Kinkisharyo hails “ameriTRAM” streetcar   

Thursday, January 20, 2011 

 

Charlotte, N.C., home to LYNX light rail, played host Thursday to Kinkisharyo International’s official unveiling of its LFX-300 low-floor hybrid streetcar, now dubbed “ameriTRAM”™ by the company.

 

Kinkisharyo says it “has completed engineering tests and trials” and the hybrid streetcar “is proven ready for the North American market.”

 

“We thank the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Area Transit System for allowing us to test our prototype here. We also very much appreciate the City of Charlotte's courtesy of providing us this outstanding venue for us to introduce ameriTRAM to North America,” said Rainer Hombach, Kinkisharyo International’s vice president and general manager.

 

 

Full story at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/kinkisharyo-christens-ameritram-hybrid-streetcar.html

Tampa, Fla., Bayonne, N.J., to mark rail growth    

Thursday, January 20, 2011 

 

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff will attend the Jan. 31 dedication of the TECO heritage streetcar line extension in downtown Tampa, Fla., acting as keynote speaker of the line’s Whiting Street Station. The 1/3-mile extension was put into operation last month.

 

Rogoff’s visit can be seen as a political tactic to shore up rail supporters in the Sunshine State, since a $5 million operating endowment created when TECO began operations in October 2002 is expected to be exhausted by year’s end. A task force of the Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc. and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, including city officials, is trying to reach a new operating agreement to keep the line operating without cutting service.

 

Full story at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/jan.-31-extension-ceremonies-tampa-fla.-bayonne-n.j.html

FTA gives thumbs up to Honolulu light-rail project

 

On Tuesday, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a "record of decision" for the Honolulu Rail Transit project, confirming the light-rail project met all environmental law and regulation requirements. The decision clears the way for construction to begin on the city's first rail system.

 

The $5.5 billion project involves a 20-mile elevated rail system that will connect East Kapolei with Ala Moana Center. The line will include 21 stations in communities including Waipahu, Pearl City, Aiea, Kalihi, Chinatown, and downtown Honolulu and Kakaako.

 

Receiving the FTA's decision is "one of the most significant milestones" for the rail project, said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle in a prepared statement.

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/FTA-gives-thumbs-up-to-Honolulu-lightrail-project--25550

 

Feds grant $25M for downtown light rail

Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News

 

Federal officials on Thursday announced a grant agreement has been signed for $25 million toward a proposed light rail project in downtown Detroit.

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the deal was signed by the Federal Transit Administration, city of Detroit and Michigan Department of Transportation for the first phase of the M-1 rail, a 3.4-mile, 12-station line from Hart Plaza to the New Center area.

 

The $25 million, which was applied for in 2010, comes from a $1.5 billion fund under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is known as TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funds.

 

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110121/METRO05/101210386/Feds-grant-$25M-for-downtown-light-rail#ixzz1BgDuqf5W

Note that a few of these projects are designed at connecting with intercity passenger rail stations.

 

FTA signs TIGER grant agreements for five transit-rail projects

 

Yesterday, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced it signed Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program grant agreements with local governments regarding four streetcar and streetcar-related projects, and one light-rail project.

 

An agreement with the city of Tucson, Ariz., for a $63 million TIGER grant involves a proposed 3.9-mile streetcar line. The grant will help the city fund construction of stations, stops, terminals, tracks and support facilities, as well as the purchase of streetcar vehicles and land.

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/FTA-signs-TIGER-grant-agreements-for-five-transitrail-projects--25557

 

Feds grant $25M for downtown light rail

Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News

 

Federal officials on Thursday announced a grant agreement has been signed for $25 million toward a proposed light rail project in downtown Detroit.

http://detnews.com/article/20110121/METRO05/101210386/Feds-grant-$25M-for-downtown-light-rail#ixzz1BgDuqf5W

 

That's great news! And note that one of the co-chairs of this rail project is Dan Gilbert, who is building the $600 million casino at Tower City Center. Hey Dan -- include a railroad station in the basement of your casino for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the WestShore Corridor commuter rail and for Amtrak! You'll have up to 20 trains arriving and departing each day AT YOUR CASINO!

Nashville's RTA restructures to pursue regional transportation plan

 

The Middle Tennessee Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA) board voted recently to restructure so that the authority potentially could receive dedicated funds for a new regional transportation system.

 

All modes of public transit are being considered, including light rail, streetcars and additional heavy rail lines, such as the Music City Star, said RTA officials in a prepared statement.

 

Earlier this month, the board adopted a resolution recommended by the RTA Executive Committee that evaluated advantages and disadvantages of restructuring under new state legislation. The board passed the resolution after months of consideration.

 

Full story at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=25608

 

Stimulus-funded streetcar line extension opens in Tampa

 

On Monday, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff and other public officials attended the grand opening of a new extension of the TECO Streetcar Line in Tampa, Fla.

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation funded nearly the entire $5.3 million project, including $1 million in federal stimulus funds, Federal Transit Administration officials said in a prepared statement.

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/Stimulusfunded-streetcar-line-extension-opens-in-Tampa--25652

Federal grant agreement sent to Congress for Twin Cities' light-rail project

 

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has sent a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to Congress for the proposed $957 million Central Corridor Light-Rail Transit Project that would link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.

 

A 60-day review will occur prior to execution, when the agreement would commit the federal government to half of the project cost. The project, which would be the largest public works project in Minnesota history, has cost $145 million to date for design, property and construction.

 

Full story at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/Federal-grant-agreement-sent-to-Congress-for-Twin-Cities-lightrail-project--25683

Today yet ANOTHER mess for the hugely disfunctional rail system in San Francisco....read this and some of the comments, it should amuse you!

 

(02-11) 14:02 PST San Francisco -- Delays continued well into the afternoon after an outbound Muni Metro train derailed just outside the Castro Street Station this morning, causing problems for riders in both directions, an agency spokesman said.

 

The K line train derailed around 6:30 a.m. about 50 feet past the station platform, said Paul Rose, a Muni spokesman. Dozens of passengers were aboard, but no one was hurt. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/11/BAGQ1HLVE8.DTL#ixzz1DguyElan

This could be great news for the Baltimore / Washington Region... I'd happy pay more for the Purple Line and I'd happily pay more taxes for a Separated Metro Blue Line.

 

Md. bill would create sales tax on gasoline

 

Democratic leaders in the Maryland Senate are proposing a new sales tax on gasoline -- roughly equal to $2.16 per tank -- with a bill that would steer one-quarter of the revenues from Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimore counties to the jurisdictions' billion-dollar light rail projects. Maryland currently charges drivers a fixed 23.5-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline. Tacking on a sales tax would not affect the state's per-gallon rate, but instead would tie any tax increases to the cost of gas.

 

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/maryland/2011/02/bill-would-create-sales-tax-gasoline#ixzz1Dh2OwZ2o

 

 

All-American Streetcar Boom Fuels Urban Future

by Ari Shapiro

 

February 12, 2011

Weekend Edition Saturday

February 12, 2011

 

President Obama spent the past week talking about his plans to improve America's infrastructure. These speeches sometimes sound like something out of The Jetsons, when the president talks about high-speed rail, futuristic airports and nationwide, broadband Internet.

 

One growing part of America's infrastructure, however, has a distinctly 19th-century feel. It's the return of the streetcar.

 

 

Full aduio & story at: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/12/133682892/all-american-streetcar-boom-fuels-an-urban-future?sc=fb&cc=fp

Lake Oswego-to-Portland streetcar option seen as best bet

POSTED: Monday, February 14, 2011 at 12:30 PM PT

BY: Sue Vorenberg

 

A majority of the members of the community advisory committee that has been examining the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project have approved the more expensive option to build a streetcar between the two cities.

 

The group voted 16-4 in favor of the streetcar, and its recommendation will now be passed on to the project management group, said Karen Kane, a spokeswoman for the regional government Metro.

 

 

http://djcoregon.com/news/2011/02/14/lake-oswego-to-portland-streetcar-option-is-top-pick/

 

Detailed NE systems , Ridership and projects....

 

New Jersey

Hudson Bergen Light Rail

Current system size : 21 mi

Stations : 24

Current Daily Ridership : 40,000 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership > 100,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Northern Branch Corridor , 440 Extension , Cross County Connector

 

Newark Light Rail

Current system size : 14 mi

Stations : 20

Current Daily Ridership : 21,000 (projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 40,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Newark - Paterson line , North Newark - JSQ line , Harrison Streetcar

 

RiverLine

Current system size : 34 mi

Stations : 20

Current Daily Ridership : 9,000 (projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 30,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Glassboro / Millville line , Double Tracking , West Trenton line , Salem line , Penns Grove line , Newer / longer cars

 

PATH

Current system size : 14 mi

Stations : 13

Current Daily Ridership : 245,000 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 290,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : EWR / Elizabeth Extension , New Signal System , overhaul stations , New Harrison station

 

Pennsylvania

Philly

Current system size : 117 mi

Stations : 70 + more hop / off stops

Current Daily Ridership : 360,000 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 570,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Board Street Subway Extension to Navy Yards , Roosevelt Subway , MFL to RSL , Waterfront Light Rail , Restoration of the 23 , 56 , 103 , Trams , Navy Yard LRT , Penn Wynne - Germantown Tram , 22nd / Snyder / 6th / City Hall Tram , Grays - Washington Avenue Tram , Norristown HSL KOP Branch , Cross County Metro , Newer Trollies , Newer BSL cars

 

Massachusetts

 

Boston

Current System size : 65 mi

Stations : 136

Current Daily Ridership : 686,000 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 740,000)

Future Upgrades and Extensions : Blue line Extension to Lynn and Charles / MGH , Ashmont Extension to Hyde Park , Green line extension to Somerville/Medford , Restoration of the A Green line branch , Newer Orange line cars

 

 

I will do a more detail DC - Baltimore region next and NYC

New York City

Current System size : 842

Stations : 468

Current Daily Ridership : 5,086,833

Future Upgrades and Expansions : North Shore line , West Shore line , Second Avenue Subway , 7 line extension , Fulton Transit Center

 

DC / NOVA / MD Suburbs

Current system size : 107 mi

Stations : 86

Current Daily Ridership : 590,625 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 1 million)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Dulles Metrorail , Arlington Streetcars , Tyson's Corner Streetcars , MTA Purple line , Corridor Cities Transitway

 

Baltimore / Baltimore County

Current System size : 45 mi

Stations : 52

Current Daily Ridership : 97,000 (Projected 2020 Daily Ridership : 240,000)

Future Upgrades and Expansions : Baltimore Subway Northeast Extension , Separate MTA Yellow line to Towson , MTA Red line

 

Total Current Daily Urban Rail Ridership : 7.1 million (Projected 2020 Daily Urban Rail Ridership : 8.1 million)

Thanks for the stats, Nexis4Jersey.  I think your Boston stats may be too high, at 90 miles.  Most books and websites that measure the great "T" system, list metro Boston's combined light & heavy rails system at just under 65 miles, total.

btw, here's a pretty good link to Cleveland's LTR (Blue & Green) Rapid, and some other selected systems.  It is posted by by a Toronto pro-transit individual unhappy with the lack of progress in upgrading that city's streetcar system to modern rail.  Despite a few factual glitches here and there, overall, it's pretty good.

 

http://lrt.daxack.ca/Cities/Cleveland/index.html

Thanks for the stats, Nexis4Jersey.  I think your Boston stats may be too high, at 90 miles.  Most books and websites that measure the great "T" system, list metro Boston's combined light & heavy rails system at just under 65 miles, total.

 

Yea , i just fixed it....its a pretty nice system for 65mi..

Love riding the T when visiting relatives in Boston.  In terms of effectiveness, in my mind it's America's 2nd best system behind NYC in terms of coverage (of its compact city/close-in metro area).

Here's my video of the MBTA system , the Blue line wasn't working....so when i go back in the summer i'll do that again..

 

Put the new Detroit trains down the middle!

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/TrainsDownTheMiddle

 

Well, I was convinced. And, legos!

Ok, so I have kind of a weird question, maybe someone here can answer.  I'm in an urban and regional economics class, and my professor is a hard line libertarian, and talks about how transit is such a waste of money, and how it doesn't even work in Europe (he's British), etc.  He keeps throwing this statistic out that of the 16 or so cities that have added/introduced light rail in the United States, overall transit usage has gone down in the city.  Is this really true? 

 

It's weird, because I'm in the school of urban planning, and this guy is decidedly anti urban.  He also has a nasty habit of constantly putting down Ohio, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the midwest in general.  He makes me want to scream with some of the shit he says, but after trying to debate him once, I learned it's a pointless task, as he gets really defensive.

^ in many of the cities it is true....

 

because since the economic crash of 2008 most cities have cut their bus systems because cities stopped/cut back on providing money to local transit agencies.

 

With less bus routes, you get less riders... period.  Almost ALL cities of a decent size have had declines- most people use transit to go to work- no jobs, no riding. Most systems have cut routes and services. Less routes, less riders.  Regardless of rail this is true.

 

What school are you at!

So... post hoc fallacy?

Lastly- Edale,

 

I'd love to know if your professor feels every highway in America should be a toll road.  Surely, he must also feel that the federal gas tax MUST be raised dramatically since it doesn't cover the actual cost of interstate construction and maintenance and highways get a massive subsidy. 

 

If not... I'm guessing when he was a kid he really wanted a train set, all of his friends got it but he didn't - and now he hates transit.

edale, maybe you should go the dean and demand this yeahoo's class be renamed: Rich Fatcat suburban/ex-urban libertarian sprawl economics.

There is almost TOO MUCH information at this site to effectively refute this guy. But I'm sure you can find some of his arguments directly refuted here...

http://www.lightrailnow.org/industry_issues.htm#responding-critics

 

 

Cars didn't take passengers away from trains, interurbans, trolleys, streetcars. Cars would be nothing without paved roads. So ask him: who owned transit systems and railroads when this was their competition's infrastructure.........

 

 

So, what private company owned, built and financed the paved roads? It was the government who did all that? ? ? And if roads are free enterprise, how does price regulate supply and demand when roads are "free"? Wait, supply regulates demand?? No wonder sprawl is worse in America where the price of driving is less!

 

 

So what happened to the privately owned transit system and passenger railroad in the decades after government started building roads?

 

Now that roads are a mature mode of transportation, does he believe that governments should sell roads to private enterprise? If not, why not? If no one buys the roads, shouldn't they be shut down as cost-ineffective?

 

Or should governments keep spending this much on roads? It's obvious government is spending too much on rail.....

 

 

If you'd like more data, here's some good ones......

 

http://www.cnu.org/node/2329 (the back story and what has happened since to cover this up is even better)

 

http://subsidyscope.org/transportation/highways/funding/

Thanks guys! He's a real wack job, so I feel like arguing with him is a losing battle, but I wanted to make sure that I had good reason for my views as a strong transit supporter.  I will definitely be using this information in class tomorrow.

 

OC: I'm in the school of Policy, Planning, and Development at USC, and this professor is very much NOT the norm.  Most of my professors are die hard urbanists, trying to make do in LA.

I would see if other students are concerned about this guy's hard-line approach. If so, complain to the dean.

 

I had an urban transportation professor who was a bit of an anti-transit guy, but he was able to present multiple sides and arguments to promote thinking among the students. Your professor sounds like he wants his students to think like he does. That's not teaching. That's brain-washing.

 

And to deflect some of you: I am not a teacher and I don't pretend to be. I'm an advocate and I make sure everyone knows it when they meet me (physically or virtually!). Then they can decide if I am full of it, or if there's anything of value in what I share.

Heres the recently opened 8th Street Hudson Bergen Light Rail station....its the last station at the southern part of the system...intill its extended over to Staten Island.

 

DSCN0370 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

DSCN0369 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

DSCN0368 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

DSCN0367 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

DSCN0363 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

DSCN0362 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr

 

Thanks. Nice video -- it's amazing that that Jersey City neighborhood and business district at the end of the video didn't exist at all when I made my first visit to New York in 1985 and looked down at it from the rooftop viewing deck of the World Trade Center. I just watched the video from that 1985 trip last weekend.

 

And you sure do have a LOT of snow!

Yup , it all rose over the past 15 years....and yes we did.    It was like the Lake Effect snow moved to the coastal NE.

 

 

The irony of this story is so deep I had to share

 

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/19/amtrak-ceo-ditches-broken-train-to-travel-by-car-to-ribbon-cutting-of-wilmingtons-joe-biden-station/

 

 

This is more Amtrak/railroad than light rail... still, it's kinda funny, actually.  Acela is flawed compared to other high-speed rail systems in Europe and Japan, but if FAR outshines anything we have in this car-crazy country of ours.  It's a fitting honor that Wilmington's station is being renamed for Biden.  He's one of the few pols at his level (or prior level, U.S. Senator) who actually used Amtrak to get to/from home to work.  He's a tireless advocate of Amtrak.  I have to believe he's influenced Obama on pushing for more high-speed rail.  A shame the politics of the Right are hampering that effort.

Once we've stayed in Libya for 10 days, we will have spent more than the $8 billion proposed for HSR from the stimulus package, and more than the federal government has ever dolled out for light rail/streetcar lines.

You might find this interesting. Despite being a pretty conservative and suburban city, Calgary is making

great strides with public transit.

 

This month service was improved on a number of routes, including on some routes to start the new PRIMARY TRANSIT ROUTES which will guarantee a bus every 10 minutes or less on major corridors. Under federal law, Canadian cities are required to have transit service level standards that require bus, trolley or train frequencies and hours of service based on local demographics. Most trunk lines must have service every 10 minutes during daylight hours and every 30 minutes overnight. And, get this, they have to provide this more extensive service while also improving their farebox recovery ratios to certain standards.

 

Anyway check this video out. Calgary has about a million people...

 

 

a little news from here in the Portland area.......

 

College professor tells West Linn Council streetcar key to sustainable community

Published: Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 7:30 AM    Updated: Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 10:45 AM

By Everton Bailey Jr., The Oregonian The Oregonian

 

One of the keys to a sustainable community is a streetcar, according to a University of British Columbia professor.

 

During a presentation to the West Linn City Council on Monday night, professor Patrick Condon lauded the transportation option and said cities that have them usually have easy transit access, a diversity of housing types and other benefits.

 

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/west-linn/index.ssf/2011/03/college_professor_identifies_streetcar_to_west_linn_city_council_as_key_to_sustainable_communities.html

FTA OKs TriMet’s latest LRT project   

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 

 

Portland, Ore.’s TriMet said Tuesday the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved its planned 7.3-mile MAX light rail transit extension to suburban Milwaukie. The approval moves the project into final design phase, which will last about a year.

 

“This approval means that the region's top transit priority stays on schedule as it moves closer to construction,” TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane said in a statement.

 

Read more at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/fta-oks-trimet-s-latest-lrt-project-2964.html

Rail transit projects on the coasts move forward....

 

MBTA awards Green Line Extension contract

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

 

....Scheduled for completion in 2015, the project will extend the Green Line,the nation’s oldest light rail line, from the existing Lechmere Station toMedford, Mass. The addition is considered significant by LRT observers, who have long questioned MBTA's overall reluctance to expand its LRT system even when public support has been vociferous.

 

HDR/Gilbane’s role is preliminary design, design management, constructionmanagement and overall program management. The total program estimate isjust over $950 million, and the extension is anticipated to be complete in2015.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/mbta-awards-green-line-extension-contract-2987.html

 

 

 

Skanksa wins $383M LACMTA contract

Monday, April 04, 2011

 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded Skanska, an international development and construction company based in Sweden, a contract to extend the light rail in Los Angeles County, Calif. Skanska's share of the contract is worth $382.9 million.

 

....According to the contract, the joint venture will construct a seven-mile light rail extension from Culver City to Santa Monica in Los Angeles County. Construction will begin in spring 2011 with anticipated completion in mid-2015. The scope of work includes 14 miles of track as well as five at-grade stations and two aerial stations. Additionally, the project includes one mile of elevated transit.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/skanksa-wins-383m-lacmta-contract-3838.html

Oklahoma City OKs streetcar route

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

 

The Oklahoma City Council Tuesday approved a proposed route for its MAPS 3 streetcar line, with provisions for adjusting the route as conditions warrant. The proposed route runs in a four-mile loop, connecting the city’s midtown with Bricktown.

 

"This represents about four miles of the five to six mile route as part of the MAPS 3 budget," MAPS program manager Eric Wenger said.

 

According to a report given to the city council, the recommended streetcar route should assist in the design and construction of Project 180, a $141 million makeover of downtown streets, sidewalks, and public spaces. The recommended route and Project 180 renovations would take place on the some of the same streets.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/oklahoma-city-oks-streetcar-route-2990.html

$4-a-gallon gas fuels mass transit dialogue

Apr 14, 2011

Written by

Kevin Morgan

 

Since the introduction of the IndyConnect mass-transit proposal more than a year ago, the debate over its prospects usually has included a "what if."

 

What if gasoline hits $4 a gallon again?

 

The last time that happened, in summer 2008, mass transit -- even Central Indiana's limited version -- seemed to be catching on. The commuter express routes running between Hamilton County and Downtown Indianapolis often had buses filled to capacity, and some riders were left waiting at the curb.

 

Then gasoline prices dropped. Buses had fewer riders -- and a new commuter route south of Indianapolis came and went without much participation.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110414/LOCAL27/104140318/?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|p

11:00 p.m. Sunday, April 17, 2011

Metro Atlanta requests a transit future

By Ariel Hart

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Metro Atlantans want wider, safer roads. They want better sidewalks and more bike paths. But most of all, they want mass transit.

 

At least, their local leaders think so, if dollars are any guide. Local governments have asked for a massive, expensive mass transit expansion from a regional sales tax that voters will consider next year.

 

For the first time, there’s a wish list that reflects metro Atlanta thinking as a region when it comes to transportation. Local governments had until March 30 to submit their wish lists. The Atlanta Regional Commission put them together in one batch of 436 projects, and handed the list over to the state transportation planning director for his review. In summer, a regional group will choose the final projects.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/metro-atlanta-requests-a-912815.html

4/21/2011 10:30:00 AM    Light Rail

 

Minnesota, FTA to ink grant agreement for Twin Cities' light-rail project

On April 26, Federal Transit Administration and Minnesota state officials plan to sign a full-funding grant agreement that will commit millions of federal dollars to the Central Corridor Light-Rail Transit project, which will connect the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

 

The agreement will require the federal government to reimburse the project’s funding partners for half the cost to build the $957 million line, which will link the two cities along Washington and University avenues via the state Capitol and University of Minnesota.

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=26402

Portland Streetcar expansion proceeds   

Thursday, April 21, 2011 

 

Portland, Ore.’s City Council, in a 4-1 vote Wednesday, approved plans to expand the city’s growing streetcar line from the city’s South Waterfront to suburban enclave Lake Oswego, south of Portland.

 

The favorable vote, generally expected, followed a closer 4-3 approval Tuesday of the $458 million extension by the Lake Oswego City Council, following heated debate among community leaders over the streetcar’s economic worth, potential ridership, and perceived negative impact on the community’s quality of life.

 

Read more at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/despite-resistance-portland-streetcar-expansion-proceeds-3064.html

Atlanta will start building a 2.6-mile modern streetcar line this fall. The line will conect Centennial Olympic Park, Downtown, Georgia State and the Martin Luther King Historic District.

 

There are also serious discussions about new light rail lines that would eventually link into existing MARTA rail service.

Here in Charlotte, NC city council approved funding to start the expansion of the Lynx.  The expansion will be 11 stations, spanning 15 miles north of the city and ending at the UNC-Charlotte campus.  This will be great for students as the school is finishing up a 13 story Uptown building right near the proposed light rail expansion.  I heard that city council had approved the funding on the news, however couldn't find a link to the story but here is the story which ran on Monday before the vote.

 

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/top-stories/New-Lynx-Extension-Could-Make-Your-Commute-Easier-120581269.html

2 Philly Videos i took yesterday...

 

 

DOT urges U.S. steel production for streetcars   

Monday, June 06, 2011 

 

Led by Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, the Department of Transportation on Monday hosted a roundtable discussion in Washington with transportation, manufacturing, and steel industry leaders to discuss a plan for producing steel streetcar rails in the U.S.

 

“The Obama Administration is committed to putting Americans back to work making the products our nation needs to compete,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. “We want U.S. manufacturers to supply the rails for U.S. streetcars and today’s meeting was a first step toward making this a reality.”

 

Porcari said he hopes that the meeting will help determine the potential market size for steel rails and the level of interest among manufacturers, as well as identify obstacles that need to be addressed.

 

Read more at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/dot-urges-u.s.-steel-production-for-streetcars-3203.html

Louisvilles Broken Sidewalk blog has a great infographic  comparing light rail vs BRT and highways. 

 

They arent seriously pushing for rail transit in Louisville, but this is a nice way of illustrating different modes (to light-rails benefit).