USA: MARTA OKs timeline for major Atlanta transit expansion The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s (MARTA) board has approved the timeline for $2.7 billion in expansion projects that call for 29 new miles of light-rail service, 22 miles of arterial rapid transit, and 14 miles of bus rapid transit. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: Virgin Trains gives updates on both its planned routes in Orlando
Virgin Trains USA has proposed two alignments for its Orlando-Tampa segment; one following Interstate-4 from Orlando International Airport to Tampa and a more expensive option via the Orange County Convention Center that would add eight miles to the project. [bizjournals.com]
USA: PTC progress report 2019: Commuter railroads
Only four railroads finished positive train control (PTC) implementation prior to the 2018 deadline mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Progress has varied among the three dozen other railroads given two-year extensions through 2020 to comply. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: LA Metro tunnel boring machine breaks through to Wilshire/Western Terminus
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has announced that its first tunnel boring machine has broken through from the Wilshire/La Brea Station site to the Wilshire/Western Terminus in Los Angeles. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: Colorado backers believe this Front Range passenger rail plan is the real deal
Despite past failed attempts, the latest proposal for a 173 mi “Front Range” passenger rail system between Fort Collins and Pueblo may have key elements in its favor — namely stable support from high-ranking officials and frustration with I-25 congestion reaching a boiling point. [coloradoan.com]
Europe: Unblocking Paris
With the start of tunnel boring on the eastern extension of RER Line E in Paris, momentum is building for the project which promises to ease congestion on the city’s saturated commuter network. [railjournal.com]
USA: It’s Time to Celebrate Baltimore’s Much-Maligned Metro
In 1987, the Maryland Transit Administration busted out a brass band to open a six-mile subway extension to the suburban Owings Mills Mall. Rail fans in Baltimore have had precious little to celebrate since. [citylab.com]
