$300M kicks off California push to move at-risk coastal track
The San Diego area will receive $300 million from the new California state budget for a plan to relocate the Surf Line inland from the Del Mar bluffs, a contribution a regional official called “a critical down payment” on a project estimated to cost $2.5 billion or more. The proposal would move the former Santa Fe rail line inland about a mile, into a tunnel about 80 feet underground. The route is currently owned by the North Country Transit District and used by Coaster commuter trains, Amtrak Pacific Surfliners, and BNSF freight trains. [trains.com]
Amtrak Seattle-Vancouver service returning in September
Nearly two-and-a-half years since Amtrak’s cars went quiet at the beginning of the pandemic, passenger trains between Seattle and B.C. are set to return this September. The target date is a speedier one than had previously been announced; Amtrak said earlier it would not cross the border until December, Before the pandemic, nearly 160,000 people traveled by train between Seattle and Vancouver per year, with many more riding between the towns along the way. In lieu of trains, Amtrak offered some bus service to Vancouver from Seattle. [seattletimes.com]
Tampa streetcar ridership triples from pre-pandemic levels
A few years ago, Tampa’s historic streetcar was considered a charming boondoggle, sometimes trundling by with nary a passenger. These days, lines of people sometimes wait to board the jaunty trolleys that travel the 2.7 miles of track back and forth between Ybor City and a fast-developing downtown. In March, the once-beleaguered TECO Line Streetcar system boasted record modern-day ridership of 108,000 passengers — more than three times as many as in March 2018. [tampabay.com]
California casting new oversight chief to rally high speed rail
After a decade of cost, schedule, technical, regulatory, personnel and legal problems, the California high speed rail project will be getting an inspector general soon as part of a deal between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature. The new investigative position is intended to intensify oversight and improve performance of the $105 billion railroad project. Enthusiasm for the change is high, but whether it will fix everything is uncertain, even among state leaders. Until now, advice from a variety of outside agencies has resulted in recommendations that often were not carried out. [calmatters.org]
