Mobile hops aboard Amtrak support by endorsing Gulf Coast rail commitment
With a 6-1 vote Tuesday, the Mobile City Council hopped on board with its support of Amtrak service by committing around $3 million starting in the year 2023 so that passenger trains can run between the Port City and New Orleans. But advocates for restoring the rail service along the Gulf Coast stressed that more work is needed – close to $2.2 million must be committed to improve infrastructure, and a train station will have to be built. [al.com]
Missouri lawmakers vote to allow grants for Hyperloop track
Missouri lawmakers have voted to make grants available for potential builders of an ultrafast Hyperloop test track in the state. House members in a voice vote gave initial approval to a bill that would make a 10-15 mile test track eligible for public-private partnership grants. Hyperloop technology involves a tubular track through which a train-like pod carries passengers at speeds up to 640 mph. [apnews.com]
Second phase of East West Rail receives approval
Britain’s Network Rail has received approval to begin work on the second phase of the East West Rail project. The project will link localities between Oxford and Bedford, and Milton Keynes and Aylesbury and will mark the first direct rail connection between the four cities in 50 years. Phase one of the East West Rail link between Oxford and Bicester has already been completed..The government formed the East West Railway Consortium in 2017 to develop the direct rail connection from Oxford to Cambridge. [railway-technology.com]
Baltimore’s main transportation hub will be upgraded, but artists worry about their place
Baltimore’s 109-year-old Beaux Arts-style Pennsylvania Station is undoubtedly one of the crown jewels in the city’s public transportation network. Penn Station is not only Amtrak’s 8th busiest station, it also serves city bus riders, light rail users and commuter rail riders – a total of 3 million passengers per year. With just a Dunkin’ Donuts, a newsstand and one restaurant, the station is a place riders pass through rather than linger. A new plan aims to change all that. [nextcity.org]
