California high-speed clears environmental hurdle
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Statement and unanimously approved the approximately 90 mi San Jose-to-Merced project section in northern California. This action completes the environmental clearance for nearly 400 mi of the high-speed rail project’s 500 mi Phase 1 alignment from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim—including a contiguous stretch between Merced and Palmdale plus January’s clearance of the Burbank to Los Angeles section. [rtands.com]
Biden plans to nominate five for Amtrak board
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to nominate five people to serve on the Amtrak board as the U.S. passenger railroad is making an aggressive push to expand service and improve key infrastructure. Congress in November approved $22B for Amtrak as part of a bipartisan infrastructure bill. Last month, the Biden administration asked Congress for $3B in annual funding for Amtrak for the 2023 budget year, up from $2.33B in prior annual funding. Amtrak wants to expand dramatically across the United States and add up to 39 corridor routes and up to 166 cities by 2035. [reuters.com]
Tempe Streetcar service rolling out May 20th
After four years of construction, the Tempe Streetcar will start shuttling riders through the East Valley city’s downtown area on May 20th. The $200M Valley Metro project spans 3 mi near Arizona State University along Rio Salado Parkway, Ash Avenue, Apache Boulevard and Mill Avenue. The line has 14 stops including Tempe Beach Park, ASU Gammage and Sun Devil Stadium and provides access to many restaurants and businesses along the way. The green and silver streetcars, which are powered by a combination of overhead electrical wires and lithium-ion batteries, are free to ride for the first year. [ktar.com]
Brightline Miami to Orlando over 75% complete
Brightline’s Miami to Orlando rail project just passed another milestone with 75% of construction on the route complete according to a recent investor brief. The $2.8B project remains on schedule for substantial completion in late 2022, and is also within budget. The first paying customers are expected to be able to board trains between Miami and Orlando in early 2023. Brightline also told investors this week that ridership on its existing inter-city rail line is growing extremely fast. [thenextmiami.com]
LA Metro E/Expo Line celebrates 10th anniversary
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its E (Expo) Line, which opened April 2012 between 7th/Metro in downtown L.A. and La Cienega/Jefferson Station. In the time since, there have been 127 million boardings on the light-rail line, which opened to Culver City in June 2012 and then to Santa Monica in 2016. Much of the line was built atop an old rail line — which dated to 1875 — that was used by Pacific Electric streetcars until 1953 and a few freight trains until 1987. [masstransitmag.com]
