January 4, 20223 yr Boston MBTA Green Line extension getting close. Somerville and South Medford are the biggest beneficiaries, along with the environment. (Although in hind-sight they should have four tracked and electrified the Commuter Rail this shares RoW with, thus turning it into proper regional rail with local and express service all the way to at least Concord NH. But this extension is still cool.) When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
January 10, 20223 yr nys gov hochul directs nyc mta to review and hopefully revive the triboro rx crosstown outer boro service dream: https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/will-nymta-launch-brooklyn-queens-interborough-express-rail-service/
January 13, 20223 yr Not sure when MARTA initiated this process, but its choice for replacement rail-car fleet looks pretty sleek. I can't wait for RTA to getting this process going (assuming they ever do). https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/01/12/atlanta-marta-unveils-new-rail-cars?fbclid=IwAR1FGTFL6QKdggG5o0Bu2ZVL6LhlwaqDqNYaw2qpj4yAr0cjDDefmeIWSv8
January 14, 20223 yr Fantastic policy. Now electrify commuter rail and up service to 15 minute frequency all day long. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
January 14, 20223 yr triboro rx / interborough express rail line plan history and info -- no bx for now: From tri-borough to inter-borough: What about the Bronx? By Aliya Schneider Posted on January 13, 202 While Queens and Brooklyn residents dreamed of easier public transit at the unveiling of the Interborough Express, Bronxites who know the origins of the proposal weren’t so impressed. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the Interborough Express in her State of the State address on Jan. 5 and directed the MTA to begin an environmental review. The project would utilize the existing Bay Ridge Branch freight rail line, to connect Brooklyn and Queens residents to up to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. But what Hochul’s speech and press release didn’t mention is that the proposal had already long existed as the Triboro, which connected the two boroughs to the east Bronx. more: https://www.bxtimes.com/from-tri-borough-to-inter-borough/ the two former triboro rx plans: 2013 1996
January 14, 20223 yr 15 hours ago, Boomerang_Brian said: Fantastic policy. Now electrify commuter rail and up service to 15 minute frequency all day long. Additional info on that new law in MA: When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
January 15, 20223 yr This law is so freaking good. Zoning capacity for 344,000 housing units. That should start to make a difference in the staggering cost of living there. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
January 19, 20223 yr mta interborough express discussion: Bronx Residents Say They're Left Out of Governor’s Inter-Borough Express by Stephen Nessen When Governor Kathy Hochul revived a nearly 30-year old transit idea to use freight tracks running from southern Brooklyn through Queens for a new passenger rail line, she did not include the Bronx, which had been part of a proposal originally laid out by the Regional Plan Association. Now, some Bronx residents are pushing back, saying they would also like a quick connection to the other boroughs. more: https://gothamist.com/news/bronx-residents-say-theyre-left-out-of-governors-inter-borough-express
January 20, 20223 yr ask the mta: Q: Are you planning on expanding subway lines anytime soon? It’s been 11 years since we saw the V train running. Any chance that the V or another retired subway line may be restored? — Name withheld A: When it comes to retired lines, not at this moment. But we’re always looking at new ideas. Right now, we’re particularly excited about Governor Hochul’s Interborough Express proposal, which is moving into the environmental review phase. The project smartly repurposes existing freight rail infrastructure to better connect communities in western Brooklyn and Queens not currently served by rail. We’ll be considering Interborough for inclusion in the 2025-2029 Capital Program, but further evaluation is required before anything is set in stone. Still, the environmental review is an exciting first step. We’ll keep you posted on what letter this new line might receive in the future. The next Ask the MTA column is scheduled for Feb. 13. Send us your questions at [email protected].
January 20, 20223 yr Update on Toronto's Eglinton Avenue light rail line. I guarantee that NY's planned so-called "Interborough Express" will look nothing like this🙄 http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
January 21, 20223 yr in funny transit news -- staten islanders pete davidson and colin jost buy the recently retired jfk staten island ferry: https://nypost.com/2022/01/21/pete-davidson-and-colin-jost-buy-old-staten-island-ferry-boat/
January 22, 20223 yr pete davidson admiring his purchase and tons of cool pix of the jfk staten island ferry boat: https://nypost.com/2022/01/21/pete-davidson-checks-out-the-staten-island-ferry-he-bought/
January 24, 20223 yr more reaction to the brooklyn-queens ibx train service proposal from people who live along the route: Interborough Express Plows Through Past Opposition to Rail Line Reactivation By Gabriel Sandoval@[email protected] Jan 23, 2022, 8:13pm EST The presidents of Brooklyn and Queens have linked up behind Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to bring public transit service to an underused freight line in the heart of their boroughs — but not every official on the 14-mile route is cheering. On Thursday, Hochul revealed the findings of a fast-tracked feasibility study that found bus rapid transit, light rail or commuter-style service would all potentially work, layered with the existing line, providing service from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn to Jackson Heights, Queens. “We’re missing that logical connection,” Hochul said on Thursday at a news conference at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, where the freight tracks end — highlighting the benefits for a projected 88,000 riders who would use the line. “If you can shave 30 or 40 minutes off someone’s commute every single day, that is a gift,” Hochul said, noting an end-to-end ride would take about 40 minutes. more: https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/1/23/22898048/interborough-express-plows-through-past-opposition-to-rail-line-reactivation
January 25, 20223 yr miami metro mover express service is on tap: Metromover Express Service Planned To Herald Plaza January 25, 2022·20 Comments Miami-Dade commissioners voted earlier this month to approve a five year-plan that would create a Metromover Express service, according to Miami Today. Commissioners voted at a Transportation, Mobility and Planning Committee meeting to approve a five-year transportation plan that included the new service. It still need to approved by the full commission. In total, the new express service is expected to cost the county $81.3 million. When complete, passengers will be able to take the express service from Government Center to the new Herald Plaza station. When passengers then reach the Herald Plaza, they should be able to take a new monorail service to Miami Beach. more: https://www.thenextmiami.com/metromover-express-service-planned-to-herald-plaza/
February 11, 20223 yr wassup with the elevated honolulu rail line? a mix of progress and troubles: Honolulu Rail Transit: What is the Status? The 20-mile rail system includes 21 stations: East Kapolei (Kualaka‘i) UH West Oahu (Keone‘ae) Ho‘opili (Honouliuli) West Loch (Ho‘ae‘ae) Waipahu Transit Center (Pouhala) Leeward Community College (Halaulani) Pearl Highlands (Waiawa) Pearlridge (Kalauao) Aloha Stadium (Halawa) Pearl Harbor Naval Base (Makalapa) Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Lelepaua) Lagoon Drive (Ahua) Middle Street Transit (Kahauiki) Kalihi (Mokauea) Kapalama / Honolulu Community College (Niuhelewai) Iwilei (Kuwili) Chinatown (Holau) Downtown (Kuloloia) Civic Center (Ka‘akaukukui) Kaka‘ako (Kukuluae‘o) Ala Moana Center (Kaka‘ako) It is expected to take 42 minutes to ride from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center and 16 minutes to ride from the Honolulu Airport to Ala Moana Center. *** HART Honolulu says that the first 10 miles of the rail could be opening this year (2021) – from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium – and could run at limited times. The second opening of the Honolulu Rail will be to the Middle Street Transit Center, which has an undetermined opening date at this time. This second opening will include stops at Pearl Harbor and the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. HART officials say the entire 20-mile system could be running by 2031 if there are no further delays. By then, the rail is expected to run from Ala Moana Center to Kapolei. However, former Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the full rail might not actually open until 2033 – a delay of 13 years from what was promised to the federal government. *** When the trains are in full operation, they will run 20 hours per day, from 4 a.m. to midnight. During peak travel times, like rush hour, 17 four-car trains will arrive at the stations about every five minutes. During non-peak times, they will arrive about every 11 minutes. The Honolulu rail trains will travel a top speed of 55 mph and an average speed of 30 mph. In 2030, HART estimates 121,000 passengers will ride the rail every weekday, and about 55 percent of these passengers will walk or bike to a station. They also except the Honolulu Rail to remove 40,000 car trips from Honolulu’s crowded roads, reducing gasoline consumption by 16,000 gallons. *** 62% of the overall project, including the full 20 miles and 21 stations, was complete as of writing. more: https://realhawaii.co/blog/honolulu-rail-transit-status
March 29, 20223 yr construction begins on the 15 station ontario line in toronto. target completion date is 2027: https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/construction-begins-on-ontario-line-in-toronto/
May 25, 20223 yr Proper electric trolley buses and proper frequency. This video is awesome. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 26, 20223 yr monorail tracks insta reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdQjMICjcXq/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Edited May 26, 20223 yr by mrnyc
July 7, 20222 yr Author "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 22, 20222 yr a big congrats to dublin — at long last its getting a subway: CityLab Transportation Dublin Is Getting Its First Metro Line After 20 years of debate, a new 16-station, mainly underground rail link is on the way. ByFeargus O'Sullivan July 20, 2022, 6:27 AM EDT After decades of debate and delay, Dublin is on course to construct its first metro line. The mostly-underground route would join 16 stations across 19.4 kilometers (13 miles) between the Irish capital’s center and northernmost suburbs. MetroLink, as it is to be called, will be capable of transporting up to 20,000 passengers an hour at capacity. With a stop at Dublin Airport, it will also free the city of a dubious accolade — being one of the only major western European cities without any rail or metro link to its air terminal. more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/dublin-is-getting-its-first-metro-line-with-16-stations
July 22, 20222 yr 36 minutes ago, mrnyc said: a big congrats to dublin — at long last its getting a subway: CityLab Transportation Dublin Is Getting Its First Metro Line After 20 years of debate, a new 16-station, mainly underground rail link is on the way. ByFeargus O'Sullivan July 20, 2022, 6:27 AM EDT After decades of debate and delay, Dublin is on course to construct its first metro line. The mostly-underground route would join 16 stations across 19.4 kilometers (13 miles) between the Irish capital’s center and northernmost suburbs. MetroLink, as it is to be called, will be capable of transporting up to 20,000 passengers an hour at capacity. With a stop at Dublin Airport, it will also free the city of a dubious accolade — being one of the only major western European cities without any rail or metro link to its air terminal. more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/dublin-is-getting-its-first-metro-line-with-16-stations This is great! But why is it so many of these article don't include the one thing I am most interested in--a map! https://www.metrolink.ie/#/map ^I believe this is the proposed route.
July 22, 20222 yr 21 minutes ago, Ethan said: This is great! But why is it so many of these article don't include the one thing I am most interested in--a map! https://www.metrolink.ie/#/map ^I believe this is the proposed route. ^ on the brightside -- it didn't take you long to find one! here is another i see -- i dk if it will be the final version or not?
July 22, 20222 yr 28 minutes ago, mrnyc said: ^ on the brightside -- it didn't take you long to find one! here is another i see -- i dk if it will be the final version or not? So it looks like this is the initial proposal, but it was later scaled down to this: 2018 proposal: https://www.metrolink.ie/assets/downloads/Report_on_Consultation_on_Emerging_Preferred_Route.pdf 2019 proposal: https://www.metrolink.ie/assets/downloads/Public_Consultation_Document_for_the_Preferred_Route_HR.pdf
July 23, 20222 yr On 7/22/2022 at 10:05 AM, mrnyc said: a big congrats to dublin — at long last its getting a subway: CityLab Transportation Dublin Is Getting Its First Metro Line After 20 years of debate, a new 16-station, mainly underground rail link is on the way. ByFeargus O'Sullivan July 20, 2022, 6:27 AM EDT After decades of debate and delay, Dublin is on course to construct its first metro line. The mostly-underground route would join 16 stations across 19.4 kilometers (13 miles) between the Irish capital’s center and northernmost suburbs. MetroLink, as it is to be called, will be capable of transporting up to 20,000 passengers an hour at capacity. With a stop at Dublin Airport, it will also free the city of a dubious accolade — being one of the only major western European cities without any rail or metro link to its air terminal. more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/dublin-is-getting-its-first-metro-line-with-16-stations Very interesting article. It will be something useful for American urbanists to watch since it claims that low-density sprawl is a big issue for their metro area, just like here in the states. We'll have to see if the commuter line will help foster more sustainable development practices or if it will be derided as a vanity project due to under performance, kind of like FasTracks out in Denver.
July 24, 20222 yr Nice touch - practice loading your bike on a pretend bus bike rack. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
July 26, 20222 yr Author "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 2, 20222 yr Author Problems everywhere "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 5, 20222 yr Author LOL! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 14, 20222 yr ^ its cute, but there isnt much too it. definitely a thing to do there — per streetview it looks like really great views. i had no idea there was elevation in iowa lol.
August 15, 20222 yr Good thread on new multi-family zoning requirements around MBTA stations. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
August 17, 20222 yr we got birthdays! sf bart at 50 … https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/rapid-transit/50-years-of-bart-behind-the-scenes-movie-filming/ and chicago cta at 75: https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/rapid-transit/happy-75th-cta/
September 13, 20222 yr kind of fun food for thought in dc — Metro station in Georgetown The blog, Georgetown Metropolitan, had an interesting post about where to put a metro station in Georgetown if WMATA ever builds a station there. If a metro station in Georgetown is built, the next step would be to build a light rail line up Wisconsin Avenue to Tenley. This would connect the Blue Line with stations further up the Red Line without having to go all the way to Metro Center. This would also hopefully reduce congestion on Wisconsin Avenue and encourage denser development near the stations. I wrote a paper last year for a course at George Mason looking at this possibility. Additionally, if a metro station in Georgetown was built, the Whitehurst Freeway wouldn’t be as necessary. Perhaps with the passengers accomodated on metro instead, this elevated freeway could be removed, giving new vitality to K Street. more: https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2009/06/12/where-would-a-metro-stop-go-anyway/#comments
September 23, 20222 yr Nice picture of new Green Line, but really helps to illustrate the major mistake of this project. Imagine if they had done 4 track electrified regional rail instead. Outside tracks would have local service at the stations that were built for this project - an EMU isn’t really much different from a heavy rail metro as long as you have good frequency. Express service on inside tracks to Woburn, Lowell, and future extensions to Nashua NH, Manchester, and Concord. It really could have been a game changer for the whole region, especially if the north-south connector project under downtown Boston ever happens. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
October 5, 20222 yr Fantastic thread. Hopefully Cincinnati’s subway tunnels can someday be reused like this. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
October 5, 20222 yr Didn’t Cleveland start building out underground railways but quickly abandoned? I’m hoping we don’t fill those in.
October 5, 20222 yr 27 minutes ago, JB said: Didn’t Cleveland start building out underground railways but quickly abandoned? I’m hoping we don’t fill those in. Cincinnati built subway tunnels but never finished the subway. I’m not sure exactly what you’re thinking of from Cleveland, though. Some possibilities: - Prospect and Huron and a part of Ontario downtown are technically bridges, with Prospect over the Rapid tracks. - There is a subway tunnel stub under Ontario to Huron, although it doesn’t go much past Ontario. When the Van Sweringens built Terminal Tower and the Shaker Rapids, the started working on Huron subway, but that little stub is as far as they got before the Great Depression led to the collapse of the Van Sweringen empire. - The lower deck of the Detroit Superior bridge is for streetcars. There was a ramp down for the Superior streetcars between W6 and W9. The ramp on Detroit was between W28 and W29 where Detroit is really wide (extra width now used for diagonal parking). Last used in the 50s - The Lorain Carnegie bridge was built to support two streetcar tracks on a lower level, but the lower level was never actually constructed or used. - There have been many plans for subways under Public Square, Euclid, and Superior, but no construction was ever started on any of them. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
October 5, 20222 yr 36 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said: Cincinnati built subway tunnels but never finished the subway. I’m not sure exactly what you’re thinking of from Cleveland, though. Some possibilities: - Prospect and Huron and a part of Ontario downtown are technically bridges, with Prospect over the Rapid tracks. - There is a subway tunnel stub under Ontario to Huron, although it doesn’t go much past Ontario. When the Van Sweringens built Terminal Tower and the Shaker Rapids, the started working on Huron subway, but that little stub is as far as they got before the Great Depression led to the collapse of the Van Sweringen empire. - The lower deck of the Detroit Superior bridge is for streetcars. There was a ramp down for the Superior streetcars between W6 and W9. The ramp on Detroit was between W28 and W29 where Detroit is really wide (extra width now used for diagonal parking). Last used in the 50s - The Lorain Carnegie bridge was built to support two streetcar tracks on a lower level, but the lower level was never actually constructed or used. - There have been many plans for subways under Public Square, Euclid, and Superior, but no construction was ever started on any of them. I could have sworn there was an opening RTA was going to close up (I think under Terminal Tower?). I might just be confused though.
October 5, 20222 yr It would be nice to see something done with the lower deck of the Detroit Superior bridge. I know they used to open it up to the public once a year, although I'm not sure if they still do. Perhaps a trolley museum with a running trolley for visitors to ride.
October 5, 20222 yr 30 minutes ago, JB said: I could have sworn there was an opening RTA was going to close up (I think under Terminal Tower?). I might just be confused though. Ah yes - the way the tracks are laid out, one of the middle tracks drops lower to create a “flyover” / “underpass” that also connects to the Huron subway tunnel stub, which would have allowed subway trains to use both the existing RoW and the Huron subway without crossing at grade. That lower track has all kinds of drainage issues. RTA’s solution was fill in the lower section and make it all level. The contract for the work was approved, but my understanding is that, for reasons unknown, the work was not completed. (My assumption is pandemic-related.) Whenever this project is completed, the “underpass” won’t exist anymore. Therefore a future Huron subway would require at-grade crossing of subway vehicles going opposite directions (or recreating the flyover, adding cost). Here’s the thing, though - if a proper Huron to Euclid Ave (or Prospect) subway was created, and it had a proper connection back to the existing rail trench (somewhere between E22 and E35), there would really be no reason to use the existing track from the Huron subway to that connection point. I’d have all three lines use the new subway tunnel. Which means there would be no crossing traffic anyway. So I don’t think the RTA project is as destructive to a future subway as I initially believed. This changes a bit if the Browns put a stadium just south of the inner belt, but even then I’d probably advocate for only using those tracks on game days. No reason to hose everything else up for 8-12 events per year. If I get a chance later, l’ll add links to this post back to the old conversations that covered many of these topics. (But this is the first I’ve pointed out that the fill project doesn’t actually screw up a future downtown subway.) When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
October 15, 20222 yr interesting — i guess wfh is still king — Car, air traffic in NYC almost at pre-pandemic levels, but transit continues to lag: report By Ben Brachfeld Posted on October 12, 2022 Transit ridership in the Big Apple continues to languish at around 60% of pre-pandemic levels, even as car and air travel have rebounded almost completely to Before Times rates, according to a new report from City Comptroller Brad Lander. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/car-air-traffic-in-nyc-almost-at-pre-pandemic-levels-but-transit-continues-to-lag-report/
October 19, 20222 yr lta awarded a contract for the all underground crl punggol extension in singapore: Cross Island Line Connecting across the island Our eighth MRT line, the Cross Island Line (CRL) will be our longest fully underground line at more than 50 kilometres long. *** The 7.3-kilometre CRL – Punggol Extension will consist of four fully-underground stations, namely Punggol, Riviera, Elias and Pasir Ris, and will provide a direct link for commuters travelling between eastern areas such as Pasir Ris and Tampines North, and north-eastern areas such as Punggol and Sengkang. The construction works for CRL – Punggol Extension are expected to commence by end 2022 and targeted to be completed by 2032. more: https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/upcoming_projects/rail_expansion/cross_island_line.html
October 21, 20222 yr Washington's Downtown-Dulles Airport Silver Line will be ready to operate as soon as Thanksgiving, but ... There aren't enough cars to operate the extension; much of the newer fleet is idle awaiting a safety fix. This isn't a big problem; it's just a matter of time to get them running. But the news (WTOP - WaPo Radio) is treating it as a screw-up. A bigger problem is the Downtown-Vienna section of the line (operating now) is already full during rush hours and there is no room to add trains to the two-track bottle-neck Potomac tunnel. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/10/19/metro-silver-line-7000-trains/ Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
October 21, 20222 yr 5 hours ago, Dougal said: Washington's Downtown-Dulles Airport Silver Line will be ready to operate as soon as Thanksgiving, but ... There aren't enough cars to operate the extension; much of the newer fleet is idle awaiting a safety fix. This isn't a big problem; it's just a matter of time to get them running. But the news (WTOP - WaPo Radio) is treating it as a screw-up. A bigger problem is the Downtown-Vienna section of the line (operating now) is already full during rush hours and there is no room to add trains to the two-track bottle-neck Potomac tunnel. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/10/19/metro-silver-line-7000-trains/ I’m fairly confident that automating that portion (enabling max throughput of trains every 2.5 mins instead of every 4 minutes) would be less expensive than digging another tunnel. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
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