Work starts on Burbank speed improvement proj
Southern California’s regional passenger rail service Metrolink has broken ground on the Burbank Junction Speed Improvement Project. Part of Phase 1 of the agency’s Southern California Optimised Rail Expansion (SCORE) program, the project is expected to lower journey times by enabling higher speeds and efficient operations. Construction work is expected to be concluded during the summer of 2023. [progressiverailroading.com]
Record 100K+ ride Cincinnati Streetcar in October
Ridership on the Connector hit an all-time monthly record in October, surpassing 100,000 passengers for the first time in the streetcar’s six-year history. The final number for October ridership was 103,700, eclipsing the previous all-time monthly high of 89,074 passengers set in July 2022. Officials said the streetcar’s upward ridership trend started a year ago in November 2021. The streetcar travels 3.6 miles between Over-The-Rhine and The Banks via the Central Business District. [wlwt.com]
Massachusetts voters say ‘yes’ to South Coast Rail
Voters in New Bedford and Fall River have overwhelmingly chosen to join the MBTA, clearing one of the final hurdles for commuter rail service from Boston to the South Coast. The South Coast Rail will extend service to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford via the existing Middleborough/Lakeville Line. Those three communities are the only major cities within 50 miles of Boston that do not currently have commuter rail access to Boston. The project has been in talks for more than 30 years. [boston.com]
Second Twin Cities-Chicago Amtrak run advances
The planned second Amtrak train service between the Twin Cities and Chicago, has taken another step forward and project spokespersons have offered citizens of Winona, Minnesota a preview. The $53 million project, called the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Project (TCMC), spans 411 miles of the current Empire Builder train route. The project, which would see a second daily round-trip train between the Twin Cities and Chicago, could begin construction as early as July 2023. [winonapost.com]
$50M asked to launch Artesia light rail proj in LA
When President Joe Biden urged U.S. Congress members to go after chunks of $1 trillion in available infrastructure funding, Norwalk, California Rep. Linda Sanchez took him up on his offer. Sanchez wrote a detailed letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, asking for funding to build a major north-south light rail line that would link Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles with smaller, mostly minority-majority cities in southeast Los Angeles County. [dailynews.com]
