Honolulu’s rail will be ready to run by October 20
The first 10 miles of the Honolulu rail system, from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium, will be operational by October 20th according to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART). The project has faced cost overruns and delays, running almost six years behind schedule with a budget that has swelled to $9.2 billion from $5.12 billion in 2012. [staradvertiser.com]
TEXRail ridership increases as trains mark first anniversary
TEXRail is marking the first anniversary of Forth Worth – DFW Airport service launched in January 2019. TEXRail monthly ridership has increased more than 55% since opening. During February 2019, the first month of paid service, 32,998 riders were logged. By December, the number of riders had increased to 51,217. [communityimpact.com]
LA Metro’s new train and bus names are official. there is no F Line and you know exactly why
The rail line formerly known as “Blue” has been the A Line since it reopened following upgrades last fall. Now, Metro has given the rest of its bus and train lines their new official names, too. The letters follow the alphabet, with a few notable omissions. Fearing a descent into middle school humor, they got the F outta there. [laist.com]
Milwaukee streetcar to stay free in 2020
The Milwaukee streetcar will not charge passenger fares in 2020, and city officials are seeking additional sponsors to raise advertising money to help pay for its operations. This is the second year where the city committed to no fares, and is relying on additional sponsorship agreements being signed to help cover streetcar operations costs. [bizjournals.com]
AAR endorses Trump administration’s goal to speed up NEPA process
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) praised President Donald Trump’s administration for its proposed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) revisions aimed at speeding up the evironmental review process for major infrastructure projects. [progressiverailroading.com]
U.S. cities vowed to have more mass transit by 2020. Most are still waiting
Planners in growing metropolitan areas benchmarked 2020 as the year transit plans would get rolling down the tracks; regional transit networks would expand, easing congestion and efficiently zipping residents to and from their jobs and homes. But 2020 is here and these cities aren’t any closer to solving their traffic misery. [bisnow.com]
