Light rail crosses bridge to Montreal’s South Shore
The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) de Montréal has begun operating across the Samuel De Champlain Bridge in Quebec, Canada. This opening for light rail traffic comes three years after the bridge started serving pedestrians and road vehicles. The Champlain Bridge is a multimodal crossing connecting the cities of Brossard and Montreal. It is 3.4 km (2.1 mi) long and is one of the widest bridges in the world. Inaugurated in the summer of 2019, it replaces a previous structure that had become dilapidated. [railway-news.com]
Transit district OKs West Sacramento streetcar line
The board of the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) unanimously agreed to authorize the release of funding to finish the environmental and design work for a new streetcar for the area. This new plan was met with significantly more approval than the previous line plan brought forward in the spring. Under the new plan, the streetcar line would connect Sutter Health Park with a stop at Capitol Mall and another at N Street before joining existing SacRT light rail lines on 8th Street. [cbsnews.com]
Miami transit projects advance with studies completion
Miami-Dade has completed an environmental study for a rapid transit connection between downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The study covers the Beach Corridor Trunkline from the existing Metromover system in Downtown Miami to 5th Street and Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. Separately, the county has completed a draft environmental review process for the Miami Design District Extension. Current plans are for a monorail system to Miami Beach, and a Metromover-type system to the Design District. [thenextmiami.com]
$20M awarded for train from Baton Rouge to NOLA
A $20 million grant has been awarded to the Baton Rouge to New Orleans railway project from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The money will be used for real estate acquisition, design and construction of the Baton Rouge and Gonzales train stations. The proposed railway plan also includes stations in LaPlace, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and in downtown New Orleans. [wbrz.com]
Passenger rail makes cautious return in Argentina
Passenger services are running once again over the 71 km (44 mi) line between Rosario and Cañada de Gómez in the province of Santa Fe in Argentina. Passenger services last operated on the route in 1977, and to permit their reintroduction the Ministry of Transport and state-owned operator Argentinian Trains (TA) have undertaken track renewals and upgraded level crossings. Service will initially operate daily except Sunday. Journey time is currently 2:10 hours, but work is underway to reduce this by raising the maximum line speed from 30km/h to 60km/h. [railjournal.com]
