Tunnel boring begins on Vancouver subway project
Two behemoths named Elsie and Phyllis are helping push the Broadway Subway Project forward in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. After months of prepping and assembling the tunnel boring machines (TBMs), excavation has begun. The Broadway Subway Project will extend the SkyTrain Millennium Line 5.7 km (3.5 mi) from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus. The C$2.83-billion subway project is being funded by federal, provincial and city governments. [masstransitmag.com]
Metro K Line brings light rail to South Los Angeles
Running from the Crenshaw district to Westchester and giving South Los Angeles its most extensive rail service since the 1950s, Metro’s light-rail K Line has opened. The line’s northern-most point is the Expo/Crenshaw station at Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards. It heads south along Crenshaw Boulevard, with stations at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hyde Park. A station at Aviation and Century boulevards is set to open in fall 2023 and the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station in late 2024. [kcet.org]
$1B train from LA to Palm Springs area planned
Riverside County, California’s transportation commission is leading an effort to create a 144 mi (231 km)passenger rail service connecting Los Angeles with Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The vision is to offer a competitive travel option from Los Angeles Union Station to Palm Springs through L.A., Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The construction price tag would be at least $1 billion. It could be 10 years before Coachella Valley Rail service begins. [siliconvalley.com]
Brightline to build SoCal station for Vegas service
Brightline West is one step closer to a high-speed rail station in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., as part of its plans to construct a high-rail connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The city of Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino County approved the first step of the sale of a five-acre portion of property at the station to Brightline West. The agreement clears the path to develop the property and build the first high-speed rail station in the Inland Empire. [railway-news.com]
