Train from Tucson to Phoenix gaining steam
Eleven Arizona mayors, led by Tucson’s Regina Romero, have signed a letter asking Arizona’s congressional delegation to support a $1.9 billion expansion of Amtrak’s passenger rail service that would connect Tucson’s Amtrak station and Phoenix. It would be funded through the bipartisan infrastructure bill that is currently moving through congress. This expansion would provide three daily round trips from Tucson to Phoenix to Buckeye and one one daily trip to Los Angeles. The expansion would re-establish Tucson and Phoenix service that ended in the mid-1990s. [kvoa.com]
Plans for linking Calgary airport and Banff move ahead
Plans to establish a passenger rail service linking the Calgary airport and Banff have taken another step closer to realization. Alberta Transportation and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) have reached agreement on support for a train service that would link Calgary International Airport and Banff National Park. Invest Alberta said the CIB had “reaffirmed support for the project and will continue to consider a long-term investment.” The plan, which would be a public-private partnership, could see a 150 km (93 mi) passenger rail service with seven stops including Calgary airport, downtown and Banff. [cbc.ca]
NYC subway likely to flood as storms rise on climate change
New York City’s subway is far from ready for climate change. And a new report predicts that the flooding of subway stations will become more frequent, with more than 20% of them at risk from storm surges like those that inundated the system during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and, more recently, Tropical Storm Elsa. While New York’s MTA has allocated about $140 million to subway drainage projects and the city will spend $4.6 billion for sewer improvements over the next ten years, “it is unclear the extent to which these commitments will improve the resilience in the face of rain-induced flooding,” the report concludes. [bloomberg.com]
NY Gov. Cuomo still threatening Gateway Project deadline
Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to threaten New York’s share of the Gateway Project unless certain requests are met. Cuomo wants work on the Hudson River tunnels to be done at night and on weekends rather than shut service down for months. The Gateway Project’s Environmental Impact Statement has rejected Cuomo’s recommendations. Local funding commitments need to be confirmed come August. The entire project will cost $11 billion, with New York responsible for $1.7 billion. New Jersey needs $1.9 billion while the Port Authority is being held to $2.7 billion. [rtands.com]
Here’s what Austin’s underground light rail could look like
The $7 billion voter-approved plan to grow public transit in Austin includes tunneling two light-rail lines through the core of downtown to move people faster than the speed of traffic through the densest part of the city. Now, transit planners have offered the most detailed vision yet of how the Orange and Blue Lines could take shape underground. The plans are only 15% done, so a lot could still change. The public will have a chance to weigh in this summer. [kut.org]
