^ So does this put an end to the possibility of moving Madison Square Garden elsewhere?

I assume the current plan is a variation of the old plan which was to convert the Farley post office next door. The post office was built at the same time as the original Pennsylvania Station and is similarly magnificent in design and scale. It would make a wonderful station and be befitting of America's largest city.

yes it includes another $1B i think for the farley post office

 

msg arena would stay, but the theater would be torn out.

 

it will still not be big enough though.

 

more penn news & renders:

 

http://m.ny.curbed.com/archives/2016/01/07/penn_stations_3b_renovation_plans_revealed.php

 

here's another newly unveiled proposal developers are pushing for a $1.7B lightrail line along 17m of brooklyn-queens waterfront:

 

http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/1-7b-streetcar-route-desired-brooklyn-queens-waterfront-article-1.2486682

 

ho boy ny gov cuomo is on a roll.

 

he announced some improvements designed to appeal to millennials:

 

- wifi in all stations by end of the year

- digital system rolled out in 2017, replacing metro card in 2018

- busses get charging devices

- more countdown clocks

- contractor design-build vs gov design-contractor build system

- new lirr suburban commuter rail > floral park to hicksville

 

http://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-upgrades-to-be-millennial-friendly-cuomo-says-1.11305287

Meanwhile, upstate....

 

More train service for Saratoga?

State still silent on whether it will add more trains to upstate

By Eric Anderson Updated 2:14 pm, Saturday, January 9, 2016

 

It'll be up to state transportation officials to decide whether Schenectady and Saratoga Springs see more passenger rail service, now that the last physical hurdle is about to be removed.

 

A second track between Albany and Schenectady will remove a decades-long bottleneck, allowing more frequent service.

 

The service is subsidized by New York state, which will have to decide whether the expense of extending trains that now start and terminate at Rensselaer is worth the cost.

 

While Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week unveiled billions of dollars in new passenger rail infrastructure, including a $3 billion revamping of Manhattan's Penn Station, he's been silent on additional rail improvements upstate.

 

MORE:

http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-business/article/More-train-service-for-Saratoga-6743129.php

High Speed Rail Supporters,

 

Will you take a minute to go to the California High Speed Rail Facebook page, "Like" it, and rate it leaving a comment?  We'd like to beef up the support from around the country for the nation's first HSR system now under construction.  Additionally, there are comments from detractors we'd like to counter. 

 

Take a moment by clicking here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaHighSpeedRail?ref=search&v=wall

 

And send this message out to your HSR friends and allies, asking them to help pump up support for the construction currently under way.  This FB page is an excellent way to follow updates on the progress of construction in the Central Valley, the request for proposals, the awarding of contracts, the preliminary work being done in the Los Angeles and San Francisco bookends, etc. 

 

Plus, your support shows those few against the project that our support it is broad and deep.

 

It's about time the USA caught up with 17 other countries around the world and built a first class, high speed rail system that will connect Los Angeles to San Francisco in under 3 hours, faster than airplane given airport security lines, the need to be at the airport an hour before departure, delays, etc.  People living in Fresno will be able to get to Los Angeles or San Francisco in little more than an hour, Bakersfield folks will get to LA in 30 minutes.  HSR will transform the Central Valley, long isolated from the economic engines of LA and SF.  California's HSR project will spawn a renaissance of passenger rail travel in the country.  Construction has started.  Let's get it built!

 

Thanks for your help!

^^^^

Dear California.  Your welcome.

 

Signed,

John Kasich and the Flyover Ohioans, from somewhere on I71.

Raritan Valley Rail Coalition releases video for expanded 1-seat ride to NYC on @NJTransit https://t.co/G8WgtGYFUA via @rvrailcoalition

Ride Along The Rails from Raleigh to Charlotte, #NC - see the work done with the Piedmont… https://t.co/foXGIwX6TM https://t.co/vKvBFAvuAb

California bullet train headed first to San Jose -- a big Bay Area win

By Jessica Calefati [email protected]© Copyright 2016, Bay Area News Group

POSTED:  02/17/2016 06:59:50 PM PST

 

SACRAMENTO -- In a huge win for the Bay Area, the state will build the first 250 miles of bullet train track between San Jose and the Bakersfield area and now aims to offer service on the line in less than a decade, according to a report set to be released Friday.

 

The new plan represents a seismic shift from the California High-Speed Rail Authority's 2012 decision to build the first segment of the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles rail line between Burbank and the Central Valley.

 

In the draft report obtained Wednesday by this newspaper, the authority says it had to change course to keep costs down, in large part because the southern segment will entail expensive tunneling costs through the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains.

 

MORE:

http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_29529618/california-bullet-train-headed-first-san-jose-big

Unbelievable...that dump Bakersfield could become a commuter suburb of Silicon Valley! 

Unbelievable...that dump Bakersfield could become a commuter suburb of Silicon Valley! 

 

They will hail John Kasich as a forward thinking leader (for sending all that money...)

The costs associated with getting into LA versus SF from the central valley are staggering...I looked it up last night and they're considering a tunnel up to *20 miles* in length from Palmdale beneath the mountains southwest to the Burbank airport.  There the line would then join the existing commuter rail tracks for the final 8~ miles to LA's union station.  There is already a commuter rail line to Palmdale, and the original plan was to upgrade that track, and ultimately that's what will probably end up happening because the cost is no doubt less than half the cost of the 20-mile tunnel.

 

So in both LA and SF there are plans to electrify at least part of the existing commuter tracks to enable the HSR trains to get in, but that means that some of the commuter trains will also be able to electrify.  Just think if we built electric HSR in Ohio -- there would also be the opportunity for high quality commuter service on those same tracks.  In one direction for Cleveland and Cincinnati, but in two directions for Columbus.     

^ a lot of people imagine it, it can still happen and probably will at some point. california, texas and florida will have to be impressive successful examples first, which they will be.

 

 

this is supposed to open next week:

 

http://nypost.com/2016/02/23/4-billion-buys-the-worlds-ugliest-commuter-rail-stop/

 

^That PATH project has become such an embarrassment.

 

So in both LA and SF there are plans to electrify at least part of the existing commuter tracks to enable the HSR trains to get in, but that means that some of the commuter trains will also be able to electrify.  Just think if we built electric HSR in Ohio -- there would also be the opportunity for high quality commuter service on those same tracks.  In one direction for Cleveland and Cincinnati, but in two directions for Columbus.     

 

Do any of you guys know why the MBTA (or its contract operator) has continued running diesel trains on the Providence commuter line, which follows the NEC?  Is it a fleet maintenance issue, where mixing types just adds too much cost?

Do any of you guys know why the MBTA (or its contract operator) has continued running diesel trains on the Providence commuter line, which follows the NEC?  Is it a fleet maintenance issue, where mixing types just adds too much cost?

 

Fleet deployment and maintenance are the issues. This is the only electrified rail corridor in the MBTA system, so MBTA has been reluctant to add another fleet type just for one route. It means having to keep a few extra spares just for this one route, whereas it can share spares with other routes such as for special services, maintenance cycling, accidents, extreme weather, etc.

 

Interestingly, there's the possibility that MBTA will acquire DMUs for its planned Indigo Lines (the high-capacity inner cores of various routes including the new connection to North Station). And the new South Coast Rail services to Fall River could be developed with electrification, thereby justifying MBTA acquiring a fleet of electric locomotives. This is the MBTA long-range plan....

 

That chart also shows expansion of the Silver Line bus service.  What's crazy is that they have pushed the critical tunnel connection off current planning, so the one-seat ride between Dudley Square and the airport still doesn't exist.  So you now have to ride a surface "silver line" bus to South Station, then walk down the steps into the tunnel that was finished back around 2002, then ride another "silver line" bus to the airport.  The existing tunnel is apparently getting a ton of use because of the growing south waterfront.  Most of that use is from commuter rail or red line passengers. 

Get ready to feel old. This week marks the 50th Anniversary of Toronto's Bloor-Danforth subway line - the second subway line to open in Toronto.

 

The Bloor-Danforth subway transports approximately 500,000 people a day - about as many people as crowd the 18 lanes of the Highway 401 is cars at the busiest point.

 

The Bloor-Danforth subway was part of Toronto's post war metropolitan plan to build a metropolitan area centered around transit. And is one of the reasons Toronto has one of the highest transit usage rates in North America.

 

Can you imagine Toronto without what is one of the most heavily used subway networks in the world? Here's a couple of interesting articles....

 

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2015/07/08/oldest-bit-toronto-subway-opened-50-years-ago/

 

https://nowtoronto.com/art-and-books/art/celebrate-the-ttc-bloor-danforth-line-s-50th-anniversary-at-/

 

 

I've found a pretty cool Amtrak trains arrivals/departures display website for a specific station. They call it a "solari board", I don't know what that means, but, it somewhat looks like an old flip-style alarm clock. It really shows how major hubs around us (WAS, NYP, CHI) are presumably jam packed, or atleast have busy schedules.

 

Cleveland (0 upcoming events)

http://dixielandsoftware.net/Amtrak/solari/stations.php?data=CLE&tz=ET

 

Cincinnati (0 upcoming events)

http://dixielandsoftware.net/Amtrak/solari/stations.php?data=CIN&tz=ET

 

Washington DC (12+ trains in the next 2 hours)

http://dixielandsoftware.net/Amtrak/solari/stations.php?data=WAS&tz=ET

 

Chicago (12+ trains in the next 2 hours)

http://dixielandsoftware.net/Amtrak/solari/stations.php?data=CHI&tz=CT

 

 

If anyone wants to check this at 2am, you might be able to see an event for CLE.

Solari was a famous manufacturer of this type of mechanical display. There are very few of them left because of the intensive maintenance of all the mechanical parts. There still is a well-known one at 30th Street in Philadelphia.

 

3/2/2016

Rail News: Passenger Rail

SEPTA slates meetings on Norristown line extension

 

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has scheduled three public meetings to review plans for a project to extend the Norristown High Speed Line into King of Prussia and Upper Merion Township, Pa.

 

Known as the King of Prussia Rail Project, the extension would provide a direct, one-seat ride from the Norristown Transportation Center to various destinations in the King of Prussia and Valley Forge area, SEPTA officials said in a press release. 

 

At the meetings, representatives from SEPTA and the King of Prussia Rail Project consultant team will give an overview of recent activities, including the selection of the recommended locally preferred alternative, which was chosen from five possible routes.

 

MORE:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/SEPTA-slates-meetings-on-Norristown-line-extension--47474

 

From http://kingofprussiarail.com ....

Meanwhile at the other end of the state....

 

On track for a game-changer?: Officials considering new funding option for commuter rail line to connect Johnstown, Altoona to Pittsburgh

By Kecia Bal

[email protected]  Feb 28, 2016

 

The chuff of trains departing from Johnstown Railroad Station – and people leaving on a one-way trip – soon may switch to the bustle of two-way commuter service.

 

A concept to enhance passenger rail stops between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, tossed around and studied since the 1980s, now has a viable funding option under the newly enacted, 5-year federal transportation bill – and local and state officials say it could be a game-changer for western Pennsylvania cities in general, and Johnstown in particular.

 

"I think there's a pretty strong case for the addition of more trips from Amtrak through to Pittsburgh as an economic tool for the Johnstown region and other areas," state House Transportation Committee Chairman state Rep. John Taylor, R-Philadelphia, said. "People could get in and out of Pittsburgh for the day. Now, you really can't get there via Amtrak, work for the day and get back."

 

MORE:

http://www.tribdem.com/news/on-track-for-a-game-changer-officials-considering-new-funding/article_3fa293f8-dd86-11e5-ba66-072d0c852e6c.html

But wait, there's more....

 

Ohio company's CNG-fueled technology poised to provide cost advantage to rail proposals

By Kecia Bal

[email protected]  Feb 28, 2016

 

Languishing electric railcars – forged of steel in the 1950s and '60s – could provide an advantage to state legislators and others who want to use existing rail lines to better connect Johnstown and Altoona to other regional cities, including Pittsburgh, by creating same-day, two-way service.

 

US Railcar Co.'s Ohio Railcar Group hopes to finalize a $10 million funding package in the next week to perform a pilot program for its compressed natural gas operated Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) design for rail vehicles, company board Chairman Barry Fromm said.

 

The company has an arrangement with New York Metropolitan Transit Authority's Long Island Railroad to use four 60-year-old stainless steel, electric-drive railcars as the test for the proprietary technology. If the project goes well, that could be good news for efforts to enhance rail service in the Keystone State, Fromm said.

 

"We would do all the work with this capital we're raising to get parts engineered and tested," he said. "So, in a year and a half, we will have it proven and then could take orders for the Pennsylvania line."

 

MORE:

http://www.tribdem.com/news/business/ohio-company-s-cng-fueled-technology-poised-to-provide-cost/article_037cecde-0c57-5647-b18f-4df874c4259b.html

And New Hampshire too....

 

Rail allies pitch plan for federal funding

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1077702-469/rail-allies-pitch-plan-for-federal-funding.html

^^^^Good to see SEPTA pushing ahead with the Norristown HSL extension to KOP and Valley Forge.  I hadn't heard anything about it for a long time and presumed it dead.

 

^^^The Johnston-Altoona-Pittsburgh commuter line makes sense.  Amtrak's paltry 1-round-trip-per-day Philadelphia-to-Pittsburgh "Pennsylvanian" is extremely scenic and well patronized.  And both times I've taken it, it was right on time despite the fact the route is extremely busy with freight runs.

 

^^Insult-to-injury... I guess we should be proud that an Ohio rail car division could be the builder of state-of-the-art DMU cars for the Pittsburgh commuter route... Too bad we're too dumb and backwards here in Ohio to develop any similar kind of regional or commuter passenger rail.

^ you mean rebuild one. ne ohio once had commuter rail.

 

 

opening today - soaring symbol of a boondoggle sez the times:

 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/arts/design/santiago-calatravas-transit-hub-is-a-soaring-symbol-of-a-boondoggle.html?_r=0

 

3/2/2016

Rail News: Passenger Rail

SEPTA slates meetings on Norristown line extension

 

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has scheduled three public meetings to review plans for a project to extend the Norristown High Speed Line into King of Prussia and Upper Merion Township, Pa.

 

Known as the King of Prussia Rail Project, the extension would provide a direct, one-seat ride from the Norristown Transportation Center to various destinations in the King of Prussia and Valley Forge area, SEPTA officials said in a press release. 

 

At the meetings, representatives from SEPTA and the King of Prussia Rail Project consultant team will give an overview of recent activities, including the selection of the recommended locally preferred alternative, which was chosen from five possible routes.

 

MORE:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/SEPTA-slates-meetings-on-Norristown-line-extension--47474

 

From http://kingofprussiarail.com ....

 

Must be nice to live in a city where transit leaders actually decide to build rail, and move forward with it, as opposed to here, where it's, let's see, even though rail is the OBVIOUS choice, 'let's save money and go with BRT.'

Philadelphia was in a situation similar to Cleveland until Fall 2013. SE Pennsylvania (I emphasize Philly has a multi-county transit system) wasn't able to do a thing with rebuilding its decaying rail system let alone expand it. It wasn't until the state approved a long-term SIGNIFICANT transit funding initiative with $500 million PER YEAR in ADDITIONAL transit funding. Even before this, Pennsylvania was vastly outspending all of Ohio on transit just for Pittsburgh!

 

The state's addition of $500 million per year for transit means Philadelphia can believe in rail in a meaningful way -- not just with wishful thinking.

^Then maybe transit leaders in Ohio, esp from Cleveland, the largest and only multi-modal system, just aren't lobbying Columbus effectively enough. 

Moved my response to:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2768.msg793179.html#msg793179

open!

 

 

Oculus, World Trade Center PATH hub, draws mixed response

 

By Jason Shaltiel  [email protected] March 4, 2016

 

 

 

 

The first phase of the long awaited Oculus, the World Trade Center PATH hub, opened on Thursday after years of delays and with a $4 billion cost that’s $2 billion more than anticipated.

Hundreds of construction workers, New Yorkers and tourists joined the prime architect of the hub, Santiago Calatrava, in the otherwise empty white hall for the subdued grand opening on Thursday. And, by and large, they had a mixed reaction to the structure.

 

“For the past two years, I’ve been taking the PATH to class and I’ve seen them working on it and it just looks like ribs — abnormal ribs outside — I don’t get it,” said Jinane Essasri, 19, a student and photographer from Jersey City. “The white is beautiful but … it’s a waste of money.”

Others hailed the hub as pleasant but not worth the price.

 

“To me, $4 billion seems a little much for what we’re getting; they could have used the money to widen the platforms and add a second escalator,” said Jim Murphy, 51, an auditor from upstate Nanuet who regularly rides the PATH train daily. “You can’t justify the price.”

 

Only the side entrances for the hub were open yesterday and dozens had difficulty finding their way inside. Liya Pangiyes, a 24-year-old nurse from Williamsburg, and her two friends were directed in and out of the main PATH entrance several times before finding one of the direct side entrances to the Oculus on their own.

“If they scheduled this kind of opening, there should be more organization,” Pangiyes said.

 

But despite the rocky start and shaky years that preceded it, the Oculus symbolized hope for many New Yorkers, in a place that was desolated and ruined after 9/11.

“It’s more than a train station... it’s a celebration of light,” said Reed Morrison, a 64-year-old architect from Greenwich Village. “No work of art is evaluated by how much it cost or how long it took to produce,” Morrison added.

 

more:

http://www.amny.com/transit/oculus-world-trade-center-path-hub-draws-mixed-response-1.11537096

cuomo call out penn station:

 

http://nypost.com/2016/03/08/cuomo-penn-station-looks-like-seven-levels-of-hell/

 

He's on a roll. Cuomo also called having so many grade crossings a travesty just the other day, yet a couple years after the Metro North crash and said they should all be closed. There's 5,300 grade crossings in NY state and at $5 million a pop (on average), that's $26.5 BILLION. Even if just all the crossing on commuter rail lines were closed, that's a massive  expense and the average cost per grade separation would be higher than $5 million given that the crossings are in more urbanized areas.

i checked out the oculusity last weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a tour already

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vacant train terminal to transform into Metro Rail stop

 

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A vacant train terminal on Buffalo’s waterfront will officially be brought back to life in the form of an NFTA Metro Rail stop.

 

Officials at the NFTA officially approved one of a few submitted plans to extend Buffalo’s only subway system that travels in two directions across the Queen City on Friday. The plan will breathe life back into the old DL&W station along the water’s edge.

 

http://wivb.com/2016/03/25/vacant-train-terminal-to-transform-into-metro-rail-stop/

What do you think of Boston Back Bay station's proposed new look? https://t.co/Muy2Nga2is https://t.co/VK0fVtvjtV

Officials Optimistic about Expanding Amtrak Service in Illinois

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/04/02/officials-optimistic-about-expanding-amtrak-service-in-illinois/

Interregional Travel: A New Perspective for Policy Making

 

TRB Special Report 320: Interregional Travel: A New Perspective for Policy Making examines the demand for and supply of interregional transportation in the United States. Major additions to transportation infrastructure, including high-speed rail, are being considered for some of the country’s most heavily traveled 100- to 500-mile corridors. The availability and use of the automobile, airplane, and train for interregional travel are reviewed along with the rejuvenated intercity bus. U.S. interregional corridors and transportation options are contrasted with those in Japan and Europe, where substantial investments have been made in passenger rail.

 

Public investments in new, long-lived transportation infrastructure can be risky because of uncertainty about future demand and the development of new technologies and competing transportation services. Decisionmakers in interregional corridors face the added challenge of having to coordinate investments across multiple jurisdictions. The report recommends actions to reduce this uncertainty and create stronger institutional means for developing the country’s interregional corridors.

 

Video & publication at:

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/173764.aspx

SEPTA plans for feasibility study to restore rail service to West Chester

By Candice Monhollan, cmonhollan@ 21st-centurymedia.com, @CMonhollanDLN on Twitter

POSTED: 04/30/16, 7:55 PM EDT | UPDATED: 9 HRS AGO 2 COMMENTS

 

WEST CHESTER >> If someone was interested in hopping aboard a train in West Chester, they would have to do it for just a trip down memory lane instead of commuting somewhere.

 

However, that may change.

 

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), in the middle of laying out its five-year financial plan and 2017 budget, is planning to do a feasibility study about restoring rail service to West Chester.

 

MORE:

http://www.delcotimes.com/article/DC/20160430/NEWS/160439987

Massachusetts forcing Sommerville and Cambridge to chip in $75 million toward Green Line extension:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/05/somerville-cambridge-offer-save-green-line-extension/KshdOlmqGsMmx9GPeV81tK/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline&s_campaign=

 

 

This is hilarious from the Ohio perspective, where the state spends less on public transportation than cutting the grass along the interstates.

(Greater) Boston is in a truly unique place regarding transit in the US, in that it is a state capital city in addition to being the largest city in the state and the only one with rail transit.

 

That's not the case for NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, Chicago, LA, SF, Seattle, Cinti, Cleveland. Really only Denver and Baltimore are in the same situation as Boston. I don't know the history of Baltimore's early attempts as subway rapid transit, so conceivably but for a few different choices, it could be in the same situation as Boston; a capital city in possession of a legacy transit system.

 

 

^ Baltimore isn't the capital and its rail system wasn't built until the 80s

Ohhhh boy, thanks. good call there. Annapolis is the capital. I knew its rail line was recent, so politically it's in the same position as the other cities I mentioned.

Ohhhh boy, thanks. good call there. Annapolis is the capital. I knew its rail line was recent, so politically it's in the same position as the other cities I mentioned.

 

Gotcha, I misread that second part. I was always curious why Baltimore never had an earlier subway, like New York, Boston, Philly. Found this interesting brief write up about the history there: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-01-26/features/0201260061_1_subway-baltimore-transit-system-in-baltimore

Baltimore also enjoys almost 100% state funding for bus and rail.  This came about because when the Washington Metro was planned into suburban Maryland, only the state could pay for it since those counties were so thinly populated at the time.  So to be fair to Baltimore, the state gave a similar sum to that city and that's how and why Baltimore got that single subway line built to the same specs as the Washington Metro.  There were supposed to be more heavy rail lines, but 1970s inflation ate away at the original allocation of funds.  That's why the second line was the light rail line that nobody likes.  The on-again off-again red line light rail would operate equipment like Seattle's that will be incompatible with the first light rail line. 

It'd be interesting to list the State Capitals with rail transit of some sort, indicating whether they're 'modern' or 'legacy' systems...

 

Phoenix, AZ - modern LRT

Little Rock, AR - modern (vintage?) streetcar

Sacramento, CA - modern LRT

Atlanta, GA - modern HRT

Honolulu, HI - modern HRT (soon to open)

Boston, MA - legacy HRT and LRT

Saint Paul, MN - modern LRT (tied to Minneapolis)

Salt Lake City, UT - modern LRT

 

I think that's it...

Commuter rail is transit and Austin, TX, Providence, RI and Santa Fe, NM all have it.

 

Edit: if you include Amtrak, a lot more cities can be added to that list.

Baltimore also enjoys almost 100% state funding for bus and rail. 

 

A double edged sword, considering Baltimore's local transit system is thus controlled by Annapolis

Commuter rail is transit and Austin, TX, Providence, RI and Santa Fe, NM all have it.

 

Edit: if you include Amtrak, a lot more cities can be added to that list.

 

The Federal Gov treats Commuter Rail like passenger rail, rather than transit. But, I see your point...though they serve different markets and purposes.