Israel to build a rail line from Ben-Gurion Airport to the Western Wall
Israel’s Transportation Ministry has advanced plans to build a new train station that would directly connect Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The project, an extension of recently opened Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high-speed line, will include a new 1.8 mile-long tunnel under downtown Jerusalem and the Old City. This kind of construction in the Old City of Jerusalem is controversial. Palestinians object to Israel gaining more of a foothold in the city that they claim as the capital of a future Palestinian state, and archeologists object to the possible disturbing of artifacts in the area. [jpost.com]
Capitol Corridor sets another ridership record
Ridership on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor, Northern California’s popular intercity passenger rail service, hit an all-time high of 1,777,136 riders and $38.03 million in revenue in fiscal 2019. The numbers highlight five straight years of record-breaking ridership and revenue according to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) which co-operates the line with Amtrak. To build upon this success, CCJPA is making progress on infrastructure and safety projects and service-expansion goals. [railwayage.com]
NJ Transit receives federal approval on positive train control
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has given New Jersey Transit approval to begin revenue service demonstration (RSD) of its positive train control system, moving NJT one-step closer to meeting the federally mandated deadline of PTC certification by Dec. 31, 2020. During RSD, NJTransit’s current safety technology, called Automatic Train Control, will remain active and will not be affected by the testing. [njbiz.com]
VIA Rail lays off 1,000 staff as Canada passenger rail blockades bite
Canada’s passenger rail company on Wednesday said blockades by demonstrators had forced it to temporarily lay off 1,000 employees, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to solve a two-week protest. The blockade protesters say they are showing solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en indigenous people trying to stop construction of a gas pipeline in the Pacific province of British Columbia. [reuters.com]
JR West starts driverless train trials for Osaka lines
Plans are afoot to implement automated trains for all services running on the Osaka Loop and Sakurajima lines in this western Japan city. According to West Japan Railway Company (JR West) test runs have begun using the system with actual trains that provide services on the lines, and development of the technology is going ahead. A total of four tests will be carried out by the end of February to check accuracy and ride quality. [mainichi.jp]
Cities weigh free public transit amid rising costs
Progressive lawmakers across the country who say mobility is a human right, like health care and education, and think residents should be able to freely move around their cities, no matter their income brackets. They propose eliminating fares on city buses, light rail and trains to achieve their vision of universal mobility. But some experts warn that free rides wouldn’t solve the issues besetting many public transit systems, including crumbling infrastructure, infrequent and unreliable service, and routes that take workers nowhere near their jobs. [nbcnews.com]
