears to be past its worst, from 1 March 2021 such workers will again have to pay a normal fare to travel.

ATLANTA MARTA, the transport agency for the area around the city is investing $225m in “State of Good Repair Work” on its several heavy rail commuter routes. All of the track and pointwork will be replaced over a period of several years.

TEXAS Unexpected very cold weather – the lowest temperatures for many decades has halted all rail transport in the State including Houston Metro light rail and in Austin the Red Line.

CALIFORNIA Orange County Transportation Authority is to build a new passing loop 1.2 miles long in the Dana Point area south of Los Angeles to increase the number and reliability of services

PANAMA In Panama City Cnstruction of Line 3, a monorail, has begun with opening expected in 2025.

15 February 2021

U.S.A.

NJ TRANSIT introduced its new “FlexPass” ticket on 8 February 2021. This comprises twenty one-way tickets between start and finish stations chosen by the passenger. There is a 20% fare discount. The ticket expires after 30 days.

B&O No 51. This locomotive is the first Electro-Motive streamliner and has been beautifully restored to original condition. It was put on display at the B&O’s Museum roundhouse on 29 June 2021.

SOUND TRANSIT In Seattle construction of the 4.3 mile long Northgate Link Extension is largely complete. There are three stations on the largely elevated new line. Testing of the electric supply system began in January 2021 and when opened passengers will have a traffic-fee commute to downtown Seattle taking just 14 minutes instead of over half an hour on the congested roads. Several other light rail extensions around Seattle are being planned.

NORTH CAROLINA Testing has begun on Phase 2 of the CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar extension measuring 2.5 miles. The original city centre line measured just 1.5 miles.

OHIO Proposals for a network of five high-speed lines across the State – rejected by the previous Governor, are being looked at again by the new administration. The first being closely re-examined links Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. In Columbus the proposed site for a centrally positioned station has had a major Convention Centre built over it. There is still room for a station underneath the new complex.

CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED A single track corridor in the Central Valley could be open for revenue service by 2030 in plans announced on 6 February 2021. This would link several of the most rapidly growing communities in the State. Labelled “a high speed rail interim service line” between Merced – Fresno – Bakersfield (270 km) would cost $13.8bn and a second track could be added later. The original plan was for a 1300km state-wide network operating north to San Francisco and south to Anaheim via Los Angeles, with a line running inland from Palmdale, near Los Angeles. The plans are now out for public comment with the new Transporation Secretary reversing plans halted by ex-President Trump.

CANADA

ONTARIO Provincial officials are seeking a commitment from the Federal Government to fund a planned light rail system in Hamilton. The Province has a total of five transport schemes and if only local funds were available the resultant line in Hamilton would be too short to be viable. The planned schemes are in order of importance 1. Ontario Line Subway; 2 Scarborough Subway extension; 3 Eglinton Crosstown West extension. 4 Yonge North Subway extension. 5. Hamilton light rail system.

ALBERTA Extreme cold (-30C) on the night of 7/8 February 2021 resulted in the fracture of a rail on the main running tracks. LRVs operate in both directions on the remaining track past the site of the fracture until repais were carried out causing delays of around 10 minutes to operations.

3 February 2021

U.S.A.

BIDEN Newly elected President Biden planned to take an Amtrak train on 19 January 2021 on his way from Wilmington to Washington DC for his installation. The plan was dropped because security experts feared that there were significant risks although Biden takes the train frequently for similar journeys. MARC, the Maryland commuter travel agency decided to cancel all services during the period 17 – 20 January 2021 for similar security fears linked to the installation of the new President.

BUTTIGIEG Pete Buttigieg has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the new Transportation Secretary. He is known to favour the use of light rail and main line rail commuter routes.

NEW YORK SUBWAY Round-the-clock service on the Subway network, which has existed for 107 years, ended in May 2020 when services ceased between 01 a.m. and 05 a.m. This will allow the deep cleaning of stations and equipment.

NEW YORK AREA A new PATCo timetable was introduced from 30 January 2021 with trains running slightly earlier to increase the time available for passengers changing from PATCo services to River Line trams. Lifts are gradually being installed at PATCo stations with work completed at eleven stops and under way at the remaining two. The new timetable provides every 7 – 8 minutes during peak periods and every fifteen minutes off-peak throughout the day. The frequency drops to once an hour during the small hours. Heavy snowfalls (11.5” lying) swept across the area as the new timetable was implemented and therefore a “snow timetable” was introduced during the first few days of February 2021 with late starts to most services on 1 February 2021. On the NE Corridor Amtrak ran a partial Acela service

VALLEY METRO The Metro management and city officials in Phoenix are to give financial help to small businesses trading along routes where light rail extension works are taking place. These are along the south-central and northwest corridors.

CHICAGO The South Shore Interurban is to lease 26 double-deck gallery cars from Metra and to proceed with double tracking the Gary – Michigan City section. The lease will cost $3.5m and last for 15 years. The interurban plans to increase its service frequency over the next couple of years.

SEATTLE Construction of the light rail line to Bellevue is making excellent progress with most of the elevated structure completed and several of the new stations taking shape.

COSTA RICA The national railway Incofer has obtained eight two-car dmus and will use them to boost suburban services around the capital San Jose.

ARGENTINA The Buenos Aires Metro Authority, Subte, has agreed a new operating concession with the existing operator Metrovias which has a 12 years concession with an optional three year extension.

CHILE The national railways operator EFE has awarded the contract for six 4-car electro-diesel multiple units to CRRC Sitang. They will operate on the Santiago – Chillán line (398 km) which is partly electrified.

12 January 2021

U.S.A.

NEW YORK The Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station was opened for Amtrak and LIRR customers on 1 January 2021. The Hall is situated alongside Penn Station in the James A Farley building which used to house the main Post Office in Manhattan and features a 92 feet high ceiling with glass skylights giving it an attractive spacious feeling.

POTOMAC RIVER CROSSING The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Transport Administration (MTA) are seeking public responses to recently published plans to improve communications across the Potomac River by the adjacent I-495 highway and the main railway corridor to the south.

CHICAGO AREA The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District received a Federal grant of $173m on 8 January 2021. This will help enable the installation of a second track between Gary and Michigan City (26.6 miles) that will cost in all $491m.

TWIN CITIES Work is progressing on the Southwest LRT. Construction work is active at 8 of the 16 stations, and at 23 of the 29 bridges. Some of the LRVs have arrived and testing of them has begun. At South West station construction of the multi-level car park has begun and track laying is underway across several completed bridges. At the very long bridge over highway 212 and Shady Oak Road the piers are in place and span placement work will start during January 2021. Construction is about half complete at Kenilworth Tunnel and Fall Tunnel.

ROCKY MOUNTAINEER The company operating tourist services through glorious scenery through the Rocky Mountains is introducing a new service between Denver (Colorado) and Moab (Utah).

SEATTLE Sound Transit, the commuter rail service in several communities around Seattle, is to introduce on 1 March 2021 lower fares on Sounder trains for low-income adults, children and young people, senior citizens/pensioners, and people with disabilities.

BATTERY LOCO The Burlington Northern Santa Fe RR has started tests on a battery-electric locomotive hauling services between Barstow and Stockton (California) as part of a three locomotive group. The new battery electric machine is placed between two Tier 4 diesel locomotives.

CANADA

METROLINX The Toronto suburban railway operator is continuing to upgrade the track on Canada’s busiest – GO Transit’s Lakeshore West line. High speed crossovers have been installed to speed freight and commuter trains through Franklin Park. In Illinois.

1 January 2021

U.S.A.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY US President-elect Biden has appointed Peter Buttigieg as the new Transportation Secretary. A former Mayor of South Bend he transformed that city when a major motor car manufacturer shut down its factory and has always supported public transport including America’s last interurban which links Chicago and South Bend.

BOSTON Local rail services around the city are being slashed from 541 to 246 daily as from 14 December 2020 due to many of the operating staff catching the coronavirus. When everyone is well again the cancelled trains will be restored.

NEW YORK AREA The MTA has selected Siemens to build 27 dual-mode locomotives at a cost of $335m. There is an option for up to 144 more locos that would operate on many routes including those on Metro North, LIRR, Connecticut Department of Transportation and New York State Department of Transportation.

RUTGERS TUNNEL The rehabilitation of Rutgers Tunnel, extensively damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, is entering its final phase. |New track is being laid with new power supply cables, signalling and lighting systems now being installed. Rutgers Tunnel is in New York and is used by F trains to cross the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

NEWARK NJ Newark Penn Station was built in 1935 as a key transportation hub involving long distance and commuter trains, the Metro, buses, cycles, and pedestrians. It is used today by 50,000 people daily. A major renovation project is about to start and will cost $190m that will be provided by the State of New Jersey.

POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL New Jersey Transit has implemented on local services in the State of New Jersey.

DELAWARE RIVER PORT AUTHORITY The Commissioners have decided to postpone an increase in toll charges at their four bridges crossing the Delaware River until at least 2022.

TAMPA $67.3m is to be invested in the expansion of the 2.7km long tramway by 1.3km taking the route right through the heart of downtown on on to Tampa Heights.

NEW ORLEANS The new trams are marked clearly to show that they are universally accessible.

MILWAUKEE Metra has introduced a new coach for commuters that has space for 16 bikes – previous coaches could hold just five.

PHOENIX, Arizona. The 5.5 mile long South Central extension is to receive full Federal funding of $638m. This will include the supply of eighteen LRVs, construction of eight stops, and building of two large car parks.

SOUND TRANSIT Agreement has been reached between the local Green District Programme to power travel using Carbon-free energy. Sound Transit is officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority.

CANADA

VANCOUVER BC Bombardier has been selected to supply new coaches for Sky Train.

MONTREAL A proposal has been announced for a 19.9 mile extension to the east in addition to the 41.6 miles of the REM (Réseau express métropolitain) light rail network that are still being built. 4.3 miles will be in tunnel and the rest mostly on an elevated structure.

6 December 2020

U.S.A.

PASSENGER AGENCIES Passenger retail and transit agencies across the USA are in deep financial difficulty following a dramatic fall in passenger numbers linked to the Coronavirus Pandemic and a decision by many people to work from home.

BOSTON The Fenway Tunnel flood protection project has been completed. The entrance to the Green Line tunnel is very close to the Muddy River and flooding halts the Green Line service from time to time. In 1996 $70m damage was caused and services were halted for two months while repairs were undertaken.

NEW YORK The Metropolitan Transit Authority is seeking Federal help to keep the New York Subway operating. Traffic has colllapsed and revenue slumped due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

LONG ISLAND The LIRR has completed work at its mid-Suffolk Yard in Ronkonkoma doubling the number of tracks to 22, each having the length to accommodate a 12-car trainset. The work which cost $766m will enable the LIRR to increase services on the Ronkonkoma line by nearly 50% when the East Side Open Access at Grand Central Terminal starts at the end of 2022.

MARYLAND Design work then construction can now proceed following the settlement of disputes between State, County, and local transit agencies in connection with the planned Purple light-rail line. This 16 mile line will link Bethesda in Montgomery County with New Carrollton in Prince George’s County.

FLORIDA Brightline and the local Transportation Agency are to build a new station to serve the commercial and shopping district of Palm Beach to enable visitors staying in the many hotels along the coast to reach the shops by using the hourly frequency local train service from Miami.

CHICAGO A 121 year old bridge taking the Metro across Milwaukee Avenue has been replaced and the new track has been ballasted. Adjacent Grayland station platforms have had to be rebuilt to take account of the ballast which has raised the platform surface significantly.

SAN FRANCISCO The 102 year old Twin Peaks Tunnel requires major maintenance work including the replacement of the overhead catenary. Lighting is to be installed along the tunnel.

METROLINK Amtrak has won the contract to operate the commuter services in Southern California for the next 4½ years commencing 1 January 2021.

CANADA In Montreal the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has begun to display the occupancy of the Azur trains used on the busiest line – the Orange Line -to help passengers plan their journey based on social occupancy distancing following the pandemic. The STM can provide occupancy levels on the Orange Line because it is served entirely by Azur trains – the only trains on the system with equipment to estimate the number of passengers on board.

BRAZIL Tendering has begun for the contract to build Stage 3 of the Baixada Santista Light Railway in the port city of Santos. Stage 1 (11.5km) was opened in 2016 from the main Porto station to San Vicente. Stage 2 (8km) is a branch running north to Valongo which opened in August 2020. Stage 3 will continue westwards from Stage 2 and end in the Samarita district.

23 November 2020

U.S.A.

BOSTON The dramatic fall in ridership has resulted in cuts to services from mid November 2020. The city’s public transport services carried 1.26m passengers on a typical weekday but now just 300,000 people travel on all modes combined. Suburban rail services will be slightly slimmed down on weekdays but discontinued entirely at weekends. Subway services will end at midnight with nothing at all during the small hours. Twenty five bus routes and all ferry services will be discontinued during weekend.

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD Ridership has begun to rebound upwards as many return to work in their offices. On a few trains standees are having to be very close together. School Street in Westbury has reopened to road traffic following a collision at a level crossing between Mineola and Hicksville in February 2019. Now the trains operate along a new elevated structure eliminating the level crossing and local officials gathered on 13 November 2020 to mark the opening of the new structures.

PHILADELPHIA SEPTA has won a Federal grant of $15.9m to improve the signalling system along the Harrisburg route between Paoli and Overbrook. A 20 mph speed limit on one section will become 40 mph and the reliability along the route will be significantly improved.

BUFFALO The Exchange Street station has been rebuilt to become double the size of the old. This will become a transport hub between heavy rail, light rail and bus services.

MIAMI The access fee for Brightline to operate a new commuter/suburban service along the Florida East Coast Corridor has been agreed. There will be one initial charge of $50m followed by an annual fee of $12m. The proposed service will be an hourly stopping service throughout the day plus a number of extra services during the morning and evening peaks.

LAREDO Work has begun on the construction of a second railway bridge between the Texan city and Mexico. Growing freight traffic has made the extra bridge necessary.

CALIFORNIA The Pacific Harbor Line, which operates around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, is operating services using an experimental battery electric locomotive. The company has indicated that it wishes to become emission-free in its operations.

VIRGIN HYPERLOOP The experimental system carried its first passengers in its Las Vegas test facility. The vehicle reached 107 mph in a 6 second run. The system uses electric propulsion and electromagneic levitation inside a vacuum tube. Definately something very new!

CANADA

TORONTO Cooksville G-O station on the Milton line has been completely rebuilt with a magnificent building giving the appearance of being all-glass and a new six-level parking garage for 750 cars bring the total of parking spaces around the station to 2500.

MONTREAL The first light metro trainset for the REM automated metro network was unveiled on 16 November 2020.

COLOMBIA CRRC has been given the contract to supply thirty driverless trainsets for Metro Line 1 in Bogota.

10 November 2020

U.S.A.

US ELECTION The election of Joe Biden as the next President of the USA is good news for Amtrak. Biden has always supported passenger rail travel and the public mood is shifting towards the development of multiple services along well populated corridors of 200 – 500 miles length rather than single trains running across the nation serving some cities in the small hours only.

CHICAGO Volunteer workers at the Illinois Railway Museum have completed the retoration of Chicago “L” car 1754. It is in the 1920s green and orange livery which contrasts with LRV 3142 which is in a glorious red paint scheme.

SAN FRANCISCO The light rail network was effectively shut down at the end of March 2020 but is likely to reopen line by line in early 2021.

LOS ANGELES Metrolink is to introduce revised schedules from 16 November 2020. In order to take account of a slump in the number of riders nine trains will be axed but three new services added to match loadings with a better spaced provision of trains.

AUSTIN Voters in the capital city of the State of Texas have approved the Project Connect transportation plan. Costing $7.1bn it plans include a light rail system, several Bus Rapid Transit routes and congestion easing road improvements. Affordable housing will be built at several locations along the new transpoprt routes.

HAWAII The elevated transit way cannot be completed and run into the hotel district as planned. Instead it will stop in an industrial area because the city has run our of money and cannot complete the development.

MEXICO In Monterrey the first of twenty six two-car sets was unveiled by CRRC Zhuzhov in late October 2020. The trains are designed to operate on Lines 1 and 2, but will be used also on Line 3 when it opens during February 2021.

1 November 2020

U.S.A.

NEW BRIDGES Federal funds of $145m have been made available to replace two bridges. The Walk Bridge in Nowalk and the Connecticut River Bridge between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook. Both bridges have moveable spans to allow river traffic to pass and both have experienced breakdowns in recnt years causing delays to NEC rail traffic and freight transporters along the rivers. The new bridges will enable traffic to be handled along the NEC more efficiently.

DETROIT The Canadian Pacific Railway has bought the Detroit Tunnel giving CP its own Windsor – Detroit through route into the heart of USA. Meanwhile the Michigan Department of Transportation has received a Federal grant of $15.6m to upgrade the communications along the Ypsilanti – Jackson section of the Detroit – Chicago line allowing greater speed and more efficient operation of this route.

DENVER North Metro Rail to Eastlake (21km) with five intermediate stations was opened on 21 September 2020. There are 2480 car parking spaces at the stations.

BRAZIL

SAO PAULO Two long closed parts of the national railway network are to be reinstated to carry 40m tonnes of freight each year – more than doubling the present amount carried.

CANADA

TORONTO The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is to obtain thirteen new five-segment LRVs and upgrade the signalling along the system. The TTC plans to order eight new subway rrains for Lines 1 and 2.

12 October 2020

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The national passengeer carrier has been hit badly by the virus pandemic with traffic well down on all routes. From 1 October 2020 service frequency on most routes fell to three times per week with only Autotrain remaining daily. Some frequencies were restored within a few days including the thirteen return trips along the Keystone Corridor (corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, 5 October).

BOSTON A 51 storey skyscraper is to be built above the platforms of South Station. Eight additional trains were added each weekday to the Fairmount commuter line and $100,000 is being spent to market the new services although these like so many commuter routes have been hit by the virus pandemic. Ticket gates at suburban stations are being modified to take the new “Charlie Ticket” that is being introduced during 2021.

NEW YORK AREA Platform and station building work has been completed at Lynbrook station which is on a four-track railway with trains to the Long Beach branch and to Babylon. The station has two island platforms of suitable length. Metro North is examining the possible introduction of double-deck cars on Long Island RR routres. Double deckers are heavier and both track and bridges need to be stronger. Station dwell times are longer and acceleration away from a stop slower than with single deck stock. Sales of Monthly seasons have been dropping as some workers travel to the office less frequently and work more from home.

WASHINGTON DC The Metropolitan Area Transitt Authority is to place an initial order for 256 of the 8000 series emu cars from Hitachi Rail. Part of the agreement with the builder is a possible increase in the size of the order to as much as 800 cars.

NEW ORLEANS All maintenance work and service operations are to be moved “in house” from 1 October 2020. Transdev has undertaken the tasks for the past 12 years.

KANSAS CITY The city centre streetcar service carried 2.2m riders during 2019 – up 5.5% over 2018

LOS ANGELES AREA Amtrak’s contract with Metrolink to operate the commuter train around Los Angeles ends at the end of 2020 and among numerous new bidders is Renfe – the Spanish railway company. The San Diego tram network was carrying 9% more traffic compared with a year earlier before the pandemic wiped out all but 5% of the loadings.

HAWAII The first section of the greatly delayed transit system in Honolulu will now open in March 2021. The remaining parts of the 20 mile long transit line are expected to open by 2026.

TWIN CITIES The first two sets for the new south-west light rail line arrived at Franklin Avenue Depot in early summer.. They have plasic covered seats that will be much easier to wipe clean compared to the traditional cloth covering. The seats on older stock are to be replaced by plastic material to ease maintenance.

SOUND TRANSIT (Officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority) Construction work on the almost 8 miles long Federal Way extension commenced in early October 2020.

CANADA

MONTREAL Commuter services through the Mount Royal Tunnel came to an end on 8 Mar 2020 but continue north of the tunnel through the suburbs to Deux Montagnes to allow a start to be made on the construction of the REM light rail line. Mascouche services are also continuing using an alternative route to reach Central Station.

BRAZIL The Sao Paulo suburban services operator CPTM is considering tendering for passenger services to Soracaba (42km) following a proposal from the State Government that regional passenger services to neighbouring cities be franchised. The winner of the Soracaba contract would additionally take over CPTM’s suburban line 8. A Japanese consortium comprising Mitsui and West Japan Railway has purchased a majority stake in the Rio de Janeiro suburban operator “SuperVia”. Previously they owned just 24% of the company.

1 October 2020

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The company is to furlough 1950 members of staff, plus 100 managers. Passengeers carried have fallen significantly as a result of the conoravirus pandemic, so Amtrak does not have sufficient income to pay all of its staff. The Company President has cancelled provisions that would allow IT work for Amtrak to be undertaken by a foreign firm.

FEDERAL GRANTS $31.3m has been given to assist with the planning of a second daily service between Chicago and St Paul. The Michigan DOT is to receive a grant of $15.6m to improve pedestrian crossing points on the Chicago – Kalamazoo line which to be upgrade for 110 mph operation. Twelve pedestrians have been hit by trains during the past four years and the risks will be much higher when the trains are operating more swiftly.

NEW YORK Metro North RR has updated its Train Times App to include real-time tracking maps and also a ticket purchasing ability. The App can operate in any of six commonly used languages in the New York area.

LONG ISLAND RR The “Atlantic Ticket” introduced in 2018 as a means of creating discounted fares between certain stations in Queens and Brooklyn has generated a steady increase in traffic and is at present an increase of 77%. Weekend services between Floral Park and Hicksville have been suspended during seven consecutive weekends commencing 20 September 2020 to allow work on the Main Line grade crossing elimination project.

PHILADELPHIA AREA Work continues on SEPTA’s extension of the Media-Elwyn line extension to Wawa. New suburbs are growing along the route although it it unclear how many of the new residents will wish to work in the city centre.

LONG BRIDGE This two-track bridge is nearly 120 years old and it is one of the most significant places where delays to East Coast services operating between Waswhington DC and the Carolinas. There is now a desire to clear away the problems so that freight operators, Amtrak, and Virginia Express commuter trains can operate more frequently.

FLORIDA Business groups are pushing for the introduction of a commuter/suburban service between Miami and Aventura (17 miles) along part of the Brightline route. Among the supporters of this proposal are the International University of Miami and the Miami Dade College.

CHICAGO AREA Restoration work – a virtual total rebuild of the body – on Chicago “L” car 1754 dating from 1907, is virtually complete. Work will start soon on the trucks. The shared Metra/AMTRAK station at Homewood is being upgraded in a $29m project to make both platforms accessable to all passengers. The main access is to the east side platforms with access to the east side platform requiring the use steps which is difficult for disabled passengers. Work on digging out a new tunnel below the tracks and the creation of a totally step-free route to the westside platform commenced on 28 September 2020.

SOUTH SHORE LINE Services are to include a coach on which it will be optional for riders to wear a face mask.

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM This extremely good comprehensive display of road and railway items is now home to some former Illinois Central RR emus cars that once operated in Chicago. The beautiful condition of these trains is down to hard work by Society friends or members including Raymond de Groote and Dick Lukin.

DENVER The Regional Transportation District’s new N Line to Thornton will open on 21 September 2020 with travel free until 27 September 2020 when normal fares will be applied. Very major fires broke out in the west coast forests over much of the Pacific Coast.

TRUMP SUPPORT President Trump has given his support to plans for a new railway, 1600 miles long, linking Alaska with the other States. It would cross Canada but would provide a faster route for merchandise between Asia and North America.

MEXICO Light rail line 3 was opened in Guadalajara by President Obrador on 12 September 2020. The line runs from the city centre into the north west suburbs and is 20km long. Services were free to use until 20 September 2020 when normal fares were introduced. Guadalajara is the nation’s second largest community with a population of 4m.

3 September 2020

U.S.A.

FEDERAL FUNDING Four public transport projects are being given significant Federal funding to ensure that the work can get under way. The largest grant is for $248m to help build the Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River providing a double track route that will run partly beside the North East Corridor. A 3.5 mile extension of the Kansas City Main Street streetcar will receive $50.8m. Valley Metro in Phoenix (Arizona) will extend its light rail line by 1.5 miles to reach Metrocenter Mall with a grant of $50.6m. A similar grant of $50.6m will help the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District to construct a second track along a busy 20.6 miles section of the South Shore line between Gary and Michigan City.

BOSTON The often spoken-of reopening of rail services between Boston and the South Shore communities has taken a step forward as plans for the location of stations was revealed in early September 2020.

NEW YORK AREA The MTA Board has outlined draconian measures it might take if extrenal funding is not received. Cuts to Subway and bus services of up to 40% and heavy rail services of 50% are likely while capital projects would be deferred.

LA GUARDIA AIRPORT A draft environmental impact statement was issued in late Auigust 2020 regarding the Port of New York and New Jersey’s proposed Access Improvement Project and the AirTrain Project. An automated people mover would provide transport to/from the Long Island Railroad and the New York City Subway system.

WASHINGTON DC Arlington Cemetery and East Falls Church metro stations are to reopen on 23 August 2020 after months of closure due to the virus pandemic. Dunn Loring and Vienna stations are due to reopen on 8 September 2020 and this will be the first time since 19 March 2020 when the virus pandemic hit the system that all 91 metro stations will have been open for business. The Area Transit Authority has completed upgrades to the lighting at platform level of 48 underground stations in two years instead of three. The new energy efficient LED lights are ten times brighter than the old but will use less electricity.

MIAMI Business leaders in the Wynwood area are helping to fund the $2m cost of a station on Brightline’s Miami – West Palm Beach route.

SOUTH BEND INTERURBAN In an attempt to restore traffic, all west-bound (ie towards Chicago) services were free during July and August 2020. Up to three children (under 13) could ride free with an adult. Monthly seasons valid for July were made valid for August as well. The full $50m cost of double tracking the 26 mile section from Gary to Michigan City will be met by Federal funds. 1300 additional car park spaces will be created, nine new platforms built, and many level crossings (21 in Michigan City alone) eliminated. Ridership is expected to double following a speed-up of services.

St LOUIS Planning is under way on a major upgrade to public transport aroound the city. A north – south light railway passing through the city centre is the largest single part of the plans.

PIKES PEAK The cog railway in Colorado is being virtually rebuilt and new ballast is being laid then the rails replaced by heavier (60 lb) ones – the old rails were 45 lb.

SAN FRANCISCO Light rail services in the city had been closed for five months due to the virus pandemic but at last had been reopened during August 2020. A key employee who headed the team of workers maintaining the overhead power wires then tested positive for Covid-19 and had to stand down from work. The Transportation Authority then realised that it did not have an adequate team of electrical engineers to maintain the system. There were two problems with the overhead in the first five days of restored services so the light rail routes were shut down again and will not reopen until the Autrhority has addressed the maintenance staff problem.

LOS ANGELES Metro is considering operationg its services without charging fares. The cost of wages for ticket sellers would be saved, many additional riders would be carried, and the number of cars on the roads would fall. Less traffic congestion and improved air quality might result. All the factors are to be considered carefully and a pilot scheme might be attempted in 2021.

CANADA

TORONTO AREA The Kitchener Line expansion includes two rail tunnels under 21 lanes of Highways 401 and 409. The plan is to operate a day-long 15 minute frequency along the line.

GRAIN HOPPER CARS The National Steel Car Company of Hamilton, Ont, is to build 1150 high-capacity grain hoppers cars to keep rail ahead of road rivals in transporting grain over long distances.

13 July 2020

U.S.A.

BOSTON The 9 mile long Fairmont Line is a very conventional railway running through the southern suburbs of the city. The stations have been spruced up a little, the fares reduced to co-ordinate with bus and subway fares in the area and the result – a 236% rise in the numbers carried.

LONG ISLAND RR A new bridge over New Hyde Park Road will be moved into position in mid July 2020. The Main Line grade crossing elimination project is part of a major $2.6bn project to add a third track between Floral Park and Hicksville. In all the MTA hope to eliminate eight level crossings in the area by 2022. The 97 year old signal tower at Nassau, near Mineola, was closed down on 11 July 2020 and its functions transferred to a new facility controlling many miles of the main line. The tower stands in the path of the planned third track.

WASHINGTON DC The Silver transit line is to resume service at most stations on 16 August 2020 – sooner than had been expected.

ST LOUIS The “Loop Trolley” is to give free rides at weekends commencing 4 July 2020. Metro-Transit St Louis has launched a on-demand shared ride transit service. This is free to use until the end of August 2020, and from 1 September 2020 a charge of $2 per rider will be introduced.

SOUTH SHORE LINE Free tickets for west-bound travel were issued during July and August 2020. Monthly season tickets purchased for July 2020 are to be valid throughout August as well.

SALT LAKE CITY The wearing of a face mask is to be a requirement for all users of trains, LRVs, or buses around the city, or indeed across the State of Utah.

DURANGO & SILVERTON The world famous narrow gauge line deep in the Rocky Mountains has a problem with its steam locomotives causing fires in the forests along its route. The solution was the removal of large numbers of trees for a significant distance on either side of its track. Now they have been told to stop removing so many trees – the beauty of the area is being affected and the tourists (the main source of income to the locality) are complaining.

HOUSTON The wearing of a face mask is to be a requirement on Metro services from 30 June 2020.

SACRAMENTO The Regional Transit body enforced California State Law to require the use of a face mask from 29 June 2020.

VIRGIN TRAINS USA This company has entered an agreement with the California Department of Transportation to use a right of way 170 mile long in the median of Interstate highway 15 for the planned high-speed line between Las Vegas and Southern California.

SANTA CLARA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY has unveiled a ten-point plan to ensure that returning users will be confident that services will be safe to use.

CANADA

CALGARY (Alberta) It is now possible for travellers to purchase travel tickets or passes for use on light rail or bus services using their personal Smart Phone.

2 July 2020

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The service on almost all long-distance routes will be cut to three days per week from 1 October 2020. Passenger numbers have fallen sharply due to the coronavirus pandemic.

BOSTON Fewer people are commuting to jobs in the city centre and working there during the weekends has stopped almost completely. A 5-day rail pass has now been introduced to meet the altered need.

LONG ISLAND RR The train operator introduced its new TrainTime App on 11 June 2020. This is linked to new GPS train-tracking technology allowing passengers to check the exact position of their train – and therefore if it is running late. The degree of overcrowding on the train will also be able to be identified. Future planning of services through Harold and Jamaica Junctions has begun in order to make better use of available space along the main running lines and pinpoint locations where there are bottle-necks resulting in poor use of some routes. The efficiency of a complex rail network depends on how well services are handled at these places and future planning will be more effective if pinch-points are tackled ahead of anything else.

NEC Services along the North East Corridor returned to near normal frequency by the end of June 2020. Special bargain fares were available on Acela trains.

PHILADELPHIA Planning Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP) is to oversee the design, building, finance, operation, and renovation of the William H Gray III 30th Street station in Philadelphia. It is named after a politician who represented the area and was much involved in the improvements made to the station.

NEW JERSEY NJ Transit is to receive $8.3m in “CARES” funding – Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security to address some of the effects of the pandemic.

MARYLAND Construction of the 16 mile long Purple Line has shown a remarkable lack of foresight in the planning process. There are no car parks at almost all stops and passengers will be expected to walk to their local station crossing multi-lane highways on which cars will travel at around 50 mph. There is limited parking for cycles but riders will have a hazardous trip to get there. There are now calls for a 25 mph speed limit on all roads rear stations.

WASHINGTON DC WMATA is to restore service on the Silver Line from 16 August 2020. Six stations will reopen on that date with three more to reopen during September 2020.

TWIN CITIES Construction of the light rail network continues at several points including a. bridge to take the light rail line over Prairie Center Drive (close to SouthWest station, car parking, and shops) and a tunnel under Highway 62 and the future Opus stop.

DENVER The 18½ mile long N Line heavy rail commuter route is to open during September 2020..

DURANGO The famous Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in the depths of the Rockies has suffered a washout a little short of the Silverton terminus truncating the tourist service for up to 16 weeks.

PHOENIX Users of the light rail line that runs across the centre of the city must wear masks to give protection from the Coronavirus.

SAN FRANCISO The 16km long Silicon Valley Stage 1 extension of BART between Warm Springs and Berryessa was opened to public services on 13 June 2020. Voters have supported moves for a 1/8th % sales tax to support transport in rural areas .

CANADA

VIA RAIL All passengers using Via Rail intercity trains across Canada must now (from 20 June 2020) wear a protective face mask.

WATERLOO Major improvements are to be made at stops in the light rail network around this Ontario city. 39 digital displays at stops are to be installed together with 36 ticket validators, and sales equipment at 25 stops.

BRAZIL Alstom has implemented its remote support system for MetroRio Lines 1,2, and 4. This will continue for two years – a sort of guarantee period – after which locally employed staff will take over.

18 June 2020

U.S.A.

OPERATIONAL PLANS Transport Agencies in many parts of the USA have amended how they run their services to take into account the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. In New York a 13 point plan has been put into action to make travel safer for passengers with frequent cleaning of stations and rolling stock. New Jersey Transit has unveiled a ten year plan to replace trains, rehabilitate stations making them easier to clean, and upgrade the IT system. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has approved a sustainability plan that will cover operations until 2040. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) has trimmed its service from 38 to 26 trains per day, and saved $1m in operating costs per year following a reduction is usage due to the pandemic.

MBTA (Boston) has begun to restore from 22 June 2020 some cancelled trains as traffic drifts back to the trains. (In New York a similar restoration of some services began earlier on 6 June.) The drawbridge at Gloucester on the Rockport/Newburyport lines is being replaced and services will be replaced by buses during the summer 2020 holiday period.

NEW YORK – R 179 CARS The fleet of Bombardier R179 rolling stock was taken out of service after two cars in a ten coach train pulled apart while operating a northbound A train leaving Chambers Street station in Manhattan at 0100 on 3 June 2020.

MARYLAND The 16.2 mile long Purple line between Bethesda and New Carollton may never be completed. The line is meant to connect with several routes radiating out from Washington but the contractor building it has hit financial problems and Maryland has made no moves to find a replacement.

CHICAGO The proposed CTA Yellow Line running north from Skokie to a major shopping centre at Northbrook may never be built. The shopping centre is not doing well and many units are lying empty.

UNPAID FARES In Chicago, 91% of passengers on the Metro found to have no ticket are black. This may be related to the fact that a major proportion of them have no job or income and again highlights the problems faced by black residents. Being found without a ticket used to be a misdemeanour giving the individual a criminal record. It has now been reduced to a fine which does not result in a criminal record.

AUSTIN The Texan city’s Council has approved plans to build three light rail routes across the city, a subway section across downtown, and set up a second heavy rail commuter route.

SAN FRANCISCO The 10 mile long light rail extension between Milpitas on the BART Orange Line and Berryessa Transit Centre was opened on13 June 2020.

SAN DIEGO Peak time service frequencies on the Blue Line (between downtown and the Mexican border at San Ysidro have been improved to a service every 7½ minutes following an increase in business as new virus pandemic cases fall in number.

CANADA

EDMONTON Work has begun on the construction of the first 1.5km of the north-western extension to Blatchford, a largely undeveloped area that will soon have a population of 30,000 living in new houses. Later the line will be extended for a further 9.4km to serve activity centres at 113A Street and Campbell Road.

TORONTO AREA TTC is closing Line 2 station at Chester on 9-23 June 2020 to help speed up work on improving access. Four major civil engineering works were approved by the City Council during June 2020. These are 1) the Ontario Line between Exhibition Station and Thorncliffe, (15.5km – cost C$ 11bn) 2) Three stop 3.5km extension to Scarborough Line. 3) Yonge North to Richmond Hill costing C$5.6bn. 4) The Eglinton West light rail line costing C$4.7bn. Work on all four projects will start soon.

CP MAIN LINE A proposal to reintroduce passenger services between Calgary and Banff was announced on 11 June 2020. Trains would run eight times daily calling at stations in both city centres and also Calgary International Airport. There will be capacity for a shuttle service every 20 minutes between the Airport and Calgary city centre.

CALGARY The first section of the planned Green light rail line is “shovel ready” and it is hoped that “go” will be given by the Provincial Government soon.

VANCOUVER BC Traffic levels on Translink routes were recorded as 2,578,000 in 31 May – 6 June 2020, 85% up on levels recorded immediately after the pandemic. On the Canada Line there were 221,000 boardings in early June 2020 compared with just 109,000 shortly after news of the pandemic. Levels were still 33% lower than those recorded a year earlier.

5 June 2020

U.S.A.

PORTAL BRIDGE The FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) has made two major awards in connection with repair/renewal work on the North East Corridor (NEC). Amtrak is to receive a grant of $55.1m to build a new bridge over the Hackensack River. The old Portal North Bridge was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and a span that opened to allow river traffic pass had become unreliable and got stuck quite often delaying both river traffic and the heavy railway traffic along the NEC. The new bridge will give 50 feet clearance over the river so it will no longer need to open for River traffic. A second grant, of $36.4m, will be made to New Jersey Transit to reconstruct Kearney substation that provides power for the NEC so that in future breakdowns will no longer be a major problem.

LONG ISLAND RR Plans to reopen stations at Elmhurst and Republic have been dropped since studies have shown that the potential usage would be too low to justify the work. Potential users would be mainly reverse flow commuters travelling to jobs in Long Island but available services would include significant gaps in the return afternoon service making the actual traffic too low.

NEW TRAINS Amtrak’s new Acela train is undergoing comprehensive tests at the Pueblo Technology Center. The train has a planned top speed of 160 mph but during the tests has moved smoothly at 165 mph. The new train is planned to enter service on the North East Corridor in 2021. CalTrain’s Modernisation Programme (“CalMod”) has recently placed the first of the KISS double deck 25kV emus on Stadler’s test track at their Salt Lake City factory.

TRAINS RESTARTED Amtrak plans to restart on 1 June 2020 operation of the “Pennsylvanian” train that links Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York, and add a couple of return trips to its Keystone service. All these services had been cancelled in late March 2020 following a collapse in ridership due to the virus pandemic.

CHICAGO AMTRAK is in dispute with Metra over the cost of using Union Station for frequent commuter trains. At present Metra pays about $9m and owner Amtrak wants $17m. Amtrak has asked the Surface Transportation Board to settle the dispute by deciding what a fair rental would be. Meanwhile a Federal grant of $100m is to be made towards the cost of a new 8 mile long branch of the South Shore Line from Hammond to Dyer.

HIAWATHA SERVICE Amtrak is restoring some Hiawatha Service trains (between Chicago and Milwaukee) on 1 June 2020 and again on 29 June 2020 to meet rising demand as passengers return to work.

EAST TROY The East Troy Electric RR near Milwaukee reopened its tourist services on 29 May 2020 and is using a cashless ticketing programme to meet with Coronavirus problems.

MINNEAPOLIS The first two of twenty seven LRVs for use on the Green Line (serving south west areas of the suburbs). After rigorous testing they will enter public service in 2023. Unrest in the city following the killing of a young black man by a police officer on 28 May 2020 resulted in Metropolitan Transit suspending the light rail network, the commuter services on heavy rail lines, and all local bus services. Only the Airport Blue Line shuttle remained in operation.

DALLAS Federal assistance of $229m has been awarded to make up for the massive drop in passenger numbers due to the virus pandemic.

25 May 2020

U.S.A.

SUBSIDIES REQUIRED Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Transit Agencies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles have lost substantial amounts of traffic and therefore of fares income. The Agencies have put in a joint request for emergency Federal funding amounting to $32bn.

CORONAVIRUS Services operated in cities across America have been reduced with weekday services replaced by Saturday or Sunday level of service.

NEW YORK AREA New Jersey Transit has awarded contracts for undertaking the design of the work required to expand the Central Concourse at PENN station. Also for design and preparatory work for the Raritan River Bridge replacement. The 1908 bridge was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the new structure will cost over $500m.

U.S. METROS The Trinity Metro between Fort Worth and Dallas is resuming fare collection as operations settle down to near normality. SEPTA has deferred a planned fares increase and has received a $55k bail out from the Federal Government. On 17 May 2020 normal services were resumed on the Broad Street, Market-Frankford, Norristown High-Speed line, and SunRail (Orlando) lines.

SOUTH SHORE LINE A program of cleaning the rolling stock during service runs and of stations is under way. Hand sanitizing equipment is now available on all coaches.

CALIFORNIA Traffic has fallen sharply on the Sonoma-Marin Area Transit District (SMART) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies are under way to reduce expenditure, probably by axing weekend service and reducing services on weekdays. Free on-board Wi-Fi may be suspended.

13 May 2020

U.S.A.

BOSTON There are problems with the new rolling stock used on the Subway’s Orange Line. The coaches were built by CRRC in the Springfield MA plant and have included sticking of the coach doors and an unusual wearing of parts of the bogies. The new fleet has had to be withdrawn from service on two occasions in the last 18 months. In order to facilitate the construction of the Green Line extension, the Lowell route and the Blue Line between Bowdoin and the Airport are to be closed for seven and fourteen days respectively from 18 May 2020. The effects of these fairly short closures will be studied carefully since they allow construction work on new routes to be done much more quickly and cheaply compared to a long series of weekend closures.

NORTH EAST CORRIDOR (NEC) The condition of Sawtooth Bridge in Northern New Jersey is causing concern. It carries the NEC over the tracks used by PATH, Conrail locals, and the Morris & Essex line. The bridge is now 113 years old and much of the metalwork needs to be replaced or strengthened.

ACELA EXPRESS The “Express” service was suspended on 23 March 2020 but will be restored on 1 June 2020 as the pandemic crisis eases.

NEW JERSEY On instructions from the State Governor a range of measures were introduced from the first weekend of May 2020. Newark Station opening hours have been altered with the public areas closed between 2330 and 0430. Penn Station in Manhattan is closed to the public between midnight and 0500. The following rules now apply to those riding the trains, buses, and light rail vehicles. All riders MUST now wear face covering and the number of passengers riding any of these vehicles is not allowed to exceed 50% of the vehicle’s official maximum capacity.

PATH The number of riders on this busy link between New Jersey and Manhattan fell by 55% during March 2020. Many commuter links suffered losses of at least 90%.

SEPTA Philadelphia area commuter services were greatly reduced in late March 2020 but most of the cancelled services will be resumed on 17 May 2020 as the virus emergency diminishes.

WASHINGTON Studies are continuing into possible extensions to the Metro. In particular the Blue Line may continue south from Franconia-Springfield to Quantico.

1 May 2020

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The passenger train company expects to earn $700m less per month because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2019 was a record year for passenger numbers and revenue earned but unless things change very soon 2020 will be a record low. Service frequencies are being cut back and the Hiawatha service (Chicago – Milwaukee) will be replaced entirely by buses from 25 May 2020.

BOSTON The reconstruction of Natick Center commuter station so that it will meet the requirements of most disabled people is now under way. The work will take around 18 months to complete.

NEW JERSEY TRANSIT Stops at MLK Drive and Garfield Avenue which were closed on 1 June 2019 to allow civil engineering work under the tracks and platforms, were reopened on 21 April 2020.

SEATTLE Buildings are being demolished along S 320th Street to make space for the planned Federal Way Transit Center plus parking for 400 cars.

CALIFORNIA The California State Transportation Agency announced on 21 April 2020 a grant of $107m towards the cost of 306 new coaches for BART.

SACRAMENTO The Sacramento Regional Transit District has ordered twenty new Siemens S700 to start the process of replacing the oldest trams in the preset 97 strong ageing fleet. They will be produced in the Siemens Sacramento factory.

BRAZIL

SÃO PAULO is to spend $11bn on public transport to end the city’s horrific traffic jams. Metro Lines 11 and 13 will be extended into the northern suburbs. New Lines 15, 17 and 18 will be monorails. A new concessionaire will be given a 25 year contract to operate these new lines and will be responsible for choosing the design of rolling stock for the new routes.

CANADA

HAMILTON (Ont) The plan to build a light rail line 8.7 miles long into the eastern suburbs has been axed by the Province on cost grounds. Apparently it would not be adequate value for money. A bus alternative is now being examined.

21 April 2020

U.S.A.

BEST & WORST YEARS? Amtrak had its best ever year in 2019 with high loads on most trains, and exciting plans for the future. 2020 has seen the Covid-19 virus disaster with traffic falling by at least 90%, and several routes having trains removed or routes cancelled altogether. Federal funds of $1bn were made available in mid April 2020 in order to keep the company afloat.

BOSTON Four stations on the Green Line light rail system are to be replaced by two new stops. St Paul and BU West will be replaced by one new stop while similarly Babcock Street and Pleasant Street will be replaced by the other new stop. The changes will result in a better spacing of the stops, and result in faster journeys along Commonwealth Avenue.

NEW YORK The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), has organised a digital event to review proposals to modernise the Met’s out-dated signalling system. They have organised 150 video conferences to seventeen companies. They wish train suppliers to identify ways to make existing trains compatible with new signalling technology as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. If any proposal seems to provide a solution the MTA and the chosen signalling firm will then work together to produce a final plan. From 17 April 2020 passengers using commuter trains around New York must wear face masks.

RIDERSHIP LOST Because of the loss of many jobs due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, there has been a massive drop in the numbers travelling in the major cities. The numbers using the New York Subway have fallen by 93% and the Long Island Railway by 97%. Federal assistance has been requested so that the trains can keep running. In Chicago the loss has been just 80% but this still represent a loss of several million dollars in lost fare revenue.

CHICAGO The Metra Electric group of services has introduced a revised timetable that takes account of reduced ridership during the coronavirus pandemic. Peak hour services see a train every 20 minutes to Blue Island, South Chicago, and University Park. There are all-stops short workings to Homewood and locals to 115th Street. Off-peak services run just once an hour to the same destinations and every second hour there is an all-stations local between Millennium Station and Blue Island. The new service marks also the start of Positive Train Control Operation.

TWIN CITIES In a bid to ensure that health care can be got to where it is most needed quickly and efficiently, free transport is being provided between a health care worker’s home and place of work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

DALLAS The local Council has approved the first building within the 26 acre site around Trinity Mills Station. Of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The area around the station will have eventually residential, office, restaurants, shops, and grassy gathering places.

TEXAS The Texas State Lawmakers have asked the US Department of Transportation to end a private company’s work on the planned Dallas – Houston high-speed line. The company proposing to build the line does not have sufficient funds or expertise to create the line. Some federal funds are held by the company and could be wasted if their attempts to build the railway fail.

DURANGO & SILVERTON The tourist line through the Rockies has obtained four diesel locos from the White Pass & Yukon RR. They will become attractions in their own right since narrow gauge efficient locomotives are quite rare. The D&S will now have ten diesel locos and the White Pass ones will probably be used mainly on maintenance workings.

LAS VEGAS The California Debt Limit Allocation Committee has approved $600m of tax-exempt bonds for Brightline/Virgin Trains USA that will part fund the construction of a high-speed line between Victorville (California) and Las Vegas (Nevada) at a total cost of $4.8bn. There have been several attempts to build a high-speed link between the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas but none so far have had sufficient financial backing.

CANADA

TORONTO Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario have selected Stantec to provide technical and construction advice concerning the light rail project linking Port Credit GO Station and Brampton Gateway Terminal.

CALGARY Siemens Mobility is to supply a further fifteen S200 LRVs.

1 April 2020

U.S.A.

FEDERAL FUNDS A Bill going through the Washington administration will see grants of $25bn for heavy rail, bus and tram services, plus a further $1bn for Amtrak.

PHILADELPHIA AREA The SEPTA heavy rail suburban routes have seen a 94% decline in ridership and have now introduced a train every two hours on all routes except to the Airport which has once an hour service. PATCO ridership is down 89% and the service frequency has been reduced from 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Four stations have been closed temporarily – Ashland, Westmont, City Hall Camden, and 12th/13th Street Philadelphia.

RALEIGH The North Carolina city is the most important of a group of three communities that together organise “GoTriangle” – a body that is responsible for transit in the area. A plan to build a 17.7 mile long light rail line between Raleigh and Durham has been abandoned because of problems with finance. The line would have served the world-famous Duke Hospital and three universities.

BRIGHTLINE AXE The Brightline intercity passenger service between Miami and Palm Beach was discontinued temporarily on 25 March 2020 as a move to restrict travel and help to reduce the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

PORTLAND (ORE) TriMet has closed its MAX light rail station at Portland International Airport until 30 May 2020 to accommodate airport expansion construction work. A shuttle bus link has been provided to Mount Hood Avenue Station instead.

BART During a 90% drop in the number of passengers carried during the coronavirus pandemic, extensive civil engineering work is being undertaken since it is much easier to tackle this work when trains run less frequently. Some track replacement work, cable renewals, and substantial modernisation at Oakland 19th Street station are among the work being done.

XPRESS WEST This new company is seeking funds of up to $4.8bn to build a 170 mile long high-speed electric railway between the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas. Brightline, soon to be known as Virgin Trains USA, acquired Xpress West in 2018. If built, the owner of the Las Vegas line will be known quite simply as Virgin Trains.

CANADA

TRAVEL BAN As part of efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus the Canadian Government has announced that people who are obviously unwell will not be allowed to use domestic flights or inter-city trains across Canada. This will apply from 30 March 2020.

30 March 2020

U.S.A.

NEW YORK Subway trains have been running virtually empty even at the busiest part of the morning or evening peak. Subway traffic had fallen by 18 March 2020 by 60%; Traffic on buses by 49%, Metro North RR by a devastating 90%, and on the Long Island RR by 67%. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority described the position as “financial calamity”.

PHILADELPHIA AREA The population has been urged to travel only when actually necessary and on the Metro services are running every 15 minutes on all lines all day. Heavy rail SEPTA lines are operating basically the Saturday service on weekdays. Traffic is down by up to 70% but all trains have eight cars to make possible as much space as possible between passengers. PATCo is operating a service every 15 minutes between 0530 and 2130, with hourly service during the night. There is a complex network of infrequently served bus routes especially in New Jersey. How do you cut frequency sensibly on a route with a service every 40 minutes? Ideally this is an opportunity to re-plan the bus network. If buses ran every hour there would be no need to have to try an remember when the next bus might run – it would always be the same number of minutes past the hour. Some traffic might actually be gained!

BART Trains operating on the BART system around San Francisco have been lengthened so that individual passengers can be at least 6 feet from the nearest other passenger. The drop in traffic was at first 55% but has dropped again by 18.03.2020 to 70%.

OTHER MAJOR CITIES have shown a similar collapse in traffic as more and more people work from home.

CANADA

TORONTO A Transit Partnership Agreement was signed on 14 February 2020 between the City of Toronto with the Province of Ontario that will commit both parties to the building of the Line 2 eastward extension, Yonge Line north extension (in tunnel), and the Eglinton Crosstown west extension. And capacity increases on the older parts of the system.

EDMONTON Trial operations of the new Bombardier low-floor “Flexity Freedom” trams began on 7 February 2020 along the 7.9 mile long Valley Line. It is hoped to start public services on the Valley Line later in 2020.

CNR Traffic along the Quebec City – Montreal – Ottawa – Toronto – Windsor corridor has plunged since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, so Canadian National Railways has slashed services on these routes by up to 50%.

13 March 2020

U.S.A.

NEW STATION A grant of $17.4m has been made by the Connecticut DOT for the construction of a new station at Windsor Locks on the Hartford Line. The total cost of the station will be $64.9m and it will serve an extensive area of new housing and a small industrial area.

SUBWAY The New York Subway is to receive a deep clean every three days in order to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus infection. Traffic on the network has plunged by 18.5% since the coronavirus epidemic caused many people to stay at home and not come into the city for work or entertainment.

MANHATTAN TUNNELS The tunnels taking main line railways into Manhattan terminals are elderly and all now require major repair work. The pair of tunnels taking services from Newark on the NE Corridor into Penn Station require what amounts to rebuilding but a study has shown that new techniques will allow a new way to reline the tunnels while some sort of service is maintained during at least the busiest part of the day. Amtrak would be able to start repair work years ahead of the present plans and at a fraction of the cost.

NEW JERSEY EXTENSION A start has been made on the $220m project to extend the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line across Route 440 into a new area along the Hackensack River waterfront which is to be developed as a mixed residential and office location.

LIRR Positive Train Control (PTC) has been implemented on a further 108 route miles – namely Patchoque – Montauk and Ronkonkoma – Greenport. 72.5% of LIRR’s 305 route miles are now PTC operable.

MINNEAPOLIS The light rail line carried 25,299.442 passengers in 2019 – an increase of 342,825 over 2018. However other forms of transport including buses and the Northstar heavy rail commuter service lost 2% of traffic during 2019.

HOUSTON METRO The Houston Authorities are being allowed to build a “Transit Center” at the end of the North Center light rail project. The Center will have seven bus bays for connecting bus routes fanning out into neighbouring suburbs, and a 660 space parking garage. The North Corridor light rail line was completed 18 months early and a remarkable $83.8m under budget.

LOS ANGELES LA Metro has approved a study of a possible eastern extension of the Gold Line to Whittier following Atlantic and Washington Boulevards. The extension would have seven stations.

CANADA

CALGARY Siemens Mobility is to supply a further fifteen S200 LRVs to Calgary Transit.

MEXICO

MEXICO CITY A collision between two underground metro trains at Tacubaya station in which one train ended up on top of the other, resulted in one fatality and 40 injured. The crash occurred at 23.30 on 10 March 2020 and because of the late hour the trains were relatively quiet.

1 March 2020

U.S.A.

MICHAEL HERTZ The 87 year old designer of the New York Subway map died on 24 February 2020. The map was the first to show the routes of the massive network in correct relationship to each other. It also included significant locations/buildings along the way as an aid to the growing tourist industry.

BOSTON An Advisory Group has recommended that the entire Boston suburban network be electrified and that a greatly improved service be provided. Stations would have high-level platforms and trains would run every fifteen minutes throughout the day.

NORTH EAST CORRIDOR A major pinch-point exists just south of Baltimore station on what is the most important railway route in the USA. The route passes through the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel which was opened in 1873 and is now proving to be very difficult to maintain in a safe condition. Plans have existed for a considerable time to replace by a new tunnel on a line running somewhat north of the existing tunnel. The cost keeps climbing and is now $5bn. Although the new tunnel has been approved as the correct solution, no actual money has been made available.

NEW JERSEY New Jersey Transit will be getting a new fleet of multi-level emus with delivery starting in 2023.. They will replace the 40 year old Arrow III stock but 69 of the old emus are to have a part replaced – the “main inductor” – to keep them going during the next three years. These will cost $3.4m. The main inductor is meant to last 6 years before needing to be replaced and in these cars these have operated without trouble for twelve years. Some of the old stock will be kept in case there is an unexpected problem with the new emus. A new station is to be opened at North Brunswick beside Transit Village – a residential, dining, and shopping development. The station will cost $850m and fill a 15 mile gap between New Brunswick and Princeton Junction stations.

LONG ISLAND RR The new platform F at Jamaica Station was opened on 20 February 2020. Initially only a few shuttle trains to Brooklyn used the platform but usage of LIRR’s services is altering with the overall total rising but the use of Penn Station falling as passengers switch to other termini. A new station at Belmont Park has been approved by the MTA Board and will cost $65m.

PHILADELPHIA Tram route 15 is being replaced by buses from 23 February 2020 for12-18 months. A bridge over the C&O RR is being replaced requiring bus replacement of the tram route but in addition only four of the eighteen trams required to operate the route are capable of passing safety inspections. The trams date from the 1940s and bodywork rusting has reached serious levels. During the long closure period the tram bodies will be brought back to a good condition. Major civil engineering work on highway 1-95 will continue for several years and in order to provide alternative transport SEPTA has leased five coaches from MARC to increase capacity of the Trenton and West Trenton routes. Each route will receive an additional peak hour train.

NORTH CAROLINA – A possible extension of the Lynx light rail line in Charlotte to the western suburb of Belmont and the Charlotte – Douglas International Airport is to be the subject of a detailed study that was approved by the city Council.

DETROIT The single track people mover that operates on a circular route around downtown with twelve 2-car trains. The service has been clockwise since the line was opened eleven years ago. Following significant maintenance work the service will commence anticlockwise operation on 1 March 2020. The change is supposedly to even out the wear on the track and wheels.

SOUTH SHORE LINE The line between Chicago and South Bend is to be double-tracked between Gary and Michigan City to enable it to cope with steadily rising traffic. The Federal Transit Administration has approved plans to upgrade the former Monon RR right of way to provide an eight mile long branch from Hammond to Dyer. There will be twelve round trips to Chicago city centre, and twelve shuttles connecting with South Shore trains at Hammond.

DALLAS / FORT WORTH Construction of the new Silver Line (known also as The Cotton Belt Line) has begun and will operate for 26 miles along a former heavy rail right of way to Plano and the International Airport..

CALIFORNIA – CAPITOL CORRIDOR The North Californian commuter service has produced record ridership and revenue for five successive years. Ridership was 1.77m in FY2019 compared with 1.70m in the previous year. Revenue rose 5% from $36.2m to $38m. – LOS ANGELES The US Department of Transportation has committed $1.3bn to enable the building of the third phase of the new 7 mile long Purple Line which will link the Westside areas into the rest of the city’s transit networks. The three sections of the Purple Line are expected to open in 2023, 2025, and 2027. – SAN DIEGO The tramway’s three routes keep getting busier and busier. Traffic in 13 of the last 16 months rose compared to the previous year. In July and August 2019 the number carried was a record breaking 753,435.

CANADA The Canadian National Railway has shut down operations in Eastern Canada because of blockages along many routes due to protesters against the building of a natural gas pipeline in Northern British Columbia. Both transcontinental freight services and VIA passenger trains are affected. Commuter services around Toronto and Montreal are however still able to operate.

BRAZIL A commuter train ran into the rear of another service which was stopped at Iparanga Station at 0600 on 18 February 2020 in Recife, the State Capital of Pernambuco. Thirty three passengers were injured but there were no fatalities. A signal failure was thought to be the cause.

12 February 2020

U.S.A.

AMTRAK President Trump’s proposed Budget for the coming year will slash funding for Amtrak by about half. The North East Corridor will receive less than half its former subsidy but it is felt that this route may be potentially profitable. All long-distance/transcontinental routes will lose funding and the President will expect them to be discontinued.

LONG ISLAND RAILWAY As part of a national review of allowed speeds along all routes, some LIRR services may have to extend times slightly. Special deals are being offered to fishermen who travel to Montauk near the tip of Long Island. A travel time of 2 hours 30 minutes is possible.

SEATTLE Sound Transit is starting work on connecting tracks that will link the East Link extension to the existing light rail system in dowtown Seattle. The East Link extension is expected to open in 2023.

HONOLULU The first section of the much delayed transit system is likely to open near the end of 2020.

BRAZIL In São Paulo a monorail 7.7km long is to provide a link from Congonhas International Airport to the suburban railway station at Morumbi. It will also provide connection to the metro line 5. It is planned to extend it further to the metro station at Jabaquara, the terminus of Line 1.

CHILE The railway network is to be revitalised through modernisation of the track and signalling system at a cost of $5bn. Passenger numbers are planned to triple to 150m, and freight tonnage to double to 21m. Greatly improved suburban services will operate from Santiago (Alameda) to Melipilla (61km) and to Tiltil (48km), In coastal Valparaiso the suburban service will be extended north by 28km. Services on the main line from Santiago to Chillan (398km) take 4 hours 30 minutes. In future there will be two categories of service. Fast trains calling at three intermediate stations will take 3 hours 40 minutes. Slow trains calling at all ten stations will require 4 hours exactly.

2 February 2020

U.S.A.

ANDY BYFORD This peripatetic railway manager has just resigned as President of New York City Transit after just two years in the post. He had however secured the funds for a $51bn capital improvement programme and had made improvements that had immediately won approval from the users. Previously he had been CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission for five, Chief Operating Officer for transport around Sydney, Australia, and before that General Manager of the Central, Bakerloo, and Victoria lines on the London Underground. In each case he served a 5 year term.

PHILADELPHIA The western half of SEPTA’s route 15 has been operated by PCC trams for many years but the trams are being replaced by buses because of a number of road works that would make tram operation difficult. The eastern half went over to bus operation “temporarily” due to construction work on adjacent Interstate 95 which would have required expensive alterations to allow the trams to continue. The entire Route 15 will be worked by buses until at least the end of 2021 and whether the trams come back remains to be seen.

NEW YORK STATE A bill has been introduced to the Senate by NY State to mandate a two-man crew on all freight services in the USA. There is evidence that a two-man crew encounters fewer accidents than when there is just one person up front.

DALLAS A major region-wide survey is under way to determine where most existing users travel to and from. A second phase will determine where additional routes might be needed and this will be tied in with plans for new housing areas. This will involve particularly services that might be provided by Trinity Railway Express (heavy rail commuter routes into as yet undeveloped areas).

BRAZIL Work began towards the end of January 2020 on construction work for the extension of Line 2 (The Green Line) of the São Paulo Metro. The 8.3km long line will run from Vila Prudente to Penha. This will be extended in the future by a further 5.9km to Dutra. The work will cost $US 1.4bn.

31 January 2020

U.S.A.

NEW YORK The Subway network has received 298 new Bombardier cars which were supposed to be delivered by January 2017 but in fact the last did not enter service until December 2019. Unfortunately problems with the operation of the doors has meant that all were withdrawn from service in two batches – on 24 December 2019 and 03 January 2020. In order to maintain some semblance of the normal service the former stock was rushed back into service together with some older stock which had not yet been scrapped.

LONG ISLAND RR Services are showing a high degree of reliability. During 2019 92.3% of trains arrived at their destination on time. In 2018 the figure was 90.49%.

PATCO The rapid transit line between Philadelphia and adjacent areas of New Jersey carried 1.1m people in 2019 – the highest total since 1994. The population of the areas served has risen significantly in recent years and there are more places of employment. Among improvements introduced credit/debit cards can be used to purchase ordinary tickets and an “owl service” has been added meaning that trains now run 24 hours per day.

MIAMI The Tri-rail commuter service in Florida was used by 4,495,039 passengers during 2019 – the highest number ever. The total rose by 1.8% during 2019.

2 January 2020

U.S.A.

NEW YORK The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has added an additional 20 Subway stations making a total of seventy that will receive a total of $5.2bn to fund projects that will make them fully accessible under Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

PITTSBURGH Because very heavy rains have made the land around the entrance to the Mount Washington Tunnel unstable services have been reorganised. The tunnel is used by light rail and bus services only and the outbound trams have been shifted to use the stable inbound track. Inbound tram have been diverted via the Allentown district.

20 December 2019

U.S.A.

NEW YORK The Metropolitan Transit Association and the Long Island RR have met the safety recommendations made by the North Transportation Board.

PANYNJ The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey includes in its 2020 budget a total of $3.6bn in capital expenditure. This includes $389m for PATH to replace the signalling system, and $310m for repairs to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy on 22 October 2012 including the rehabilitation of substations and tunnel walls.

CHICAGO The Great Hall of Chicago Union Station is being repaired and upgraded in a $22m project planned and funded by Amtrak. The station is used by 37.6m passengers each year, and 120,000 on a typical weekday. Among improvements are new elevators making access from street level easier, and a new two-level food hall that will include new occupiers from autumn 2020. The improvements have won six awards from architectural bodies.

SOUND TRANSIT The Seattle transport agency is to receive funding comprising a Federal Grant of $790m and a low-interest loan of $629m to enable a start of construction of the Federal Way extension. This will enable light rail service to the residents of South King County. Actual construction work will begin during January 2020.

CANADA

TORONTO The TTC 2020 budget includes funding of fifty additional staff who will aid the reduction of fare evasion.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Government agencies have identified as top priority measures to provide high frequency passenger services along a corridor between Quebec City, Montreal, and Toronto. The high-cost plan is to build a new high-speed railway a little north of the existing railway serving Trois-Rivières and Peterborough.

9 December 2019

U.S.A.

SEVERE WEATHER Major snowfalls across northeast USA on 30 November/1 December 2019 resulted in blocked roads and railways, with some vehicles trapped for as long as 37 hours. Duluth was hit by 19.3” (49cm) in 24 hours. Several hundred flights were cancelled on both days. The “Coast Starlight Express” with 183 passengers on board was stuck in Oregon for 37 hours due to drifts and fallen trees across the tracks.

LONG ISLAND RR From March 2020 cash sales of tickets on board trains will cease. Tickets will still be available when a credit or debit card is used for payment. Some stations are both unstaffed and without ticket machines and the cash sales ban will apply equally to passengers boarding there. The LIRR has been commended for its measures to make level crossings more visible resulting in a significant decline in collisions between road and rail vehicles.

ST LOUIS Sadly the “Loop Trolley” opened in November 2018 is to cease operations on 29 December 2019. The line runs between the western end of the Delmar Loop commercial area and the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Ticket sales were much lower than expected and had started to fall to even lower levels with under $2000 taken during November 2019. The projected income was $394,400 in an entire year or over $30,000 per month. The tram has been operating on only four days per week (Thursday – Sunday) and only two of the three LRVs have been available. It is hoped that a new buyer might be found who might be able to instil new commercial ideas into the little tramway.

CALTRAIN The production and testing of trains to be used between San Francisco and San Jose at the Stadler plant in Salt Lake City is being stepped up. Along the route the digging of foundations and the erection of masts to support the overhead power wires is similarly being pushed into top gear. It is hoped that electric services may begin in late 2020.

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM The Museum has acquired Toronto tram 4034, built by Hawker Siddley in 1979 as an LRV suitable for those city tram systems that had not yet been switched to buses.

CANADA

MONTREAL Expenditure on operating the Metro is to increase by 2.6% in 2020 compared with 2019. This will allow service frequencies on each line to remain at a train every five minutes.

TORONTO The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is to retire its “legacy” LRVs before the end of 2019 to make way for 204 low-floor LRVs that are being delivered from Bombardier. The legacy fleet entered service from 20 September 1979, the last being delivered in 1982. Later the TTC ordered 52 articulated LRVs which were double the length of the single length LRVs. The articulated trams were retired in September 2019. The Toronto Airports Authority has committed C$40m to Metrolinx to support the Eglinton Crosstown West light rail line extension to Pearson International Airport.

VANCOUVER “Translink” riders and local residents have indicated support for expansion of the transit services around the city and for the extension of services along the Fraser Valley. Road congestion is the top concern among the riders.

23 November 2019

U.S.A.

AMTRAK The passenger railroad carried a record number of passengers, 32.5m, during the fiscal year 2018-9. Earnings were $5140.9m and the loss on operations a surprisingly modest $29.8m.

NEW YORK AREA – LONG ISLAND RR An additional siding is being installed at Massapequa station so that trains from Manhattan can terminate there. New signals to control the use of the siding are being installed.

REOPENING? The possible reopening of the LIRR branch to Rockaway Beach in Queens is being examined. The line was closed in 1962 because of poor patronage and the right of way remains mostly intact. Reopening could be as a railway branch worked by the LIRR at a cost of nearly $7bn. It could be linked to the Subway network at a cost of a little over $8bn but it is believed that as part of the Subway system it would attract four times as many passengers.

PATCO Franklin Square Station, closed since 1979, is to be reopened in a $30m project. The US Department of Transportation has announced a $12.6m grant towards the project.

WASHINGTON The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has completed a project to install 143 new escalators at stations across its system. The cost was $176m. 153 other escalators were rehabilitated and canopies were installed at those escalators that were exposed to rain, snow, and ice. WMATA proposes to sell naming rights for the future Innovation Center Station on the Silver Line extension.

St LOUIS The Delmar Loop Trolley has failed to attract sufficient riders and service ended at 1800 on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in mid October 2019. The line had a $51.5m Federal Grant which will be repaid if the trolley ceased all operations.

ATLANTA MARTA is celebrating the 40th anniversary of providing rail and bus services throughout the urban area.

LOS ANGELES Payment of fares on the city’s buses and light rail services will be by use of a fare card that can be topped up. The use of tokens – a very traditional payment method – will cease after 30 November 2019.

CANADA

MONTREAL A major light rail network (the REM) is to be built around the city largely replacing the suburban railway routes. The Mount Royal Tunnel route leading to Deux Montagnes will take up to two years to complete and passengers are not happy even though replacement buses will be free to use since journey times will be significantly longer. Later light rail routes will extend to St Anne-de-Belleview and to the South Shore areas.

EDMONTON Construction of the $2.6bn 14km long Valley Line West light rail route was due to commence in 2020 but bidders have suddenly withdrawn from the project and the City Council has decided to go back to Square One and split the work into two parts. The LRVs will be obtained as a separate contract from the Design and Build part of the project.

9 November 2019

U.S.A.

BOSTON MBTA has ordered from Hyundai-Rotem eighty eight double deck coaches for suburban services to replace older single deck cars. MBTA has published a very extensive plan to upgrade rail services around the city. Experts have advised that a line-by-line approach would be sensible starting with the provision of high level platforms long enough to accommodate the longer trains that would be necessary as traffic carried would rise above what is carried now. Electrification of suburban rail routes would then follow, also one line at a time. No mention is made in the plan regarding the source of finance for all this work. More details emerged on 8 November 2019. The first lines to be electrified would be to Providence and Stoughton, and to Fairmont. Part or all of the Rockport/Newburyport lines would be next. A greatly increased service frequency would be given making the electrified routes more like rapid transit lines.

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD Production and delivery of the new M9A fleet of coaches is running six months behind schedule. They will eventually replace the M3 cars which are now very dilapidated and long past a decent withdrawal date. The previous batch of new coaches – the M9 cars – were finally delivered two years late. Positive Train Control (PTC) was in use on four branches – Far Rockaway, Oyster Bay, Long Beach, and West Hempstead at the end on October 2019. The introduction of PTC is being undertaken segment by segment and despite delays in the delivery of necessary equipment it is probable that the complete railroad will have been converted by the planned date of 31 December 2020.

PANYNJ The Board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has advanced $4.5bn to fund infrastructure projects including an AirTrain transit system at La Guardia International Airport in Queens, and a similar project to replace the AirTrain monorail system at Newark Liberty International Airport. Both airports have seen a sharp rise in traffic handled during the past few years. The PANYNJ Board also supported a move to increase the length of platforms along the Newark World Trade Center route so that 9 car trains can be run on this increasingly busy route.

FLORIDA Brightline high-speed services will be renamed Virgin Trains USA in the near future and the company is to build new stations at Port Miami, the base for 22 cruise lines, and will provide direct services between there and the International Airport station. A further new station will be built at Aventura in Boca Raton.

NEW ORLEANS The Regional Transit Authority is to improve access at six tram stops for disabled passengers. A concrete ramp with a turning circle for wheelchairs and a detectable warning surface (tactile strip) are to be built at the stops at each end of the St Charles Avenue line, and at major intersections along the route.

QUAD CITIES Amtrak are planning to develop a branch from their south west route at Princeton to serve the Quad Cities area – (actually five communities Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in Illinois). The Mississippi forms the boundary between the States.

KANSAS CITY The addition of a sixth tram to the fleet allows the operation of four streetcars on Saturdays, and permits a regular maintenance programme for the fleet.

DENVER Light rail and bus services may have to be reduced in frequency because it is proving difficult to recruit staff to operate the trams or buses.

LOS ANGELES The Blue light rail line has been closed for (a ridiculous) ten months for repairs and an upgrade, but when reopened it will be redesignated as the “A Line”. The County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking contractors to develop the Sepulveda Corridor that will ultimately connect the San Fernando Valley and the International Airport.

SAN DIEGO Passenger numbers on the tram system have been rising steadily during the past six months – probably due to increases in the cost of petrol. During the first quarter of 2019 1 million additional passengers were carried.

SEATTLE Sound Transit has identified design alterations for the planned 11.8 mile long extension to West Seattle and Ballard. Design planning will now be completed and the extension will open in stages between 2025 and 2035. Ground has been broken on the downtown Redwood light rail service.

BRAZIL

RIO DE JANEIRO The three-route tram network in the Brazilian city has been completed and the final section of the Carioca network was inaugurated on 26 October 2019.

25 October 2019

U.S.A.

LONG ISLAND A proposal to reopen the former Long Island RR branch to Rockaway Beach would cost around $7bn. The line was shut in 1962 due to poor traffic and there are now trees growing between the tracks but the population ha grown. The line could be reopened as a conventional suburban railway or as an extension to the Subway network.

NEW JERSEY Work began on 15 October 2019 to lengthen platforms and improve access through new escalators, and elevators at New Brunswick, Trenton Transit Center, Princeton Junction and Elizabeth stations.

NICTD EXTENSION The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District has received Federal approval to move the West Lake Corridor extension to the engineering phase. This would add 8 miles of route south to Hammond, Munster and Dyer.

NEW ORLEANS Part of the new Hard Rock Hotel, which is still under construction, fell down on 12 October 2019 and several sections of the tramway system passing the site have had to be closed until the area is made safe. The suspended sections are Riverfront route, the Rampart route, Canal – Cemeteries route and Canal City Park and Museum routes. Buses replace the tram services.

HOUSTON Free Wi-Fi access is to be provided to users of the Green and Purple lines which both serve universities and major schools.

SAN FRANCISCO The construction of foundations and the erection of poles to support the overhead wires is well under was around Sunnyvale on the San Francisco – San Jose Caltrain line which is due to commence operation in 2022.

SACRAMENTO The Sacramento Regional Transit District has renamed 36th Street station on the light rail network to 36th Street/UC Davis Health Station. A free shuttle bus has linked the station and the Health facility for many years and people heading to/from the Health Centre make up a large proportion of the traffic at the stop.

SAN DIEGO Amtrak has added a thirteenth service each way on this, the busiest State supported line in the nation. The new train fills a gap of around 3 hours in the service leaving Los Angeles Union Station and returning from San Diego at 1725.

CANADA

TORONTO The Ontario Government and Toronto City Council have agreed that new expansion projects will be paid for by the Province, and repairs and minor upgrades will be the responsibility of the TTC. Major work will include building the Ontario Line, Scarborough Subway, Eglinton West LRT and Yonge North Line. The City will fund work that may lead to the Eglinton East Line and Waterfront Line.

BOLIVIA

COCHABAMBA A new tramway is being built in this Bolivian city. A fleet of trams from Stadler Minsk has been ordered and the first was delivered to Iquique on 10 September 2019. Delivery of the trams will be completed during the Spring of 2020 and the public opening of the tramway has been announced as 26 August 2020.

CHILE

SANTIAGO There has been rioting in the streets of the Chilean capital following an announcement that Metro fares were to be increased by 4%. The Metro system was shut down on 18 September 2019, and remained closed on the 19th. There was a hope that the system would reopen gradually, line by line from the 21st onwards.

 

8 October 2019

CANADA

QUEBEC CITY Funding has been agreed for a 23km long tramway between Charlesbourg in the east and Le Gendre in the west. There will be two short underground sections below the city centre. The Quebec province will provide $1.8bn, the Federal Government $1.2bn, and the city of Quebec will provide $300m.

MONTREAL A $5bn light rail system linking Downtown with West Island, South Shore, North Shore, and the Airport has been announced. Assuming that the finance is in place it is planned to have 24 stops on the new network linked at several points to the Metro network.

TORONTO A “Farewell to the CLRV” trip was operated over the tramway system on Sunday 22 September 2019 using trams 4094 and 4098.

U.S.A.

AMTRAK DINERS The use of on-board chefs, the preparation of meals on board a train with the food served by waiting staff is being brought to an end in politically inspired moves to save $2m each year. Already prepared meals will be able to be re-heated and eaten either at a passenger’s own seat or in the unstaffed dining car. Passengers travelling on low-cost tickets will be advised to bring their own sandwiches if they want to eat during a journey.

NEW YORK NYC Transit operated its annual “Parade of Trains” specials on the Brighton Line between Brighton Beach station to Kings Highway (to the north) and Ocean Parkway (to the south). Four special trains were operated 1. Brooklyn Union (BU) B types. 2 Three BU EL cars. 3 Two St Louis R38 cars built in 1967. 4 Two St Louis R33 cars, built in 1963. They ran 20 minute frequency shuttles with time at suitable places for photographers to capture them.

NEW JERSEY The Atlantic Coast Line carries poor loads and is a disappointment considering the amount spent creating the service. The adjacent River Line should be electrified when the existing dmus are time expired, and the future Woodbury Line should be electrified from the start.

PHILADELPHIA Amtrak’s 30th Street station, the principal station in the city, is being renamed Gray 30th Station in honour of the Congressman who fought for equal rights between the different racial groups, and battled for funds for Amtrak. There will be a statue of Gray outside the station.

CHICAGO CTA has contracted the engineering firms Fluor and Walsh Construction to undertake the modernisation of the Red and Purple Lines. Two miles of track will be replaced and four stations totally rebuilt with longer wider platforms, and more extensive cover over the platforms. A new signalling system will be provided and schedules will become quicker and more reliable.

BAY AREA Plans have been announced for greatly improved rail services long the Peninsula with up to eight trains per hour along the railway to San Jose and Gilroy. “Baby Bullet” expresses would run every 15 minutes. Raising the funds to make this possible is always the stumbling block to plans in the USA but a One per Cent Sales Tax would raise sufficient revenue over forty years to make the proposal possible.

LOS ANGELES The Metro Blue Line (Downtown – Long Beach) will reopen during late October 2019 following completion of extensive upgrade works costing $350m. Much of the track has been relaid, and the power supply and train control systems have been upgraded. The line is used by 65,000 boarders each weekday.

BRAZIL Mitsui and the West Japan Railway have taken a controlling stake in the five-line suburban railway network in Rio de Janeiro. Passengers carried have fallen from one million each day to 600,000 during the past twenty years and performance on the four 1600mm gauge 3kV DC lines plus one diesel operated metre gauge line has deteriorated significantly. The new Japanese team intend to revitalise the network with a modernised power supply system, provide a new signalling system, and cut the intervals between trains.

CHILE The Government has announced a $5bn “Chile on Rails” programme which has the aim to triple the ridership to 150m per year, and double the freight carried to 21m tonnes per year. Plans include a 61km long suburban line is to be built from Santiago Alameda to Melipilla, eight additional train sets to increase the capacity of the suburban service to Rancagua, and a 48km Metrotren route from Santiago to Batuco and Tiltil. There will be studies into the development of the Valparaiso suburban service, modernisation of the Constitucion branch and improvements to the lines serving the ports of Valparaiso and San Antonio.

COLOMBIA Five bids have been shortlisted for the contract to build the planned 24km metro line.
This would operate in the south west of the city and serve 15 stations. The award of the contract has been held up while possible irregularities in the bidding process are investigated.

12 September 2019

U.S.A.

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM This excellent rail, tram, bus, and other road vehicles museum just outside Chicago is hosting its Showcase Weekend on 14-15 September 2019. Work on the restoration of wood bodied “L” car 1754 (built in 1906) continues to make excellent progress.

SEATTLE The City Council has cancelled a $52m deal to buy ten new streetcars for its planned City Connector Line. They altered the streetcar order in 2018 to obtain larger, heavier LRVs adding $17.4m to the cost of altering maintenance facilities, and the structure of stops for the larger trams.

HONOLULU Transit leaders are now hoping that operations may be able to start on at least a section of the rapid transit line in late 2020.

CANADA

TORONTO Thirty six additional bi-level coaches are being ordered from Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant where falling orders have resulted in many of the staff being threatened with redundancy. The extra coaches will enable GO-Transit services to be further expanded and some existing trains lengthened to keep up with growing demand.

6 September 2019

U.S.A.

NEW YORK The New York MTA is to modernise the 42nd Street Shuttle which links the two busiest stations on the Subway system – Grand Central Terminal and 42nd Street Times Square. The shuttle carries around100,000 passenger every weekday. At Grand Central the platforms will be reconfigured into one island platform. Times Square station will be transformed from three quite sharply curved tracks into two straight tracks – eliminating the problem of a large gap between the coach doors and the platform edge. A new station entrance will be built and with new signalling and a strengthened power supply a more sprightly performance will be possible. Looking to the future the platforms will be able to accommodate 6 coach trains rather than the present maximum of four.

CLEVELAND The Red Line between the Airport and Tower City was closed on 30 May 2019 when the retaining wall on the west side of the railway became unstable. After this had been more or less reconstructed, the line was able to be reopened on 28 August 2019.

CANADA

TORONTO The last of the articulated trams (ALRV) will be retired from service on 2 September 2019, after 30 years of service. For most of their working life they operated on the long Queen route.

MONTREAL A ceremony marked the ground breaking on 19 July 2019 for a new station at Montreal Trudeau International Airport.

BRAZIL

RIO de JANEIRO A consortium of Mitsui and West Japan Railway has purchased a majority stake in heavily indebted SuperVia the operator of most suburban routes around the city. There are four main routes of 1600mm gauge electrified at 3kV DC totalling 164 route km, plus a single diesel worked line 49km long. The network was used by over 1m passengers per day in the early 2000s but this has fallen to 600,000 per day due to the poor performance of the operations. Among improvements promised is a new signalling system to allow more frequent services, plus a strengthened power supply system.

28 August 2019

U.S.A.

LONG ISLAND RR The testing of the new M-9 trains continues. 202 cars were ordered for $734m and builder Kawasaki and the railroad claim to have identified solutions to outstanding problems. The MTA has pushed back the introduction of the new M-9 cars by nine month so the maintenance of the M-3 stock will have to continue as far ahead as 2024. The railroad management is looking at ways to reduce costs and proposes that tickets purchased on board a train will no longer be able to paid for with cash. Seven very little used ticket offices will be closed, the hours that some others are open will be reduced, but there will be more ticket machines on station platforms. It was unclear if tickets will be able to be purchased on board trains using debit cards and such like.

NEW ORLEANS Update on the tram services: The Canal Street route was replaced by buses in 1964 but reopened 40 years later. It is worked by red replica streetcars. The famous historic St Charles line has been getting upgrades at both ends of the route as preparations were made for the summer 2019 season and Mardi Gras in 2020. This line was opened with horse traction in 1835, converted to electric traction in late 1800s, and was the only line not at some time run by buses.

SEATTLE Two extensions to Sound Transit’s network of lines are in the pipeline with funding now in place. They are the 12.5km from SeaTac to Federal Way costing $790m and the downtown 5.5km long two station extension, known as the Redmond Link, and costing $730m. It will include a 1400 space car park.

PORTLAND Twenty six Siemens S700 low-floor LRVs have been ordered to replace the Bombardier trams supplied in 1986. There is an option for a sixty further LRVs to cater for the growing needs as extensions open.

PHOENIX Voters have given a major boost to plans to expand the light rail network and rejected proposals for a bus alternative.

SAN DIEGO An order for twenty five Siemens S700 LRVs has been confirmed and these will replace high-floor LRVs dating from the 1990s. San Diego will then have a 100% low-floor fleet.

CANADA

MONTREAL A $1.3bn grant has been announced by the Federal Government to extend the Metro Blue Line by 5.5km from St-Michel to Anjou and a ground breaking ceremony took place the REM Metro Station at Trudeau International Airport on 19 July 2019.

OTTAWA The light rail line should be handed over to the city on 16 August 2019 with public services commencing on or about 14 September 2019.

TORONTO GO RAIL and TTC projects are to receive major Government funding. Capacity improvement to the Bloor:Yonge station, now used by 200,000 passengers daily, will be attained by the construction of an additional platform, increased passenger passageways, an additional substation, and through the new SmartTrack program six additional stations on the Stouffville line, Lakeshore East Line, and Kitchener RR route.

CALGARY The shortlist to build the forty five low floor trams needed for the planned Green Line (opening in 2027?) includes Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, and Kinkisharyo. Siemens, which built the earlier high-floor fleet, has not been included.

COLOMBIA In Bogota tendering for the 26-year RegioTram West service to design, build, operate, and maintain the service from Bogota to Facatativa (41km) line together with links to the Metro and Bus Rapid Transit network was launched on 15 August 2019. The new line could open by 2024 and the route may carry 40m passengers each year.

5 August 2019

U.S.A.

NORTH EAST CORRIDOR The New York – Washington line with 12m passengers each year, is the most used route in the USA and measures are under way to ensure that this key route remains available. There are three civil engineering tasks that could cause major problems in the relatively near future. The twin tunnels under the Hudson allowing trains from Washington to reach Penn Station in the heart of Manhattan are in urgent need of major repairs – and ideally replacement. Another tunnel near Baltimore station needs to be rebuilt, and there is a railroad bridge in New Jersey that also needs to be replaced. Amtrak are meeting passenger needs by adding a pair of non-stop Acela services between New York and Washington taking 2 hours 35 minutes each way. New Acela trains are now being delivered for the line and when deliveries have been completed in 2021 there will be an opportunity to add several more “non stoppers” to the timetable, or consider a total replanning of the services offered.

PATCO Violent thunder storms struck the area served by PATCo on 23 July 2019 bringing down power cables and causing trees to fall across roads and railways. 33,000 houses were left without power and the last of them were not reconnected until Friday 26 July 2019. On PATCo, stations at Ashland and Lindenwold were closed due to trees blocking access roads and services did not return until well into Thursday 25 July 2019.

MINNEAPOLIS Civil engineering work continues along the whole length of the South West Light Rail Line (Green Line) ranging from the moving of services to vegetation removal. Several roads are crossed by the new line and closures for road traffic are producing complex alternative routes so that existing businesses can still be reached. The construction of abutments for new bridges has resulted in a total road closure for a short time, then the narrowing of the road for anything up to two years. One time consuming task is the moving of the remaining freight railway from its present position, to a temporary new location, and then to its final location with ballast having to be laid for both the temporary then final position of the freight track.

24 July 2019

U.S.A.

FTA GRANTS The Federal Transit Administration announced on 10 July 2019 funding of $100m for each of three transit projects.
1. A 5.5 miles extension in Phoenix (Arizona) to the South Central light rail line to South
Mountain Village Core. There will be nine stops along the extension.
2. A 2.5 mile extension with three stops from Century City to Westwood Hospital in Los Angeles (California).
3. A 7.8 miles extension from Federal Way in Seattle (Washington).

NEW YORK A fire in a substation caused a total power failure to most of Manhattan on the evening of 13 July 2019. Subway trains were unable to move for around five hours.

LONG ISLAND RR A new station is to be built at Belmont Park to serve new developments in the area as well as the Park itself. The station will be served every day rather than simply on race days.

SAN FRANCISCO BART is to fit its trains with straps that will hold bikes brought on to the trains by passengers. This is a positive step taken by the BART management to encourage passengers to find ways to improve their own fitness.

CANADA

OTTAWA The consortium building the light rail line has missed another “planned” opening date (30 June 2019) No new date has been announced but the city’s Mayor hopes to see passenger services introduced by September 2019.

KITCHENER The 19km long light rail line to Waterloo was opened for public services on 21 June 2019 – two years later than originally planned. The 19 stop line cost $868m to build and services are worked by a fleet of fourteen Bombardier Flexity Freedom LRVs.

BRAZIL   Work is to begin in September 2019 on a 2.6km monorail to link the three terminals and Metro Line 13 at São Paulo Guarulhos Airport. No fares will be charged on this linking line which is planned to open in 2021. The 12.2km Metro Line to the city centre is to have new rolling stock. CRRC is delivering eight class 2500 emus and these 1600 mm gauge trains will take power at 3000V DC.

6 July 2019

U.S.A.

ACELA TRAINS Amtrak plan to introduce the new generation of high-speed trains on the North East Corridor between Boston, New York, and Washington in 2021. Although the old name (Acela) is being used, the trains are in fact of a totally new design and have been shown off to the press by Alstom at their Hornell NY factory.

CANADA

TORONTO Thales has been chosen to supply the signalling system for the Finch West light rail line.

VANCOUVER The oldest 150 cars on Vancouver’s Skytrain system are to be replaced by 200 new vehicles. The extra cars now on order will enable the system to accommodate rising traffic.

BRAZIL An X-shaped network of passenger services could be re-introduced on the railways around São Paulo and Campinas. The first line would run north – south linking Americana, Campinas, and Jundiai with São Paulo, and serving 3m people. An east – west line would link Sorocaba with São José dos Campos. Both routes would share an alignment through the centre of São Paulo. Services on both lines ceased in the 1990s following the privatisation of the railways.

URUGUAY Passenger services around the capital Montevideo and freight services to the north were suspended from 15 June 2019 and are not expected to be restored for at least two years. The track will be renewed and Transport Minister Rossi indicated that the aim was to create a railway that would operate reliably with passengers certain that their train would not be derailed during the journey.

7 June 2019

U.S.A.

LONG ISLAND RR The introduction of the new M9 coaches has been delayed by multiple problems. The most serious occurred near Speonk station when two trains side-swiped each other prompting a need to check clearances on the entire railroad.

NEW JERSEY Passenger services were finally restored on the Princeton Junction – Princeton branch line on 12 May 2019, some twelve days ahead of a recently announced re-start. The service between Philadelphia and Atlantic City was restored on the same day.

CHICAGO The north western suburb of Barrington is creating a parking lot close to Barrington Metra station and selling twelve month parking permits there for $12,000.

MINNEAPOLIS The new C Line bus-operated transit line is to open on 8 June 2019. The South West Green Line rail extension is the largest public works project ever organised in Minnesota’s history.

SEATTLE Commencing 23 March 2019 the seven bus routes that have used the pair of 1.3 mile long Transit tunnels under the city centre have been banned from the tunnels in preparation for the construction of the Washington State Convention Center and a growth in light rail services through the Tunnels.

FIRST GROUP The well known British Transport Group with major involvement in UK’s bus services, and more recently three railway franchise operations, is shifting it major activities to the USA. The Company has won the right to operate the nation-wide school bus services (the “yellow buses”) and is seeking an involvement in the other bus operations (but not in the loss-making Greyhound long distance operations which has a major employee pensions shortfall).

CANADA

MONTREAL A study is to be undertaken into a proposal that the RER automated metro be extended to Laval despite this suburb being served already by the rubber-tyre Metro and by heavy rail suburban trains. The roads in the area are suffering from increasing congestion.

22 May 2019

U.S.A.

CHICAGO An Illinois legislator has proposed that fares charged on the three Metra Electric routes (formerly Illinois Central Railway suburban lines) be reduced to attract much heavier traffic at stations within the city suburbs. At present the CTA charges $2.50 per ride for all their services. On the Metra Electric lines the fare depends on distance travelled and ranges from $4 – $5.50 and cannot be afforded by many south-side residents who include many of the poorer inhabitants of the city. If accepted, the proposal to reduce the fare to $2.50 would be an alternative to extending the rapid transit Red Line from 95th Street to 103rd Street at a cost of $2.3bn. At present the city does not have such funds or any likelihood of obtaining them soon. The lowering of the fares on the Metra Electric routes would require a subsidy and probably eventually funds to purchase a few additional emus, but the sums involved would be much less than the cost of extending the Red Line.

MINNEAPOLIS Work on the construction of the new SW light rail line is proceeding actively. Utilities under the future track are being identified and then moved to a safe location. Trees, shrubs and their roots are being removed from the right of way. Fences are being erected to protect the workforce at many locations including alongside the heavy rail freight line which parallels the future route for much of the way.

ATLANTA Stadler has been selected to supply 254 Metro cars in the form of 127 permanently coupled pairs at a cost of $600m. There is an option for 100 more cars. 60% of the content in the cars must come from sources in the USA. The cars will be assembled in the company’s Salt Lake City factory.

DENVER The G Line – an eleven mile long heavy rail line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge and operated by extremely attractive looking three-car emu sets – commenced public services on 7 May 2019. Meanwhile Line A – Downtown to the Airport – has carried 20m passengers since it was opened in April 2016 and with daily loads now in excess of 20,000 four car trains are being introduced a year ahead of plans.

CANADA

HAMILTON (ONT) Plans for a 9 mile long line in Hamilton (Ontario) between McMaster University and Eastgate Square are moving forwards after the Provincial Government lifted restrictions on land purchases.

TORONTO Major transport extensions are planned around Ontario’s largest city. The Yonge Subway Line is to be extended north from Finch Richmond Hill. (Cost $5.6bn) The Sheppard Line will be extended north east to McCowan ($5.5bn) replacing the Scarborough light rail line whose stock is nearing the end of its life. The Sheppard Line will be extended east also to McCowan. (cost still uncertain). The long Cross-Town Eglinton light rail line will be extended west to Pearson Airport along a route involving a number of tunnels so the cost will be relatively high for a short route at $4.7bn. A totally new heavy rail rapid transit line will start at the Ontario Place/Exhibition Centre and operate across downtown interchanging with both the University and Yonge Lines, then with the Bloor Danforth Line at Pape, before terminating at the Ontario Science Centre on the Sheppard Line. This will cost around $11bn and would carry 400,000 passengers daily. All these projects could be completed during the period 2027-31.

PANAMA Line 2 of the Panama City Metro commenced public operations at the end of April 2019. The line is equipped with twenty one Alstom Metropolis train sets and the Urbalis control system giving a safe service frequency of a train every 90 seconds.

ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC LINE IN SOUTH AMERICA  A 2300 mile long railway has been proposed to run across South America and provide a route for heavy freight traffic which cannot negotiate the Panama Canal and which therefore has to take the time consuming route around the outhern end of South America. The railway would start close to Rio de Janeiro, run across Brasil to Porto Velho, and then take a new route across the Rockies, skirting the edge of land-locked Bolivia, to reach the Pacific near the southern end of Peru. A consortium of forty German firms including Siemens have expressed strong interest and the cost might be as little as $10bn although earlier Chinese estimates produced a much higher and too costly figure.

ARGENTINA

BUENOS AIRES On 10 May 2019 President Macri inaugurated a new 3.9km long viaduct on the Retiro – Tigre commuter line eliminating eight level crossings at which major road congestion was generated during peak hours.

16 April 2019

U.S.A.

NEW YORK Steps are being taken to propose and pass legislation to tackle the ever increasing problem of severe congestion on roads in parts of the city, especially the CBD in Manhattan. A vehicle congestion charge would be applied to all vehicles trying to enter Manhattan from 60th Street and south thereof. This is unlikely to happen before the end of 2020. The substantial revenue raised would go to various authorities charged with improving the infrastructure of roads and railways. 10% of the new revenue would be given to both the Metro North RR and the Long Island Railway. For the latter company it would be sufficient to cover the total cost of electrifying the four sections that are not as yet electrified. Regular commuters living in North East Queens would receive a 20% reduction in the monthly season tickets.

CHICAGO Metro has asked train builders for proposals to supply at least 200 double deck coaches which will replace most of the existing (but elderly) gallery cars.

ATLANTA MARTA has ordered 127 2-car Metro trains from Stadler. This is the largest single order that Stadler has ever received.

DENVER The 11 mile long Line G, serving suburbs in the north west of the city, was finally opened on 20 April 2019. Served by a fleet of emus, the Line should have opened in October 2016 but there have been many delays linked to the need for “safety tests” on the trains and operating system. Lines E and F together with light rail Line R may open during May 2019 subject to final clearance from further safety tests.

SANTA CLARA The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is to close the 3.5 km long Almaden branch as part of a restructuring of public transport across the area. Traffic on the branch never came up to expectations and has dropped significantly during the last couple of years. The two stops on the branch together (Oakridge and Almaden) now are used by only 306 passengers each weekday.

SAN JOSE The light rail network is being reorganised so that in most cases sections served by two routes will now have service from only one route. A few stops that see little use will be closed but there will be a reasonably frequent service over the reorganised system.

31 March 2019

U.S.A.

FORT WORTH Texrail – the new commuter line linking downtown Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was opened on 10 January 2019. 100,000 riders used the new railway during its first 22 days of operation. It is planned that there might be 8000 daily riders by the end of 2019, and 14,000 by 2035 but the initial number carried took everyone by surprise.

14 March 2019

CANADA

TORONTO There will be major changes to the available streetcar fleet throughout 2019. At the end of 2018 there were 113 Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRV), and 15 articulated streetcars (ALRV) available for service. 89 of the CLRVs have already been taken out of service and all are to be withdrawn by the end of 2019, although a few may survive into 2020 depending on the availability of sufficient new Flexity streetcars produced by Bombardier. The completion and delivery of the Flexity cars has been sluggish and may delay the replacement programme significantly.

3 March 2019

U.S.A.

RAY de GROOTE The Chicago-based tramway and light rail expert has sustained a hip fracture but has come through surgery well. He has a new metal hip and was got out of bed only hours after his surgery. This is in line with best medical practice and goes a long way to preventing blood clot formation in the legs and the consequent risk of a fatal pulmonary embolus.

NEW YORK After detailed studies a programme of work to rehabilitate the two East River Tunnels damaged by Hurricane Sandy has been agreed. Work lasting around one year will be completed on one tunnel before it starts on the second. Each tunnel needs a new concrete tunnel floor, and considerable repairs to the side walls along the full length of each tunnel.

NEW JERSEY Commuters waiting at Penn Station for services to New Jersey during the evening peak are crowded into the 7th Avenue Concourse. More and more people are turning to the trains as roads become increasingly log-jammed. The waiting area is to be extended into the area used by Amtrak and LIRR passengers who will move into the more spacious 8th Ave Moynihan area. New Jersey Transit takes about 89,000 commuters to and from Penn Station every weekday. The work will cost $6.5m paid for equally by Amtrak and NJ Transit, and will be completed by 2021.

PATCO To mark the 50th Anniversary of the line special fares were available on the morning of Friday 15 February 2019. The cost of one-way tickets was rolled back to 1969 levels. They will be available at 30 or 60 cents compared with today’s fares at $1.40 – $3.00. Special tickets will show a drawing of a PATCo train emerging from the “O” of “50 Years”. This ticket will be valid for three days. PATCo’s web site shows Bill Vigrass, now 88 years, who had been employed on the first day of service on the line, and rose to be Assistant General Manager. PATCo was the first rapid transit line with a top speed of 75 mph.

CHICAGO Union Station was totally out of use for most of 28 February 2019 after the total failure of the new complex sophisticated signalling system. The signals shut down and no points could be moved. The old system worked without incident from 1925 until replaced in 2010.

CANADA In Calgary a start is being made on the construction of stage one (12.4 miles) of the new Green light rail line. The funds are coming from Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan to cut CO2 emissions. A second phase will add a further 14.1 miles. The existing system extends for 36.6 miles.

14 February 2019

U.S.A.

SEPTA The transit operator in Philadelphia has purchased a modern snow plough for use on the Norristown line. The equipment is multi-purpose and can be used for a range of engineering tasks in every season.

MINNEAPOLIS Passengers carried on the Green Line in 2018 rose by nearly 5% to 13.8m. The Blue Line had a record 11m passengers also an increase of 5%. However numbers using local bus routes, Van-Pool arrangements, and suburban heavy rail services all fell slightly so that overall use of public transport fell by around 1%.

HOUSTON Harris County Transit Authority has awarded a contract to Siemens for the supply of fourteen S70 LRVs.

CALIFORNIA The plug has been pulled on the high-speed railway between Los Angles and San Francisco. It is taking too long to build and the cost keeps on rising. Construction of a 119 mile section between Merced and Bakersfield in the middle of the route is advanced but the rest has not been started and the route into major cities remains unclear. The USA looks like being the largest nation in the world with no high-speed railway system. State Governor Newsom has made the decision to halt a start to any further work.

1 February 2019

U.S.A.

PHILADELPHIA SEPTA is investing $177m to restore passenger services to Wawa on the Media/Elwyn line by 2021.

PATCO The rapid transit line from Philadelphia to Lindenwold celebrates its Golden Jubilee on 15 February 2019. Tickets issued by machines at stations will be of a different design for the rest of 2019 showing a new logo and indicating that the line has given 50 years of reliable service.

CHICAGO Extreme cold on 30 January 2019 resulted in overhead power wires snapping on the University Park line and the nearby South Shore Interurban. All Amtrak long distance services radiating from Chicago were cancelled on 30 and 31 January but there was a gradual return to normal on 01 February 2019. On 01 February a Canadian National freight train was derailed at Kensington bringing down a post supporting the overhead power wires. So for the third consecutive day University Park and South Shore services were cancelled.

PHOENIX A 1.9 mile long extension of the light rail network to Gilbert Road in the East Valley district is planned to open in the late spring of 2019. Bombardier “Flexity” LRVs will operate the new service. There is mounting opposition from the roads lobby against plans for further lines since the trams occupy two lanes of existing roads leading to congestion for rubber tired users.

DENVER The 2.3 mile long South East extension to the light rail system is nearing completion. It will allow through services on the E Line from Ridge Gate to Union Station and on to central Denver using the F Line. The R Line tram will connect at Peoria with the commuter railway to Denver International Airport.

SAN FRANCISCO A 1.7 mile long extension to the light rail system is about to open from the 4th Street stop at the Caltrain terminal station to Chinatown.

MORE NEW LINES Construction of new light rail routes is under way in Orange County, Cal; Tempe Arizona; and in San Diego Cal (Mid Coast Extension).

HONOLULU A twenty mile long driverless elevated transit system featuring platform screen doors at stations is being built. The first ten mile segment is planned to open in 2020.

CANADA

WATERLOO (Ontario) The 12 mile long light railway to Kitchener will be equipped with fourteen “Flexity” LRVs.

TORONTO AREA Metrolinx is building four light rail lines – two in Toronto, one linking Mississauga with Brampton in the outer Toronto suburbs, and one in the city of Hamilton nearby.

OTTAWA The 7.8 mile long Confederation Line linking the Via Rail system, the Bus rapid transit system, and the O-train light rail system with downtown is set to open at a still unspecified date during 2019.

MONTREAL Work on the construction of a 42 mile long RER to link downtown with the South Shore, the West Island, North Shore, and the Airport began during 2018 and the first parts are expected to open in 2021.

MEXICO A 2.9 mile extension of Metro Line 12 in Mexico City is under way and is expected to open in 2021.

12 January 2019

U.S.A.

R 179 STOCK PROBLEMS The recently introduced new R179 rolling stock on the New York Subway has been plagued by numerous varied faults. There have been stick doors that will not open or refuse to close, propulsion issues, and air compressor failures. The new stock operates on the J/Z and C lines and the failures have forced the authorities to keep some of their oldest stock in service.

DURHAM N.C. This city is growing faster than any other in USA and by 2040 will be part of the largest urban conglomerate with no local rail system. “GoTriangle” the local transport agency, is planning an 18 mile line between Durham and Raleigh which will be the backbone for a network of lines serving major centres. A shuttle would create a link to the Airport. Construction could start in 2020 if Federal funds are obtained.

DENVER A crack has been found in part of a rapid transit bogie and consequently the entire fleet will have to receive repairs/modifications as soon as possible.

7 January 2019

U.S.A.

NEW YORK Those behind proposals for the Brooklyn Queens Connector streetcar have stepped up their plans after Amazon announced that its HQ2 was to be built at Long Island City. This and other developments will add 70,000 jobs to the area that would be served by the streetcars and the roads are already unacceptably busy.

MAYOR CUOMO SAVES THE DAY As Mayor Cuomo starts his third term in office he has made decisions that has saved plans to modernise the Canarsie Line by using ideas that are commonplace in Europe but not usually followed in America. Instead of closing the line for a year to renew everything whether needed or not, and causing disruption to 225,000 regular daily users, he has obtained the opinion of European consultants who recommended a limited “repair only where needed” strategy. For example where cables need to be replaced they will be strung along the wall as in Europe, and not embedded into the structure of the tunnel wall. The work will be undertaken at night allowing a full service to operate during daytime hours. The total cost will be much lower than if traditional American methods were used.

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM Restoration work on the 1941 streamlined “Electroliner” interurban train, has reached a major step forward with work on the trucks and motors now completed. Work has therefore reached a new pitch on the exterior of the body, the windows, and the interior fittings. The Museum is situated just outside the western side of Chicago.

OKLAHOMA CITY The 6.9 mile long tramway was opened on 14 December 2018 and after two weeks of service had carried almost 56,000 passengers. No fares are being charged during a short initial period and it will be interesting to see how the traffic holds up once passengers are required to pay. So far on weekdays 6 – 7 thousand people ride the trams, with 10 thousand on Saturdays and 4-5 thousand on Sundays. Whether to retain a service on Sundays is being debated by the public.

CALIFORNIA Work on the first 119 mile long section of the High-Speed railway has not caught the imagination of many citizens. The section runs from Madera south through Fresno, and Hanford, and stops just outside Bakersfield. Bridges, viaducts, road overpasses, and changes to the local road layouts have not increased interest in the future line and 64% of local residents in a recent poll want the project to be stopped.

CANADA, WATERLOO, ON The new light rail line which will link Fairview Park Mall and Conestoga Mall (22.8 miles with 22 stops) has been completed and intensive testing is under way. The start of public services will take place during the spring.

 

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