While I appreciate the information on this thread as informing us what's happening other places regarding rail expansion, it's also frustrating because there's no passenger rail expansion going on here in Ohio other than Cincy's small streetcar system... It's all the more frustrating that Kasich, the Amtrak/transit slayer, is allegedly gaining in the polls, meaning the long-term outlook for passenger rail and rail transit ain't good.

 

That's precisely why this thread exists. Far too many Ohioans believe that Ohio is just doing what every other state is doing. If that were the case and all states were doing the same old thing with their transportation systems and resultant land use decision-making, Ohio wouldn't be losing the competition for residents and jobs. But while Ohio stands still, other states are moving forward.

That's precisely why this thread exists. Far too many Ohioans believe that Ohio is just doing what every other state is doing. If that were the case and all states were doing the same old thing with their transportation systems and resultant land use decision-making, Ohio wouldn't be losing the competition for residents and jobs. But while Ohio stands still, other states are moving forward.

 

Worse yet, there is a feeling of hopelessness among those who believe in rail but just believe it can't happen here regardless of what's going on across the border.  Before the 2010 election, I argued with a neighbor, a dyed-in-wool liberal/progressive, that election of Kasich would doom the Ohio mobility and jobs the 3-C rail would bring... He amazingly responded with the usual conservative claptrap talking points: people love their cars; Ohio is just too spread out; people want their convenience and they won't ride the trains... How the heck do you deal with a situation where folks who know better have thrown in the towel?  Conservatives have really done the job here.  You and the AAO folks are among the few who actually believe change can happen are fighting to make it so...

 

But remember we voted for Kasich when killing 3-C was a centerpiece platform issue for him. Remember Joe C has generally been anti-rail expansion and even wants to run buses on the soon-built OC, but he is universally loved by his board and most of the power brokers in town.  Remember that powerful Dan Gilbert has thumbed his nose at rail connection to his casino, notably extending CVSR there (which he could probably largely finance himself) and will probably block passenger rail entry to the Horseshoe's Phase II development. ...

 

I appreciate the info in this thread because I care and it's interesting, but you're preaching to the choir.  We get it-- we know Ohio could and should do the things these other states and cities are doing with rail.  But what's the end game for making a dent in the huge obstacles I laid out in the previous paragraph?  How do we ... how does AAO, make any type of serious headway in this very negative Cleveland/Ohio anti-rail environment? ... I'm fighting on my own level as someone who doesn't live in Cleveland full time (in fact, I live mainly elsewhere), but I can also respect those like BuckeyeB who also cares deeply, who throw in the towel and get the hell out.  He at least opines eloquently on these issues here on UO....

Use this thread as a clearinghouse of information to share it with others. Such as this piece:

 

 

OP-ED COLUMNIST

I Want to Be a Mayor

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

July 27, 2013

 

AS Americans, we’ve been raised on the notion that any child could dream of becoming president. But when you see how much “fun” Barack Obama and his immediate predecessors have had in that job — and when you look at where the most exciting innovations in governance are happening — how long will it be before our kids, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, answer: “I want to be a mayor.” Except in Detroit, mayors today have more fun.

 

In fact, if you want to be an optimist about America today, stand on your head. The country looks so much better from the bottom up — from its major metropolitan areas — than from the top down. Washington is tied in knots by Republican-led hyperpartisanship, lobbyists and budget constraints. Ditto most state legislatures. So the great laboratories and engines of our economy are now our cities. This is the conclusion of an important new book by the Brookings Institution scholars Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley, entitled: “The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy.”

 

For generations, they write, we held the view that “the feds and states are the adults in the system, setting direction; the cities and the metropolitan areas are the children, waiting for their allowance. The metropolitan revolution is exploding this tired construct. Cities and metropolitan areas are becoming the leaders in the nation: experimenting, taking risks, making hard choices.” We are seeing “the inversion of the hierarchy of power in the United States.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/opinion/sunday/friedman-i-want-to-be-a-mayor.html

 

 

Note that when cities in Texas got no help from their state for a rail project, they banded together to create the Lone Star Intermunicipal Rail District http://www.lonestarrail.com/ which since has been recognized and funded by the state of Texas.

 

Same thing happened among counties in Minnesota where Gov. Tim Pawlenty showed no interest in a Minneapolis-Duluth rail line. So those counties joined forces as the Northern Lights Express Joint Powers Authority www.northernlightsexpress.org

 

Metropolitan planning organizations (like NOACA, MORPC, OK) in the intermountain west who got no help from highway-dominated state transportation departments formed the Western High Speed Rail Alliance http://www.whsra.com/

 

There are others who have taken matters into their own hands. I suspect you'll see this model be repeated with greater frequency given the inability of state and federal governments to innovate and respond to their electorate.

 

Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) just increased incentives for its employees to use transit. http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2013/07/cuyahoga_county_council_wants_employees_to_receive_more_transportation_options_and_subsidies.html

 

The City of Boston is focusing its small business investments to those near transit stations http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/07/27/city-of-boston-investing-in-small-businesses-near-mbta-stations/

 

And other incentives, such as New Markets Tax Credits (http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/cleveland_fund_wins_30_million.html) can be directed by local sponsors to projects that are transit accessible.

 

It's up to the locals to be inventive.

Sorry, the ODOT mentioned in this press release is not Ohio............

 

The Talgo-made 13-car trainsets will join the Amtrak Cascades service

 

EUGENE, Ore. – The first Oregon-owned passenger train to ride the rails made its official debut today at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Eugene. Elected officials, dignitaries from local, state, regional and national organizations, and avid passenger rail fans welcomed the new 13-car trainsets to the Amtrak Cascades service with speeches, refreshments and "sneak peeks" at one of the new trains.

 

"This is an exciting day for everyone in Oregon – not just for those who love trains, but for those who appreciate having options in travel," Oregon Department of Transportation Director Matt Garrett said. "It took an amazing amount of teamwork to make this dream of having our own trains come true. Now, we're taking the next big step in Oregon passenger rail travel with our own state-owned trains."

 

Adding Oregon-owned trains to the Cascades corridor will ensure passenger train service from Eugene to Portland, and give Oregonians more options now and in the future.

 

"Amtrak values our state partnerships and their interest in growing the nation's railroad through operational support and equipment acquisition," said Amtrak General Manager, State Corridor Services, Jay Commer.

 

ODOT purchased the two trainsets using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The trains were manufactured and assembled in Wisconsin, per Buy America requirements. Talgo officials were on hand at the event, where the Series 8 train debuted.

 

"Talgo is very proud to be ODOT's partner in delivering their two newly manufactured state-of-the art trainsets." Antonio Perez, CEO and president, said. "Talgo's team is committed to the continued success of the Pacific Northwest Corridor passenger rail service by doing business with Oregon along with Amtrak, WSDOT, BNSF and UP. Oregon is the first state to be receiving high speed rail trainsets that were purchased with ARRA funding which has resulted in the creation of jobs along the nation. Congratulations to Director Garrett and his hard working team for this great accomplishment."

 

Each of Oregon's new Talgo Series 8 trains seats 286 passengers and includes a cab car, a bistro car, dining car, bicycle storage, business class seating, Wi-Fi and other amenities. The two trainsets will join five others in the Amtrak Cascades corridor, three owned by the Washington Department of Transportation and two owned by Amtrak. Oregon's two new trains, in keeping with the style of the other five, are named "Mt. Bachelor" and "Mt. Jefferson."

 

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/COMM/Documents/TalgoRelease.pdf

I was just in the Berkshires a few days ago! And Boston. And Rhode Island. And Connecticut....... But I recall seeing these tracks in Stockbridge, MA and noting that they looked to be in pretty good condition. They also have a decent station there.

 

Governor Rides Envisioned Passenger Rail Route to Pittsfield

By Andy McKeever

iBerkshires Staff

01:47PM / Monday, July 29, 2013

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Less than a week after a transportation finance bill was signed into law, Gov. Deval Patrick took a ride on the railroad tracks he hopes will soon feature passenger rides from the Berkshires to New York City.

 

The state is looking to buy and upgrade 37 miles of track from Pittsfield to the Connecticut border in Sheffield. The $113 million in planned track upgrades will support a passenger rail system that officials believe will be a boon to the Berkshire's tourism economy.

 

"I think the potential economic impact is considerable. I think the opportunity of job creation and quality of life is considerable," Patrick said after stepping off an old Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority car he took from Sheffield to Pittsfield on Monday. "There is some work we have to do with the state of Connecticut to assure that they are ready to step forward like we are."

 

See more at: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/44444/Governor-Rides-Envisioned-Passenger-Rail-Route-to-Pittsfield.html#sthash.w8CqcPOD.dpuf

I was just in the Berkshires a few days ago! And Boston. And Rhode Island. And Connecticut....... But I recall seeing these tracks in Stockbridge, MA and noting that they looked to be in pretty good condition. They also have a decent station there.

 

Governor Rides Envisioned Passenger Rail Route to Pittsfield

By Andy McKeever

iBerkshires Staff

01:47PM / Monday, July 29, 2013

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Less than a week after a transportation finance bill was signed into law, Gov. Deval Patrick took a ride on the railroad tracks he hopes will soon feature passenger rides from the Berkshires to New York City.

 

The state is looking to buy and upgrade 37 miles of track from Pittsfield to the Connecticut border in Sheffield. The $113 million in planned track upgrades will support a passenger rail system that officials believe will be a boon to the Berkshire's tourism economy.

 

"I think the potential economic impact is considerable. I think the opportunity of job creation and quality of life is considerable," Patrick said after stepping off an old Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority car he took from Sheffield to Pittsfield on Monday. "There is some work we have to do with the state of Connecticut to assure that they are ready to step forward like we are."

 

See more at: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/44444/Governor-Rides-Envisioned-Passenger-Rail-Route-to-Pittsfield.html#sthash.w8CqcPOD.dpuf

 

There's actually a tourist railroad (The Berkshire Scenic RR) that runs on that line and have helped keep the tracks in good shape.

i was wondering what was going on with this project and am glad i looked in on it - below is a press release - they have reached a milestone -- way to go mpls-stp!

 

 

Media Contact:

Laura Baenen

Communications Manager

Central Corridor LRT Project Metropolitan Council

Phone: 651-602-1797

Cell 612-269-4365

Email: [email protected]

 

Light rail vehicle tests begin through University of Minnesota

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – July 24, 2013 –The first light rail vehicle to operate under its own power on the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project (Green Line) will make its inaugural run this week.

 

“The line is energized through the University of Minnesota campus, and this is where the first testing will occur. This is an electrifying moment in more ways than one,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh, whose agency designed and built the line, which will open in mid-2014 before the Major League Baseball All-Star game at Target Field next July.

 

A railcar mover will pull one light-rail vehicle (LRV) on Thursday morning from the West Bank Station, past the East Bank and Stadium Village stations and then return to the West Bank. Then, the LRV will move alone overnight Thursday over the same route, drawing power from overhead wires. This will be the start of overnight testing on weeknights through campus, which will resume on or after Aug. 5 and continue through mid- September. Testing on University Avenue and the rest of the corridor will begin late summer. Months of daily testing will follow, the outcome of which will determine the line’s opening date in mid-2014.

 

With the advent of testing on campus, Metro Transit is introducing a Green Line Quiz Bowl safety video and public service announcements aimed at student audiences. They were produced with the help of the City of Saint Paul Communications Services and its own Nick Nelson, aka “Mr. St. Paul Video,” as well as project and Metro Transit staffers.

“We took a game show-style approach in hopes of getting people’s attention on the important issue of how to stay safe around light rail trains. We want people to understand that safety is a shared responsibility,” said Mike Conlon, Metro Transit’s director of rail and bus safety.

 

Here are the links to the Green Line Quiz Bowl video and three PSAs:

 

Mid-block crossing PSA:

Crossing tracks PSA:

Stations PSA:

The videos and PSAs are the latest components of the project’s safety campaign, which includes presentations to school groups and others, safety posters at station kiosks and brochures. See the project’s safety webpage: www.centralcorridor.org/safety

 

What to expect during overnight testing on campus

 

• For vehicles: Washington Avenue will be closed from Walnut Street to Huron Boulevard. Access will be provided to local businesses. Harvard, Walnut and Ontario streets will be closed crossing Washington Avenue Access to local businesses will remain open.

 

• For pedestrians: Washington Avenue will be closed to pedestrian thru traffic between Pleasant Street and Harvard Street. Residential and business access will remain open. Pedestrians will be able to cross Washington Avenue at the eastern pedestrian bridge over Washington Avenue, the mid-block crossing between Harvard and Walnut, Oak and Huron. The western pedestrian bridge over Washington will be closed.

 

About the project: The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project (Green Line) will link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis along Washington and University avenues via the state Capitol and the University of Minnesota. Construction began in late 2010 on the 11-mile line, and service will begin in mid-2014. The line will connect with the Blue Line at the Metrodome station in Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter rail line at Target Field Station. The Metropolitan Council is the grantee of federal funds. The regional government agency is charged with building the line in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Central Corridor Management Committee, which includes commissioners from Ramsey and Hennepin counties, the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota, provides advice and oversight. Funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, Counties Transit Improvement Board, state of Minnesota, Ramsey and Hennepin counties’ regional railroad authorities, city of St. Paul, Metropolitan Council and the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative.

 

The Central Corridor LRT Project website is www.centralcorridor.org

 

a queens councilman got the mta to spend a quarter million dollars on a bunch of crap:

 

 

What costs a quarter-million dollars and vibrates at frequencies that only incontinent birds can hear? You guessed it! It's all the upgrades coming to Queens subway stations, from metal spikes to low-voltage wires to ward off sh!tting pigeons, an existential threat to Queens commuters according to one city councilman.

Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer got the MTA to earmark the cash for the upgrades last year after a grassroots effort to call attention to literally piles and piles of sh!t at Sunnyside and Woodside subway stops.

 

The new tech will include ultrasonic devices that only the pigeons can hear, low-voltage wires to deliver annoying zaps to the birds, and metal ridging on railings to prevent nesting and roosting.

 

But is the pidgeon poop problem really so urgent that it demands $250,000 of MTA funds to fix, especially with the recent news that the agency needs money for repairs and to stave off fare hikes?

 

more:

I found this on NY Village Voice http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/08/queens_subway_bird_poop.php

 

Edited (IMHO, creatively!) your post so that workplace filters don't block this site. :)

I was just in the Berkshires a few days ago! And Boston. And Rhode Island. And Connecticut....... But I recall seeing these tracks in Stockbridge, MA and noting that they looked to be in pretty good condition. They also have a decent station there.

 

Governor Rides Envisioned Passenger Rail Route to Pittsfield

By Andy McKeever

iBerkshires Staff

01:47PM / Monday, July 29, 2013

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Less than a week after a transportation finance bill was signed into law, Gov. Deval Patrick took a ride on the railroad tracks he hopes will soon feature passenger rides from the Berkshires to New York City.

 

The state is looking to buy and upgrade 37 miles of track from Pittsfield to the Connecticut border in Sheffield. The $113 million in planned track upgrades will support a passenger rail system that officials believe will be a boon to the Berkshire's tourism economy.

 

"I think the potential economic impact is considerable. I think the opportunity of job creation and quality of life is considerable," Patrick said after stepping off an old Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority car he took from Sheffield to Pittsfield on Monday. "There is some work we have to do with the state of Connecticut to assure that they are ready to step forward like we are."

 

See more at: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/44444/Governor-Rides-Envisioned-Passenger-Rail-Route-to-Pittsfield.html#sthash.w8CqcPOD.dpuf

 

Duval Patrick's a cool guv; very pro-transit, so this initiative is indicative... In greater Boston, the T Green Line extension to Somerville was a long planned project that was floundering... until Patrick got pushed it forward; now construction will commence soon.

Massachusetts is pushing through a number of passenger rail initiatives, including:

 

+ Inland Route Double Track (Springfield-Worcester) for adding five daily round trips to New York City via Hartford;

+ Knowledge Corridor - track improvement are underway in the Connecticut River with additional service planned;

+ South Coast rail services to Fall River and New Bedford (MassDOT has already acquired rights of way from CSX);

+ Added track capacity to increase Downeaster service to Maine to seven daily round trips;

+ Capitol Corridor - Partnering with New Hampshire on regional rail service from Boston to Manchester and Concord;

+ Add 6 station tracks to Boston South Station (formerly a 28-track station, now 13) to accommodate growth.

 

Duval Patrick wanted a $1 billion annual increase in funding for transportation to make the above happen, but the legislature was willing to give him only $600 million. Last I heard, there was a compromise brewing to fund $800 million. Now THAT'S how government is supposed to function.

 

This map pretty well sums it up......

 

Just one step closer to equipping the fleet with new power.  What is curious is that some how Iowa has stayed in the game even though they have not accepted their track work funding or obligated any state matching funds for the CHI-Iowa City line.

 

http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/federal-railroad-administration-announces-multistate-request-proposals-next-generation

 

 

Federal Railroad Administration Announces Multistate Request for Proposals for Next-Generation Passenger Rail Locomotives

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that U.S. manufacturers are being invited to submit bids to produce high-performance, next-generation diesel-electric locomotives.

 

“When we make smart investments in rail, we are investing in America,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “Our Buy America provisions ensure that the major components of these locomotives will be built with American hands and with American produced steel, iron and manufactured goods.”

 

The Request for Proposals (RFP) to manufacture approximately 35 new diesel-electric locomotives in America comes from a groundbreaking multi-state effort to jointly purchase standardized rail equipment to be used on state corridor routes in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Iowa in the Midwest and Washington, California, and Oregon on the West Coast. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is leading the multi-state locomotive procurement, with first deliveries expected in 2016. The FRA has allocated $808 million to manufacture the next generation of passenger rail equipment including the 35 new locomotives and 130 bi-level rail cars.

 

The engines will be built to standardized technical specifications developed by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) Section 305 Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee and will comply with the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standards.

 

The new uniform standards will drive down costs and allow more manufacturers and suppliers to compete, fostering a healthy competition while re-establishing the U.S. domestic supply chain for passenger rail equipment. 

 

The intent to purchase 35 new locomotives comes as intercity passenger rail ridership continues to post and exceed ridership records.  Last year, Amtrak carried more than 31.2 million passengers, marking the highest annual ridership total since they started operations in 1971, and the ninth ridership record during the last ten years.  The state corridor routes where these new locomotives will be deployed are among those services with the highest ridership growth.

 

“We’re taking historic steps to build the rail system our economy needs and – more importantly – that Americans deserve, all while creating American jobs,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.  “The need for new rail equipment has never been greater and the more than 750 railroad suppliers located in the United States are up to the job.”

 

Selection of the manufacturer will occur in early 2014.  Delivery of the locomotives is planned for 2016. A copy of the RFP can be found here.

 

###

Thursday, August 8, 2013

 

Should the Indiana State Fair train become a permanent commuter rail line?

Aug. 11, 2013

Written by Chris Sikich

The Indianapolis Star

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Steve Johantges hopped on board the Indiana Transportation Museum FairTrain on Wednesday morning for an old-timey ride to the state fairgrounds, and the packed passenger cars got him thinking Indianapolis needs to get with the times.

 

Johantges hopes Central Indiana invests in a permanent commuter rail system, long proposed along the same rail line used during the fair and stretching from Noblesville to downtown Indianapolis.

 

“I work for an ambulance service,” he said, “so I see the traffic day in and day out. They’re expanding I-69 now, but as soon as they finish the work, it will be outdated. Anything to reduce traffic is going to help everybody.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130808/NEWS02/308080144/-1/rsslink?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&nclick_check=1

Interesting graphic.....

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28533.msg668801.html#new

Should the Indiana State Fair train become a permanent commuter rail line?

Aug. 11, 2013

Written by Chris Sikich

The Indianapolis Star

 

INDIANAPOLIS Steve Johantges hopped on board the Indiana Transportation Museum FairTrain on Wednesday morning for an old-timey ride to the state fairgrounds, and the packed passenger cars got him thinking Indianapolis needs to get with the times.

 

Johantges hopes Central Indiana invests in a permanent commuter rail system, long proposed along the same rail line used during the fair and stretching from Noblesville to downtown Indianapolis.

 

I work for an ambulance service, he said, so I see the traffic day in and day out. Theyre expanding I-69 now, but as soon as they finish the work, it will be outdated. Anything to reduce traffic is going to help everybody.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130808/NEWS02/308080144/-1/rsslink?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&nclick_check=1

 

Sounds like CVSR's cousin ... and with CVSR's potential, too.

Funny how pax train service is a socialist incursion on the free republic of USA....except when its not.

 

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/intercity/amtrak-ns-commonwealth-of-virginia-embark-on-service-extension-to-roanoke.html?channel=41

 

Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the City of Roanoke have joined together to start work to extend Amtrak regional intercity passenger rail service from Lynchburg to Roanoke, the “Star City.”

 

It has been 34 years since intercity passenger rail has served Roanoke. The return of passenger rail to Roanoke is a result of passage this year of Virginia's first major transportation funding plan in nearly three decades. Extending the state’s Lynchburg line is anticipated to take between three and four years. Conceptual design work and rail capacity analysis is under way, work will be done by Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and the City of Roanoke. The partnership is formally called “Amtrak Virginia.”

 

 

 

New commuter rail coming to Denver International Airport (Video)

 

10:08 PM, Aug 11, 2013 

 

KUSA - The long awaited train to DIA will be rolling out of Union Station in the first half of 2016.

 

In the video above 9NEWS Consumer Reporter Mark Koebrich explains how early price points for tickets are something of a bargain. He says they will certainly beat the long term parking prices at the airport.

 

http://www.9news.com/news/article/349780/75/New-commuter-rail-coming-to-Denver-International-Airport

Update on the Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail

http://www.semcog.org/AADD.aspx

this one is scary and sad, but a reality. mta had 145 injuries & 55 deaths on the rails in 2012. not sure, but i think the rate is even higher this year:

 

 

Straphanger sits inches above deadly third rail in East Village - m.NYPOST.com

 

 

This could have been a major buzz kill.

 

A drunk straphanger picked a deadly place to grab a seat at the West 4th Street station — right above the third rail — but amazingly avoided electrocution.

 

Horrified bystanders called 911 when they saw the man sit down and put his head in his hands at 1:50 a.m. Tuesday.

 

Miraculously, the wasted wanderer wasn’t electrocuted by the rail, which carries more than 600 volts of electricity.

 

He avoided electric shock because he sat on the rail’s protective cover.

 

more:

http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/rail_genius_WS07LC64bJszlQ4GQGBljL

 

this one is scary and sad, but a reality. mta had 145 injuries & 55 deaths on the rails in 2012. not sure, but i think the rate is even higher this year:

 

 

Straphanger sits inches above deadly third rail in East Village - m.NYPOST.com

 

 

This could have been a major buzz kill.

 

A drunk straphanger picked a deadly place to grab a seat at the West 4th Street station right above the third rail but amazingly avoided electrocution.

 

Horrified bystanders called 911 when they saw the man sit down and put his head in his hands at 1:50 a.m. Tuesday.

 

Miraculously, the wasted wanderer wasnt electrocuted by the rail, which carries more than 600 volts of electricity.

 

He avoided electric shock because he sat on the rails protective cover.

 

more:

http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/rail_genius_WS07LC64bJszlQ4GQGBljL

 

 

Obviously, those 3rd rail shields can, and did, save lives/a life.

^ not only a mans life, but some lucky kitties as well:

 

 

Commuters fur-ious as kitties scratch subway service for 2 hours

 

By LIA EUSTACHEWICH, PHILIP MESSING and REBECCA HARSHBARGER

Last Updated: 8:16 AM, August 30, 2013

 

Two city kitties, including this peekaboo cutie, decided to take a catnap under the third rail at the Church Avenue station in Brooklyn yesterday — stopping trains in their tracks for two hours.

 

It was the purr-fect storm for Brooklyn commuters.

 

A major subway route took a two-hour catnap yesterday while two adorable kittens risked their nine lives to frolic on the rails at the Church Avenue station in Ditmas Park.

 

The gray tabby and black kitten napped under the third rail, dodged speeding trains and played cat-and-mouse with MTA workers during their daylong misadventure on the B and Q line, which began at around 11 a.m.

MTA officials cut power to a large portion of the line to keep the felines from getting squashed by the Manhattan-bound trains at the station.

 

 

more:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/901777

 

http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L04751

 

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $8.9 Million TIGER 2013 Grant to Vermont for Western Corridor Rail Rehabilitation

Office of Public Affairs,

Washington D.C.

 

www.dot.gov/briefingroom

05 Sep 2013

SUBJECT: Amtrak, Passenger Rail, Grants & Financial Assistance

PRESS RELEASE NUMBER: FRA 26-13

CONTACT: Kevin Thompson

PHONE: (202) 493-6024

KEYWORDS: Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2013, Vermont Agency of Transportation

 

 

Project Supports President Obama’s Call to ‘Fix it First’

 

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced the Vermont Agency of Transportation has been awarded an $8.9 million grant. The project is one of 52 transportation projects in 37 states that will receive a total of approximately $474 million from DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2013 discretionary grant program. 

 

“These TIGER projects are the best argument you can make for investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

 

“Together, they answer President Obama’s call for a stronger transportation system for future generations by repairing existing roads and bridges, connecting people to new jobs and opportunities, and contributing to our nation’s economic growth.”

 

The $18.5 million project involves rehabilitating 20 miles of the state-owned Vermont Railway from Rutland to Leicester, which includes replacing nine miles of rail, upgrading 11 at-grade farm crossings, and making other improvements. When completed, this project will eliminate track-related slow orders, allowing for unrestricted Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class 3 speed operations of up to 40 mph. The Vermont Rail System operates over the line and provides a critical connection for shippers to the Class I network in New York.

 

The project also supports the state’s efforts to improve the line to allow for the future extension of Amtrak’s Ethan Allen service from Rutland to Burlington.  Approximately $6 million in match funding is coming from previous federal appropriations benefiting the corridor, as well as $3.2 million from the state and $200,000 in-kind contributions from the rail operator.

 

This grant is one of 17 rail grants totaling $146.2 million in this round of TIGER.  Since the program’s inception, there have been 48 rail grants totaling $808.6 million.

 

“This investment is helping to move the economy by improving track, bridges and other infrastructure, building stations and intermodal facilities, advancing higher-performing rail service, and improving safety,” said FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.

 

The highly competitive TIGER program offers one of the only federal funding possibilities for large, multi-modal projects that often are not suitable for other federal funding sources.  These federal funds leverage money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies. The 2013 TIGER round alone supports $1.8 billion in overall project investments.

 

TIGER has enjoyed overwhelming demand since its creation, a trend continued by TIGER 2013.  Applications for this most recent round of grants totaled more than $9 billion, far exceeding the $474 million set aside for the program.  In all, the Department received 585 applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

 

The projects funded through this round of TIGER illustrate the President’s goals of creating “Ladders of Opportunity” that connect people to jobs, repairing and replacing aging infrastructure with a “Fix it First” approach and contributing to America’s economic growth.

 

On March 26, 2013, the President signed the FY 2013 Appropriations Act, which after sequestration provided approximately $474 million for Department of Transportation national infrastructure investments.  Like the first four rounds, TIGER 2013 grants are for capital investments in infrastructure and are awarded on a competitive basis based on the published selection criteria.  This is the fifth round of TIGER funding.

 

Under all five rounds combined, the TIGER program has provided more than $3.6 billion to 270 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  Demand for the program outweighed available funds, and during all five rounds, the Department of Transportation received more than 5,200 applications requesting more than $114.2 billion for transportation projects across the country.

 

Click here for additional information on individual TIGER grants www.dot.gov/tiger/.

This type of vehicle is what All Aboard Ohio advocating for several Ohio cities. MBTA just decided to do it....

 

Rail link coming to fast-growing Seaport

By Shirley Leung |  GLOBE STAFF    SEPTEMBER 06, 2013

 

Imagine finishing lunch at any of the wildly popular restaurants of Fort Point Channel, walking around the corner, and boarding a train that will shuttle you in 10 minutes to the figurative heart of Boston, Copley Square.

 

Turns out this is not just your imagination. The state, with no fanfare, has set aside tens of millions of dollars to launch an innovative train service on a dormant rail line between a pair of the city’s most vital neighborhoods: the Seaport District and the Back Bay.

 

The service should be ready to go in just two years, the planning done without any of the drawn-out permitting processes or neighborhood histrionics that impede so much progress in Boston.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/09/05/state-begin-innovative-rail-service-between-seaport-district-and-back-bay/oHUinYj30lzOV6KNCQUMEJ/story.html

USDOT TIGER http://www.dot.gov/tiger.\ Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery

 

Unfortunately Ohio was shut out of the limited TIGER funding.  National GOP Congress limited total funding to $465mil.  And Ohio Gov hates transit and transit groupies anyway.

 

Midwest winners were:

Michigan $9,383,036 for track upgrades Kalamazoo to Dearborn.

Illinois $14,400,000 for a road under rail underpass in Springfield.

Missouri $20,000,000 for a branch of Street Car line in Kansas City

Indiana $10,000,000 for Electric buses in Indianapolis

Wisconsin got nothing

 

 

Texas got $31 million for 3 projects

Oklahoma City got $13,591,178 to rehab the old Santa Fe depot into an inter-modal hub for Amtrak, city buses and future streetcar.

Pennsylvania got $10,000,000 for Septa/CSX rail separation project.

 

 

yeesh even texas took some. for shame ohio leadership.

 

The City of Cleveland submitted the only Ohio application -- for the Lakefront Multimodal Station, which is basically just a walkway with a parking deck in the middle of it that will have doorways facing the Amtrak station and the North Coast Waterfront Line station. I think the feds saw that this was a multimodal station in name only.

 

This project is being discussed in detail here.....

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3638.msg672424.html#msg672424

Yep, that State Up North again.....

 

"@USDOTFRA: PIC: #HSR in Michigan http://t.co/u4szhBocKS. New construction - 30 miles of new track; 130,000 new cross ties - is expanding 110MPH speeds."

Yep, that State Up North ahain.....

 

"@USDOTFRA: PIC: #HSR in Michigan http://t.co/u4szhBocKS. New construction - 30 miles of new track; 130,000 new cross ties - is expanding 110MPH speeds."

 

They keep on while the loser continues to lose...

Unbelievable.  Mostly GOP state with a HUGE (understatement) in the success in the automobile.  Yet Michigan is doing more with rail than our backwards leadership.

 

I weep for our future in another 20-30 years if this state continues to believe it's 1962 in Ohio.

Unbelievable.  Mostly GOP state with a HUGE (understatement) in the success in the automobile.  Yet Michigan is doing more with rail than our backwards leadership.

 

I weep for our future in another 20-30 years if this state continues to believe it's 1962 in Ohio.

 

Just wait till trains start going from Chicago to Detroit or St. Louis in four hours at 110 mph for miles on end while we continue to plod.

Just another rung and the ladder towards service implementation.  But  alot of work has been put into making this corridor a reality.  Good forward planning by the MnDOT.

 

http://www.northernlightsexpress.org/joomla/index.php

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/FRA-signs-off-on-environmental-work-for-MinneapolisDuluth-highspeed-rail-project--37697

FRA signs off on environmental work for Minneapolis-Duluth high-speed rail project

 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has found "no significant impact" on the Tier 1 Service Level Environmental Assessment for the proposed Minneapolis-to-Duluth high-speed rail service known as the Northern Lights Express (NLX).

 

The project now can advance to the preliminary engineering and Tier 2 level environmental documentation phase, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) officials said in a press release.

 

The Tier 1 assessment examined the 155-mile corridor for the social, economic and environmental impacts of building infrastructure necessary to operate 110-mph trains. Part of the high-speed line would pass through Douglas County in Wisconsin.

 

The Tier 1 environmental assessment was made available for public comment in spring. The FRA took those comments into consideration when preparing the finding, MnDOT officials said.

 

Under the state's environmental review process, MnDOT also has issued a "findings of fact and conclusion and a negative declaration" indicating that a state environmental impact statement is not required, they said.

duluth??! so other states work on interstate high speed rail plans to to no freakin where and ohio cant even get a 3Cs service plan going? sheesh. can we please have some rail services guv'nah?

the largest transportation project in the country, east side access, moving along this summer:

 

 

Rail News: Maintenance Of Way

MTA awards $200 million contract for East Side Access project

 

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded the first of three contracts to fabricate and build permanent structural concrete lining, interior structures and fit-out caverns and tunnels excavated beneath Grand Central Terminal in New York City for the East Side Access project.

 

The $200 million contract was awarded to Michels Corp. for work that will occur in the caverns and tunnels in the south segment of the future MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) terminal below Grand Central, MTA officials said in a press release.

 

The contract is being paid for with federal and local funds.

 

"This contract begins the construction on the interior work that 160,000 weekday LIRR customers will experience when the new LIRR station terminal opens below Grand Central," said Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction.

 

The East Side Access project will connect LIRR's Main and Port Washington lines in Queens to a new terminal beneath Grand Central. The new connection is designed to increase LIRR's capacity into Manhattan and dramatically shorten travel time for Long Island and eastern Queens commuters. Each cavern will contain four tracks, an upper and lower level platform and a mezzanine, MTA officials said.

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/mow/news/MTA-awards-200-million-contract-for-East-Side-Access-project--37268

 

Little ol' Waukesha...

 

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/light-rail/kenosha-commission-oks-streetcar-expansion.html?channel=61&utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RGN+9.20.13&utm_content=Full+Article

Little ol' Waukesha...

 

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/light-rail/kenosha-commission-oks-streetcar-expansion.html?channel=61&utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RGN+9.20.13&utm_content=Full+Article

 

Kenosha is the city not Waukesha..  Kenosha is at the north end of the UP North commuter line to Chicago.  So a resident can live on the Lake Michigan lakefront of downtown Kenosha and commute to Chicago's Loop without driving in a car. http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map/up-n/map.html

 

That's what I get for typing while walking!

i haven't been down around the wtc site all summer or even looked in on news about it, but i walked by yesterday and got quite a surprise because the calatrava station is really starting to make it presence felt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and nearby there was a lot of activity at the fulton transit center too:

 

 

^a little jj abrams with the star trek reboot lens flare lol!

 

 

 

 

 

"@RAILMag: Editorial: Big investment in rail transit for Baltimore | @baltimoresun – http://t.co/Mj6Zht53mO #Maryland #MD @GovernorOMalley @mtamaryland"

Massachusetts is being very aggressive with rail expansion efforts statewide. On this map, the RED and GREEN were the recommended routings for the new regional/commuter rail service....

 

 

 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Final EIS on MassDOT’s South Coast Rail proposal released

 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) South Coast Rail proposal to establish passenger rail service between Boston and the cities of New Bedford and Fall River, Mass.

 

The FEIS was prepared in cooperation with the commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve as a joint FEIS/Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).

 

MassDOT is seeking a Corps permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act to perform work in navigable waters and discharge fill material in waters of the U. S., including wetlands, incidental to establishment of passenger rail service between Boston and New Bedford and Fall River. Because the proposal constitutes a potentially significant environmental impact, the Corps determined that a Federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.rtands.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/final-eis-on-massdots-south-coast-rail-proposal-released.html?channel=280

The RiverLINE and the Atlantic City Line are both relatively new, but when they were built they continued the Philly-area tradition of intersecting rail lines lacking convenient transfer stations. Fortunately, this is one oversight getting corrected. One down -- 20-something to go.......

 

Station linking River Line, A.C. line to open in October

By Paul Nussbaum, Inquirer Staff Writer

POSTED: September 24, 2013

PENNSAUKEN The new $40 million train station in Pennsauken is slated to open next month to link the River Line and the Atlantic City line.

 

The multilevel Pennsauken Transit Center, near Derousse Avenue west of River Road, will allow direct transfers between trains on the east-west Atlantic City Rail Line and the north-south River Line.

 

Pennsauken Township Manager Ed Grochowski said Oct. 13 "is the date we're being told," although NJ Transit spokesman John Durso Jr. said Monday that "we have not finalized rail schedules, and a start date has not yet been finalized."

 

READ MORE AT:

http://articles.philly.com/2013-09-24/news/42361112_1_river-line-pennsauken-transit-center-atlantic-city-line

^Seems SEPTA  could learn a thing or 2 about connectivity from it's NJT neighbors.  Also consider the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus commuter rail transfer center, as well... New Jersey does transit right.

^Seems SEPTA  could learn a thing or 2 about connectivity from it's NJT neighbors.  Also consider the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus commuter rail transfer center, as well... New Jersey does transit right.

 

Eventually...... :)

^Seems SEPTA  could learn a thing or 2 about connectivity from it's NJT neighbors.  Also consider the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus commuter rail transfer center, as well... New Jersey does transit right.

 

You're joking, right? The Secaucus station is a monstrosity, and a huge step away from making transit appealing. It's more airline terminal than rail station, complete with anti-TOD design.

^Seems SEPTA  could learn a thing or 2 about connectivity from it's NJT neighbors.  Also consider the Frank Lautenberg Secaucus commuter rail transfer center, as well... New Jersey does transit right.

 

You're joking, right? The Secaucus station is a monstrosity, and a huge step away from making transit appealing. It's more airline terminal than rail station, complete with anti-TOD design.

 

That station's in the middle of rail yards and swamp land.  It's not developable in the sense of what you're thinking.

More like it's on the edge of rail yards and swamp. There is already housing within a few hundred meters of the station., yet the station is completely not designed to be walked or biked to.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!q=secaucus+junction\&data=!1m4!1m3!1d6380!2d-74.0775056!3d40.7628325!2m1!1e3!4m10!1m9!4m8!1m3!1d3187!2d-74.074361!3d40.76164!3m2!1i1445!2i810!4f13.1&fid=7

 

It's also the only commuter rail station I know of that you can't see someone off on the platform. It feels like going through an airport security checkpoint when you go through the ticket gates, which often have NJT police manning them (presumably to help people having issues, but still it's unfriendly). It has a very post-9/11 security state feel to it, combined with an anti-walk/bike exterior. I can't believe anyone would point at it as a good model.

What Secaucus Transfer does well is multiply the origin-destination possibilities and reduce trip-times by linking the rail corridors that once belonged to historic competitors (Pennsylvania RR and Erie RR). The reason I mention that last part is because Philadelphia still seems to adhere to those old divisions based on historic competitors, in their case between the Pennsylvania RR and the Reading RR -- even though everything is now run by SEPTA. As much as Philly did a great thing in the 1980s by building the Center City Tunnel that linked the two historic competitors, once you get out of downtown, never the train shall meet again!

 

And it's not just among the regional rail routes. Some of their streetcar lines intersect with the regional lines without any transfer stations. The most mind-boggling one is the Eastwick Loop station at the end of the #36 streetcar is next to the Airport Line. Is there a station on the Airport Line here? Nope. But there is one just a half-mile west! And the Airport Line is relatively new. Then there's the regional rail line to Paoli which has its Radnor station 1,700 feet west of the Norristown High Speed Line which has its own Radnor station just 600 feet south of the Paoli line!

 

Or the Norristown High Speed Line has its end-point station just 200 feet west of SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown Line's Norristown station. REALLY? OK, so a passenger can walk between them across a parking lot. But why? The High Speed Line bridges over the Manayunk/Norristown Line before entering its own station. Why not have a joint station where everything is under one roof?

 

And then there's North Philadelphia. While it's a rough neighborhood, it's a great place for a Secaucus-like transfer station among multiple regional lines that would multiple the origin-destination possibilities and reduce travel times in a big way.

 

 

 

Re: the Norristown High-Speed Line (Route 100)/Norristown Regional rail (formerly the R6), I recently passed through there after a friend & I attended the U.S. Open in Merion earlier this summer.  We took 100 to the old R6 and headed for drinks in Manayunk -- everybody took to the rails because cars couldn't park anywhere near the golf course... It appears that the Norristown connection has been improved; I just recall going down a couple flights of steps and onto the R6 platform...

 

... I agree, though, that SEPTA is a mess generally connectivity wise -- and maybe someday some genius will put a regional rail (and possibly Amtrak) station at the spot where the NEC, SEPTA Chestnut Hill West and Trenton lines about 100 feet from the entrance of the hugely popular, oldest Zoo in the nation (Philly's, of course).

Really, there are many artificial barriers everywhere. Philly might be exceptionally bad but there are plenty of other examples. For example, the lack of thru Long Island-New Jersey service . MN/LIRR/NJT seem to be islands unto themselves, a holdover from the old days of private RR ownership. None are compatible with the others, a ridiculous situation and to fix this would be an expensive proposition. However, it should be done to create an integrated regional system.

Maryland plans to continue investing in its commuter rail system with proposals for $2b in improvements:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/20240/marc-plan-calls-for-new-stations-more-service/