Just a little bit of news coverage from "that state to the north" on the study to examine Detroit-Lansing-Grand Rapids-Holland passenger rail:

 

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/local/holland-zeeland/2015/02/27/proposed-holland-detroit-rail-line-to-get-feasibility-study/24161411/

 

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150227/NEWS01/150229855/study-to-examine-detroit-lansing-grand-rapids-passenger-rail

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/27/study-to-examine-detroit-lansing-grand-rapids-pass/

 

http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/02/27/study-examine-detroit-lansing-grand-rapids-passenger-rail/24119329/

 

http://www.wtkg.com/articles/wood-news-125494/study-to-examine-detroitlansinggrand-rapids-passenger-13297701

 

http://www.wgvu.org/wgvunews/index.cfm?id=sdetail&sty=30750

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/02/passenger_rail_between_michiga.html

 

On track: Details for downtown Miami railway hub are revealed

BY ALFONSO [email protected]

03/09/2015 8:53 AM  03/09/2015 3:57 PM

 

Old photographs of the original Florida East Coast Railway passenger station in downtown Miami show a two-story wooden structure with a peaked roof and windows with awnings.

 

Demolished in 1963, the old train depot vanished into history after passenger rail service to Miami ended in the 1960s.

 

Work has now begun on a new station at the same spot that will bring back passenger train service — this time between Miami and Orlando.

 

Though the overall plan for the rail and business complex was disclosed last year, executives of All Aboard Florida recently described specific new details on how the station will operate and what its associated towers and buildings will contain. They also provided a timeline for construction of various structures that will make up the station and business hub they call MiamiCentral.

 

The $3 billion project, known as All Aboard Florida, is not just another two-story train depot. The new structure will be a massive complex featuring not only rail platforms but also high-end shops and restaurants as well as hotel and office towers.

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article13075355.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

 

California Drivers Are About to Give High-Speed Rail a Big Funding Boost

State cap-and-trade revenue, which now includes tailpipe credits, appear set to far outpace expectations.

ERIC JAFFE @e_jaffe Mar 5, 2015

 

The California high-speed rail project got a big funding cushion last summer when the state set aside 25 percent of cap-and-trade revenue for the $67.6 billion bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now it turns out that cushion might be much bigger than expected.

 

The state's latest budget anticipates about $1 billion dollars in total cap-and-trade revenue for 2015-16, leading to about $1.7 billion over 2014-2016. But when the state's Legislative Analyst's Office crunched the cap-and-trade numbers late last month, they were much higher. As in roughly twice as high for the LAO's most conservative 2014-16 revenue scenario, and about $6 billion higher in the most ambitious outlook.

 

While acknowledging that every cap-and-trade revenue scenario comes with some uncertainty, Brown writes that the latest carbon auction—conducted this February—was consistent with the "moderate revenue" scenario. "The low- and high-revenue scenarios are plausible, but less likely," he writes. "Under all three scenarios, state auction revenue will likely be significantly higher than what is assumed in the budget."

 

If he's correct, the state stands to bring in $3.7 billion over 2014-16. And with its 25 percent cut, high-speed rail stands to get a $925 million windfall.

 

MORE:

http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/03/california-drivers-are-about-to-give-high-speed-rail-a-big-funding-boost/386977/

We're in a new age. None of the projects in California, Texas, Florida and now Minnesota would be possible without the back-to-the-cities movement....

 

A private builder for Zip Rail?

Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 6:23 pm | Updated: 11:21 am, Wed Mar 18, 2015.

Heather J. Carlson, [email protected]

 

A Minnesota-based transportation business has emerged as the possible private-sector answer to the Zip Rail funding question.

 

The North American High Speed Rail Group has been meeting with county officials and Minnesota lawmakers to pitch its proposal for high-speed rail service between Rochester and the Twin Cities, said Wendy Meadley, the group's chief strategy officer. She said North American has pulled together a group of investors interested in the rail line and that the project would also include an economic development component that's tied into the rail corridor.

 

"The economic development piece is exactly the model that we believe has been missing in America thus far. When you look at high-speed rail, it's active and thriving around the world," Meadley said.

 

MORE:

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/politics/privately-funded-plan-for-zip-rail-emerges/article_0289cceb-9963-5c19-9903-fca521658071.html

Broaden uses of Oregon Gas Taxes?

 

A proposed ammendment to the Oregon State Constitution would allow gas ta revenue to be spent on “Surface transportation infrastructure that reduces the traffic burden of, or pollution from, motor vehicles on public highways, roads and streets in this state.”

 

SJR 16 would allow future legislation to assign a portion of motor vehicle taxes and fees for purposes such as rural bus service, safety and congestion relief projects that include transit, separated bicycle facilities such as the Sullivan’s Gulch trail, and local match for federal funds for non-highway transportation projects. Oregon received far less federal stimulus money to improve Amtrak service than did neighboring Washington because we did not have enough local match. Bridge and road tolls could be spent on transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities that provide alternatives to highway travel.

Plan to bring Tri-Rail to new All-Aboard Florida station approved by Miami Commission

Commission votes 5-0 to support spending $5.5 million

 

MIAMI - A plan to bring Tri-Rail to the new All Aboard Florida station in downtown Miami was up for a vote Thursday by the Miami commission.

 

The commission voted 5-0 to support spending $5.5 million from the city's share of half-penny transit tax proceeds.

 

The money will go into the pot for the $69 million needed to build Tri-Rail tracks and platforms at Miami Central Station.

 

MORE:

http://www.local10.com/news/plan-to-bring-trirail-to-new-allaboard-florida-station-approved-by-miami-commission/32035622

So much for progressive transportation policies in Oregon and Illinois, both of which have invested lots of tax dollars into new trains and infrastructure for higher speeds....

 

Oregon:

http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/04/amtraks_eugene-to-seattle_casc.html

 

Illinois:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/amtrak-official-details-effects-of-rauner-budget-plan/article_d897151e-b013-521f-ab0e-75795d2f82e0.html

So much for progressive transportation policies in Oregon and Illinois, both of which have invested lots of tax dollars into new trains and infrastructure for higher speeds....

 

Oregon:

http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/04/amtraks_eugene-to-seattle_casc.html

 

Illinois:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/amtrak-official-details-effects-of-rauner-budget-plan/article_d897151e-b013-521f-ab0e-75795d2f82e0.html

 

I think the feds might have something to say about this, since a lot of the money spent was federal money with certain expectations.

 

I think the feds might have something to say about this, since a lot of the money spent was federal money with certain expectations.

 

The feds will probably ask the states to give back part of the capital improvement funding if they want to proceed with their budget cutbacks. Then the state "leaders" can say -- those bad people in Washington DC are forcing us to spend money we don't want to spend. So for the next step in my phony-baloney political career, elect me to replace them and I'll make everything better!

 

Politicians. Shallower than puddles and lower than worm bellies.

 

I think the feds might have something to say about this, since a lot of the money spent was federal money with certain expectations.

 

The feds will probably ask the states to give back part of the capital improvement funding if they want to proceed with their budget cutbacks. Then the state "leaders" can say -- those bad people in Washington DC are forcing us to spend money we don't want to spend. So for the next step in my phony-baloney political career, elect me to replace them and I'll make everything better!

 

Politicians. Shallower than puddles and lower than worm bellies.

 

It's also the weakness of relying on a state driven approach. Even the "safe" states will have problems.

yesterday i saw this new vent i guess for east side access on roosevely island

 

 

 

When you see something like this (at Denver Union Station), you realize that restoration and modernization of stations (or construction of new ones) in Ohio's biggest cities isn't so crazy....

 

I'm starting to think this country is too stupid to survive:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/bill-targeting-bullet-train-project-moves-senate-f/

 

Please reassure me, America.

I'm starting to think this country is too stupid to survive:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/bill-targeting-bullet-train-project-moves-senate-f/

 

Please reassure me, America.

 

I'm sure Southwest Airlines and their 20 daily flights each way between Love and Hobby are putting money into some legislators pockets!

 

I'm sure Southwest Airlines and their 20 daily flights each way between Love and Hobby are putting money into some legislators pockets!

 

They've been the biggest obstacle to Texas HSR for 20+ years. Using government to stymie free enterprise -- the free market at work.

Restoration of Buffalo Central Terminal discussion

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/the-news-question-to-developers-how-would-you-resurrect-the-central-terminal-20150412

I was in D.C. this weekend and barely missed the debut of the new 7000 series cars, which will replace their 1000 and 4000 series cars. (The 8000 series will replace the 2000 and 3000 series cars.)

 

ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez and Federal Transit Acting Administrator Therese McMillan were in Arlington, Va., today for the launch of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) new state-of-the-art 7000-series rail cars for the Metrorail system. The new cars will belong to a fleet of more than 500 new rail cars, which are designed to provide a safer, more comfortable ride for millions of passengers and expand the Metrorail system’s capacity overall.

 

“Safety is our number one priority, and WMATA’s 7000-series rail cars are specifically designed to move hundreds of thousands of daily riders as safely as possible as they travel to work, school, doctor’s appointments and other destinations,” said Deputy Secretary Mendez.

 

The rail cars will replace all 300 of the Metrorail 1000-series cars that have been in service for nearly 40 years, fulfilling a key safety recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following the fatal Metrorail collision at Fort Totten Station in June 2009, which involved some of those cars. The WMATA accident, along with other incidents elsewhere in the United States spurred the Obama Administration to seek and ultimately secure new federal safety oversight authority.

 

The new 7000-series rail cars will eventually be deployed throughout Metrorail’s entire fleet, including the new Silver Line as it ultimately expands to serve Dulles International Airport. Secretary Foxx traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska last year, and visited the Kawasaki plant where the new rail cars were built.

 

“The time has arrived to retire the oldest, 1000-series rail cars in the Metrorail fleet and replace them with a new generation of safer vehicles,” said FTA Acting Administrator McMillan.

 

At today’s event, Deputy Secretary Mendez and Acting Administrator McMillan were joined by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and other state and local officials.

 

Investments like the 7000-series rail cars are vital to meet the transportation needs of the nation and to support local economic development. Under the Administration’s GROW AMERICA Act, a comprehensive multi-year program to fund infrastructure improvements, $115 billion is identified for investment in transit systems. The proposal significantly increases transit spending, which will enable the expansion of new projects that improve connectivity to jobs, educational and other opportunities.

 

FTA has provided over $80 million in funding to date, specifically to help fund the replacement of the 1000-series rail cars. In addition, FTA has also contributed over $54 million for 64 new rail cars through the Capital Investment Grant Program (New Starts), as part of a $900 million construction grant agreement with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for Phase 1 of the Metrorail Silver Line extension project.

I'm starting to think this country is too stupid to survive:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/bill-targeting-bullet-train-project-moves-senate-f/

 

Please reassure me, America.

 

Let's be frank, there is this certain pernicious group of white people in this country who, under the guise of "conservatism," see high-quality mass transit, esp HSR as enhancing travel, and hence economic opportunity, of minorities and the poor and, therefore view it as a threat ... This case is particularly odious, as with this excellent Dallas-to-Houston proposal, a private (let's repeat, private) company proposes to build the route entirely themselves, taking away right-wingnuter's biggest argument against HSR: it's a waste of precious taxpayer dollars... So what do the wingnuts do?  They come up with bullsh*t, supposed legal rationale not to build: in this case, private landowners, especially those all important rural folks, will supposedly have their rights trampled upon when eminent domain is used by the private rail buildings for their track ROW.  This is beyond a reach, legally, but it's unfortunately where we're at in this Country.

 

... but let's pull the covers off the root of this nonsense and call it what it is: racial prejudice and fear.

I'm starting to think this country is too stupid to survive:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/bill-targeting-bullet-train-project-moves-senate-f/

 

Please reassure me, America.

 

Let's be frank, there is this certain pernicious group of white people in this country who, under the guise of "conservatism," see high-quality mass transit, esp HSR as enhancing travel, and hence economic opportunity, of minorities and the poor and, therefore view it as a threat ... This case is particularly odious, as with this excellent Dallas-to-Houston proposal, a private (let's repeat, private) company proposes to build the route entirely themselves, taking away right-wingnuter's biggest argument against HSR: it's a waste of precious taxpayer dollars... So what do the wingnuts do?  They come up with bullsh*t, supposed legal rationale not to build: in this case, private landowners, especially those all important rural folks, will supposedly have their rights trampled upon when eminent domain is used by the private rail buildings for their track ROW.  This is beyond a reach, legally, but it's unfortunately where we're at in this Country.

 

... but let's pull the covers off the root of this nonsense and call it what it is: racial prejudice and fear.

I don't see that at all in this case.  There won't be train loads of poor people trekking from Dallas to Houston and back.  The light rail in Dallas, yep they are fighting that.    But this HSR project is all about big business.  Southwest Airlines, auto companies, highway contractors, they all have a stake in defeating it. 

When I was in Europe 10 years ago the high speed trains were roughly the same cost as a domestic flight, however in the case of France there are zero or at least very few domestic flights by Air France.  I don't know of it they bundled international travel to/from Paris via Air France in with TGV trips to Lyon or elsewhere in the country. 

 

In Texas it looks like a bullet train could easily smoke the speed and quality of service between DT Dallas and DT Houston as opposed to flights + cab rides between those same two points.  Business travelers, for sure, will pay as much or more for this high quality service.  Plus, this will be a huge boon for the downtown office values as opposed to those in the suburbs, even those very close to their respective airports. 

The biggest opponents to this Texas HSR project, as with prior Texas HSR projects, are those making money from the status quo. That includes airlines, suburban real estate developers, farmers along the route, and those who simply are afraid of the unknown. Even in Europe and Japan, there has been vocal opposition to high-speed rail projects including from farmers and towns along the route. Read my article about the fight to build Japan's Bullet Train: "Where is Our Old Man Thunder": http://www.midwesthsr.org/where-our-old-man-thunder

 

And that's exactly right about Air France. Paris-Lyon, Paris-Marseille, Paris-Lille etc were all huge markets for Air France before high-speed rail was built. Now those and other travel markets where high-speed rail was added either through new construction or upgrading of "classic" or "legacy" rail lines have virtually no air service. The Paris-Marseille route was a big air market, with those cities being 500+ miles apart. But the TGV cut the downtown-to-downtown rail travel time to 3 hours with two enroute station stops. How many people would fly between Cleveland and New York City if you could take an express train to midtown Manhattan in 3.5 hours with two enroute stations -- Pittsburgh and Philadelphia? Probably not many. Cleveland-Philadelphia flights would probably fade away too. The trick is to get airport stations on these routes and have them be served by "local" high-speed trains. The Bullet Train actually has several levels of service -- regionals, expresses and super expresses. Amtrak redesigned its Northeast Corridor trains in a similar way with regionals and Acelas.

 

The Paris-Lyon rail travel market was huge before the TGV was built. It already had very frequent, electrically powered Trans Europe Express trains running at 100+ mph and lesser trains carrying a total of 50,000 people a day -- double what Cleveland's Red Line Rapid carries. But the route had maxed out in terms of its capabilities. It was the Northeast Corridor of France with fast intercity passenger trains, regional commuter trains and freight trains all mixed together. To upgrade it to 170+ mph would have required demolishing large sections of crowded cities through which the old line ran to add more tracks. Or, they could build a totally new line with few enroute stations, gentle curves, tunneling under towns, having bridges for livestock and farming equipment in rural areas, and bypass most of the rail traffic congestion and avoiding enroute towns while using existing, upgraded tracks into central Paris and Lyon. You can follow the rail lines on Google Earth or see time-lapse videos from the locomotive's cab of these routes.

I'm starting to think this country is too stupid to survive:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/bill-targeting-bullet-train-project-moves-senate-f/

 

Please reassure me, America.

 

Let's be frank, there is this certain pernicious group of white people in this country who, under the guise of "conservatism," see high-quality mass transit, esp HSR as enhancing travel, and hence economic opportunity, of minorities and the poor and, therefore view it as a threat ... This case is particularly odious, as with this excellent Dallas-to-Houston proposal, a private (let's repeat, private) company proposes to build the route entirely themselves, taking away right-wingnuter's biggest argument against HSR: it's a waste of precious taxpayer dollars... So what do the wingnuts do?  They come up with bullsh*t, supposed legal rationale not to build: in this case, private landowners, especially those all important rural folks, will supposedly have their rights trampled upon when eminent domain is used by the private rail buildings for their track ROW.  This is beyond a reach, legally, but it's unfortunately where we're at in this Country.

 

... but let's pull the covers off the root of this nonsense and call it what it is: racial prejudice and fear.

I don't see that at all in this case.  There won't be train loads of poor people trekking from Dallas to Houston and back.  The light rail in Dallas, yep they are fighting that.    But this HSR project is all about big business.  Southwest Airlines, auto companies, highway contractors, they all have a stake in defeating it. 

 

I do.  I also don't think that many of these conservative opponents even really think about why they are against it... they just react; it's a gut reaction.  It makes no sense, but they look at all things transit, and they use terms like "social engineering" and "socialism."  ... Why?  Where does that come from?  Yeah, if they look at the NEC and see how much Amtrak, especially Acela charges -- usually much more than discount airlines in the NEC -- and they'd realize that even middle income individuals can't afford the trains... Even a number of my professional, 6-figure income friends and associates opt for Peter Pan buses, or the Megabus, for travel in the corridor because they'd rather not pony up for the expensive trains...

 

But that's the problem with America right now and why we're declining as a superpower ... people don't THINK, they REACT.

 

Yeah, I agree that airlines like Southwest do oppose project like this, but I don't believe that their as motivated as conservatives like Big Oil and people like the Koch Brothers, who love to throw red meat at people who know these conservative suburban and rural whites will react.  And as much as I believe in the parallel backward, anti-poor/minority reaction to urban rail transit, I don't think it's relevant ... even in Texas, because, as you can see by national and local political maps displaying how polarized this country is, most cities are populated and controlled by Democrats ... even in the South and  even in conservative bastions like Texas.

But that's the problem with America right now and why we're declining as a superpower ... people don't THINK, they REACT.

 

Well said.

Meet the Opposition to Texas High-Speed Rail

Don't mess with their roads.

ERIC JAFFE @e_jaffe Apr 15, 2015

 

Turns out you don't need to rely on public money to be hated as a U.S. high-speed rail project. That much is becoming clear from the battering being given to a big Texas bullet train plan that's privately funded.

 

A quick recap: Texas Central Railway, a private firm, is pushing a very promising proposal to link Dallas and Houston with a Japanese-style high-speed train capable of doing the trip at 200 mph. By relying on investors rather than taxpayers, the plan seemed poised to avoid a lot of the fiscal (slash ideological) squabbles that have plagued its federally-funded counterparts in California, Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

 

But with the project advancing toward route selection and environmental review, an intense opposition has emerged. It's taken the form of anti-HSR groups (e.g. No Texas Central and Texans Against High Speed Rail), local legislation designed to stop the project, packed and panicked community meetings, and pleas for Congressional representatives to block any applications made by Texas Central to the Surface Transportation Board.

 

So far the high-speed rail pushback seems to be falling into three broad categories.

 

MORE:

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/04/meet-the-opposition-to-texas-high-speed-rail/390576/

_________

 

A theme suggested by a friend to show that opposition for opposition's sake is a longstanding tradition....

 

wow the honolulu transit rail project has an unbelievable amount of construction going on:

 

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=161845&page=7

 

honolulutransit.org

 

the experimental japanese maglev train hits 375mph!

 

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/world/japan-maglev-train-breaks-speed-record-361-mph-article-1.2192584

 

That Tokyo-Osaka link is similar in length to a Cincinnati-Cleveland link. With a quick layover in Columbus you could be talking an hour and a half trip from a station in Cincy to a station in Cleveland. Cut the trip down to 40% of it's current length and reap the benefits of linking together our three biggest cities in a manner that a highway or normal train would never be able to do.

 

I can dream.

^ Wouldn't that be wonderful!  That's the only way rail can succeed in Ohio.

^ Wouldn't that be wonderful!  That's the only way rail can succeed in Ohio.

 

We just need to attack another country, have them thoroughly bomb, nuke and defeat us, rebuild us, defend us, then buy all our products.    Until then, our politicians are content to relive their glory days, in the mid to late 20th century.

Ohio had a cross-state bullet train bond issue voted down in 1982.  The concept was still discussed throughout the 1980s:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19890616&id=g0RPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BAMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7050,2698840&hl=en

 

In Cincinnati trains would have left Union Terminal in a new tunnel under Camp Washington and emerged on a line parallel to the B&O between I-75 and the Mill Creek just east of Ludlow Ave.  The bullet train would have then risen onto a dedicated 10-mile viaduct from the Ivorydale Junction at Mitchell Ave. up to Sharonville. 

Yonah Freemark ‏@yfreemark  43s43 seconds ago

Which dense areas of New York have Subway access, and which ones don't?

Explore http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2015/04/27/utica-avenue-onenyc-and-new-yorks-growth/

 

a blurb vis the nypost:

 

 

Metro-North had highest ridership ever in 2014

By Rebecca HarshbargerApril 27, 2015 | 12:16pm

 

 

Metro-North ridership in 2014 was at an all-time high, officials said Monday.

 

More than 84.6 million people rode the railroad in 2014, up from 83.3 million in 2013. Ridership climbed almost 7 percent west of the Hudson, particularly on the Pascack Valley line.

 

Much of the growth happened outside of rush hour and on trips that did not begin or end in Manhattan. There are more Bronx residents commuting to Westchester, as well as a larger number of Westchester residents working in Greenwich and Stamford.

 

“In another era, young people would buy a car with their first paycheck,” MTA boss Thomas Prendergast said in a statement. “More of them are buying train passes and MetroCards.”

 

Metro-North credited a strong local economy and the addition of more than 250 trains in 2013 and 2014 for setting the record.

 

The LIRR also saw a 3 percent boost in ridership to 85.6 million riders a year. It is the third-highest year in LIRR ridership history.

 

The MTA attributed the increase to the popularity of Barclays Center next to the Atlantic Avenue Terminal, as well to new trains it added in 2014 on the West Hempstead and Babylon branches.

That Tokyo-Osaka link is similar in length to a Cincinnati-Cleveland link. With a quick layover in Columbus you could be talking an hour and a half trip from a station in Cincy to a station in Cleveland. Cut the trip down to 40% of it's current length and reap the benefits of linking together our three biggest cities in a manner that a highway or normal train would never be able to do.

 

I can dream.

 

the shinkansen bullet train is great, but i like how japan is building the new unperfected maglev line while they experiment with it. there is already a working maglev line in shanghai. there used to be two in europe as well. this will be the rolls royce or bentley or more like speedy lamborghini of commuter rail service when it opens. yes why can't ohio have nice things, but unfortunately as we well know something like that takes a national effort, costs a bazillion bucks and even in japan takes decades. a shame ohio's own bullet train effort was killed in the 1980s, we can only wonder what it would be like if it was built and had the service running today.

Maglev is the transportation of the future. And always will be.

All Aboard Florida ‏@AllAboardFla  6m6 minutes ago

We think modern, express rail service w/Wi-Fi will appeal to some of the millions traveling between Miami & Orlando http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/morning-edition/2015/05/all-aboard-florida-unveils-fares-expects-5-3m.html …

Philadelphia 30th Street Station planning group reveals three new concepts for building over rail  yards

By: Niki Gianakaris

June 22, 2015

 

Amtrak and its partners in the Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan hosted an open house on June 17 for the public to hear about the progress of the planning process for the 175-acre area surrounding the station.

 

The team, led by Amtrak, Drexel, Brandywine Realty Trust, PennDOT, SEPTA and other stakeholders, unveiled three distinct visions for the future of the Philadelphia 30th Street Station District. Interested parties and the public were asked to provide feedback on various elements included in the concepts.

 

The concepts are divided into three themes: “Central Business District 2,” a Center City-meets-University City Science Center type office district featuring a Schuylkill-fronting park above a decked-over I-76; “Schuylkill Crossing,” a more residential, mixed-use neighborhood emphasizing multi-modal transportation, and; “Innovation City,” an R&D campus matching Drexel’s “Innovation Neighborhood” that uses innovative building design to bridge rail yards centered around a centrally-located public space.

 

MORE:

http://drexel.edu/now/archive/2015/June/Amtrak-Drexel-Partners-Open-House/

Video of testing in the new 3-mile light rail tunnel in Seattle:

Awesomeness in Denver....

 

RTD ‏@RideRTD  6h6 hours ago

#RTDFasPhotoFriday: Commuter train testing on the A Line. Take a tour of the East Rail. Info: http://bit.ly/1s50e5r 

Awesomeness in Denver....

 

RTD ‏@RideRTD  6h6 hours ago

#RTDFasPhotoFriday: Commuter train testing on the A Line. Take a tour of the East Rail. Info: http://bit.ly/1s50e5r 

 

While places like Cleveland, Baltimore, Detroit and others fumble around with their backwards pro-roads/anti-transit and even racially-based, politics thwarting rail transit growth, it's totally refreshing to see Denver's amazing rail transit growth.  We had the sloganeering for the Cavs, but when it comes to an issue as important as Smart Growth, TOD and sustainability, Denver is truly ALL IN!.

July 9, 2015

Will the Gateway tunnel ever happen? Amtrak has bet $300 million that it will

Chairman Anthony Coscia said the project's next step, an environmental review, could begin this fall.

Andrew J. Hawkins By Andrew J. Hawkins 

 

Stop us if you've heard this one:

 

A new train tunnel linking New York and New Jersey, seen by experts as crucial to relieving the bottleneck under the Hudson River, is on the verge of getting underway.

 

"We're doing it," Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia told the Crain's editorial board Wednesday.

 

Mr. Coscia said Amtrak could begin the environmental review process this fall, and has already spent about $300 million on preparatory work and land acquisition, even though the estimated $15 billion needed for the larger Gateway project, which includes the tunnel, has not been lined up.

 

"We're taking precious resources and spending it on a project we don't have all the money to build," he said. "It's either a very silly decision or a very critical one."

 

MORE:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150709/BLOGS04/150709912

^It's really amazing, and bewildering, when you think of all the time and money wasted by the canceling of major rail transit projects by posturing Republican pols -- even going back to Reagan's 1981 cancelling the NEC electrification project (from New Haven to Boston), which cost the nation billions of dollars, and 2 decades, before the project was finally completed under Clinton (a Democrat) and the much-improved Acela took a bow in 2000. 

 

The loss of these critical Hudson River tunnels at the hands of Chris Christie is just one of the long litany of Republican-cancelled major train/transit projects (ie Ohio/3-Cs Amtrak/Kasich), the latest of which was the Baltimore LRT Red Line last month. ... I just which the electorate, esp rail and transit advocates, would learn their lesson and get off their collective oft-lazy arses and fight to defeat these Republican legislators who have clearly telegraphed their anti-city, anti-transit motivations ... and as the 1980s Ronald Reagan example proves, it's far from being a recent phenomena. 

Yep, lil' ol' Vermont....

 

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Vermont proposes passenger rail expansion

Written by Keith Barrow

 

A MAJOR expansion of passenger rail services in Vermont is proposed as part of the state's new rail plan, which identifies capital investment priorities for the next 20 years.

 

Vermont is currently served by two state-sponsored Amtrak services, the Vermonter from New York to St Albans and the Ethan Allen Express from Washington DC to Rutland. New York is the key destination for passengers on these services, accounting for around three quarters of ridership in 2013.

 

Vermont Transportation Agency's rail plan - the first since 2006 - aims to support the goal set out in the 2011 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan, which seeks to quadruple inter-city passenger rail ridership in the state to 400,000 by 2030.

 

MORE:

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/north-america/vermont-proposes-passenger-rail-expansion.html?channel=535

per pix11 - not holding my breadth, but there us a date:

 

 

Finally! Opening date announced for 7 train extension

 

POSTED 1:36 PM, JULY 20, 2015, BY GREG MOCKER

 

 

After years of delays, the MTA announced the 7 train extension to Manhattan’s West Side will open by Sept. 13, 2015.

 

For months the opening date has been pushed back because of final safety checks and escalator installation.

 

The MTA is managing the project and contractors have been working to build the extension. It runs about a mile from Times Square-42nd Street to the station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan. Hudson Yards, a giant residential and commercial development, is one of the projects rising in the area.

 

In December 2013, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg went for a ceremonial ride on the unfinished stretch of subway. The project was funded by the city. Plans for another stop at 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue were scrapped due to the cost.

 

per pix11 - not holding my breadth, but there us a date:

 

 

Finally! Opening date announced for 7 train extension

 

POSTED 1:36 PM, JULY 20, 2015, BY GREG MOCKER

 

 

After years of delays, the MTA announced the 7 train extension to Manhattan’s West Side will open by Sept. 13, 2015.

 

For months the opening date has been pushed back because of final safety checks and escalator installation.

 

The MTA is managing the project and contractors have been working to build the extension. It runs about a mile from Times Square-42nd Street to the station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan. Hudson Yards, a giant residential and commercial development, is one of the projects rising in the area.

 

In December 2013, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg went for a ceremonial ride on the unfinished stretch of subway. The project was funded by the city. Plans for another stop at 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue were scrapped due to the cost.

 

 

mrnyc, I was just on NJT into Mahnattan this weekend, and noticed that the famed open-well (sunlight) portal from the Hudson River tunnel into Penn Station has finally been darkened/covered.  What is/has been built over top of it?

Likely the casing to protect the Gateway project from the Hudson Yards development....

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28123.msg731362.html#msg731362

Sneak Peek at Passenger Train Project Connecting Miami to Orlando

By Rodney Spencer

Updated at 6:55 PM EDT on Thursday, Jul 23, 2015

 

It looks like plans for All Aboard Florida, the high passenger train that will be making stops from Miami to Orlando, is right on track.

 

Downtown Miami's terminal will be the heart of the whole railroad.

 

"This is the Miami Central Station. That's the home for the All Aboard train service," explained Scott Sanders with All Aboard Florida.

Sanders described the massive transportation complex being built in downtown, "Five train tracks, all in the air."

 

MORE:

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Sneak-Peek-at-Passenger-Train-Project-Connecting-Miami-to-Orlando-318336821.html

the nj commuter nightmare to come:

 

http://m.nydailynews.com/opinion/sandy-hornick-n-commuter-nightmare-article-1.2303546

 

The immaturity of America's politicians are destroying the foundations of this nation....

 

Aging Infrastructure Plagues Nation’s Busiest Rail Corridor

NY Times

JULY 26, 2015

By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS and DAVID W. CHEN

 

In Maryland, a century-old rail tunnel needed emergency repairs this winter because of soil erosion from leaks, causing widespread train delays.

 

In Connecticut, an aging swing bridge failed to close twice last summer, shutting train service and stranding passengers.

 

And last week, New Jersey Transit riders had a truly torturous experience. There were major delays on four days because of problems with overhead electrical wires and a power substation, leaving thousands of commuters stalled for hours. One frustrated rider, responding to yet another New Jersey Transit Twitter post announcing a problem, replied: “Just easier to alert us when there aren’t delays.”

 

These troubles have become all too common on the Northeast Corridor, the nation’s busiest rail sector, which stretches from Washington to Boston and carries about 750,000 riders each day on Amtrak and several commuter rail lines. The corridor’s ridership has doubled in the last 30 years even as its old and overloaded infrastructure of tracks, power lines, bridges and tunnels has begun to wear out. And with Amtrak and local transit agencies struggling to secure funding, many fear the disruptions will continue to worsen in the years ahead.

 

MORE:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/nyregion/aging-infrastructure-plagues-nations-busiest-rail-corridor.html

So $4 billion for LaGuardia Airport but they can't find $1 billion to overhaul the much busier Penn Station? http://t.co/ePXT9lfeQI

Isn't that less because of a preference for air travel and more because they want the Penn Station redevelopment to be a part of a seriously gigantic renewal scheme?

 

I haven't heard anything recently but know there were a handful of proposals the city chose from as a basis for what they wanted to do. Including redeveloping the neighboring former post office into a station expansion, a new station, the demolition of MSG, the demolition of the existing office tower over Penn Station, and the redevelopment of that land and a ton of the land surrounding that area leading all the way out to the Hudson.

 

As far as I've heard from people who worked on those proposals the city wants to take a "do it big or don't do it at all" approach to the reconstruction of Penn Station. So an even more massive project than, say, Hudson Yards which it would potentially connect to.