Toronto Metrolinx accepts delivery of first Finch-West LRV
The first Alstom light-rail vehicle (LRV) arrived at Metrolinx’s Finch West Maintenance and Storage Facility. The vehicle is the first of two LRVs that will be delivered this year, with the second vehicle slated for arrival in the fall. The Alstom Citadis Spirit has a seating capacity of 120. LRVs will be fully accessible for wheelchairs and strollers and allow for off-peak bicycle transport. Once the line is completed, service will run from Hunber College to Finch West every five minutes during peak hours. Vehicle testing is expected to begin later this year. [masstransitmag.com]
LA Metro releases West Santa Ana light-rail environmental report
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) has released the draft environmental impact statement/environmental impact report for the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor. The report identifies potential environmental impacts and mitigations, and outlines the project’s potential benefits. L.A. Metro has scheduled three virtual public hearings and will accept public comments as part of a 45-day public review and comment period. The proposed 19-mile light-rail line would connect southeast Los Angeles County to downtown LA. [progressiverailroading.com]
NY’s transit system could receive $10B in infrastructure deal
New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill being finalized in the Senate. The MTA, which operates New York’s subway, bus and commuter-rail networks, stands to receive at least $10.7 billion in federal funding through the bill. Funding for public transit would also go toward advancing several other major projects in the area including the Gateway plan to build rail tunnels under the Hudson River, completion of the Second Avenue subway in Manhattan and rehabilitation of the rail tunnels under the East River. [nytimes.com]
TTC subway air quality has improved ‘substantially’
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has made significant improvements to air quality in the city’s subway system with its subway air quality initiative. The National Research Council of Canada, University of Toronto and Health Canada analyzed levels of fine particulate matter in the system. Levels now fall well below the occupational exposure limits and are as much as 10,000 times lower than they were in the first study conducted in 1995. The air quality in Toronto’s subway system is comparable to and in some cases better than levels in other major subway systems, such as those in New York City and Boston. [progressiverailroading.com]
