September wrap agreed for Toronto Eglinton Crosstown project
Toronto’s 19 km (11.8 mi) Eglinton Crosstown Light-Rail Transit (LRT) project will be substantially completed by September 2022 per an agreement between the project’s contractors, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario, but no service date has been set and will likely not occur until early 2023. When it does open, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will link 54 bus routes, three subway stations and various GO Transit lines and provide a 60 percent faster connection between Toronto’s east and west sides. [masstransitmag.com]
Winston-Salem plans push to bring back passenger rail
Winston-Salem leaders plan a push to bring back passenger rail service to the city, but say it will be neither a quick nor easy journey. One thing the city has in its favor is the recent passage by Congress of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that earmarks $66 billion for Amtrak. But there are big obstacles too. Amtrak’s “Corridor Vision” for 2021 includes additions to the passenger rail system in North Carolina, but the vision has no train station for Winston-Salem. Similarly, a state 25-year plan for rail unveiled in 2015 shows Winston-Salem keeping its Amtrak Connector bus service. [journalnow.com]
Senegal’s new commuter train makes first journey from capital Dakar
A new $1.3 billion commuter railway in Senegal meant to ease traffic gridlock and modernise a crumbling public transport system has made its inaugural journey from the capital Dakar. The Regional Express is the first new railway since independence from France in 1960. It will connect Dakar with Diamniadio, an industrial city being built on a dusty plain about 40 km (25 mi) away. The 45-minute ride with built-in Wi-Fi will cost nearly $3 in a country where half the population lives in poverty, though shorter trips will be cheaper. [reuters.com]
Atlanta Streetcar loop due for boost after seven years
It’s been seven years since cannons thundered and the ribbon was cut for the Atlanta Streetcar’s 2.7-mile, 12-stop downtown loop. With the better part of a decade having sailed by like a streetcar in a dedicated lane, the downtown system is pulling in just 4,000 riders per week—or about 570 people per day. Supporters have long called the streetcar loop the nascent, required first step in what could be a comprehensive system one of these years; detractors argue it’s a perennial waste of money that should be shut down. [urbanize.city]
