‘Unaffordable’ $1B price tag seen killing Miami monorail
The developer of the proposed monorail between Miami and Miami Beach has reportedly increased the cost by nearly double to what one county official calls unaffordable. The new estimate also makes it comparable in cost to building a Metromover extension on the route. The design and build cost for the Monorail submitted by the developer was originally estimated in 2020 at $587 million, and is now just over $1 billion. A study published in 2019 had estimated that both a Metromover extension and a monorail would have each cost around $1 billion. [thenextmiami.com/]
Seattle testing of East Link suburban light-rail in full swing
Sound Transit says testing on its East Link 14-mile light-rail extension is in full swing with civil construction winding down. Recent weeks have seen light-rail vehicles making test runs at up to 35 mph between Bellevue Downtown, Wilburton and Spring District/120th stations. Safety checks are underway to assure against arcing between overhead catenary wires and pantographs mounted on vehicles. When East Link opens in 2023, it will extend almost 40 miles from the Eastside to downtown Seattle and Northgate and to Sea-Tac Airport and Angle Lake. [masstransitmag.com]
NYC subway ridership rebounding after omicron drop
Transit officials in New York are hoping a recent uptick in subway ridership is a sign that the city is bouncing back from the omicron surge. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reported subway ridership has topped 3 million for three days for the first time since the omicron wave hit NYC in mid-December. The MTA projects that pandemic ridership decreases will produce a $1.4 billion operating deficit by 2025. The authority projects ridership will still lag pre-pandemic levels by 10% to 20% by the end of 2024. [apnews.com]
Test run set for Southern California commuter line
The first test train on the new 9-mile Arrow rail line between Redlands, California and the Metrolink commuter rail system is slated to run this week. The run, between Redlands and the San Bernardino Transit Center, will use a Metrolink train to check clearances at each of the line’s four new stations. Official testing, beginning next week, will continue until Arrow service begins later this year. Stadler is building three DMU trainsets for the Arrow service, the first of which was delivered in December. An additional trainset powered by hydrogen fuel cells is to be delivered in 2024. [trains.com]
