Canada: Funicular rail cars open at Niagara Falls
Visitors to Niagara Falls, Ontario, are once again able to travel into the Niagara Falls gorge for the first time in almost 30 years. Hornblower Niagara Cruises opened its funicular rail cars for the season to carry guests 185 feet down to the boats. [wgrz.com]
USA: Amtrak wraps up Acela interior ‘refresh’
Amtrak has completed a project to refresh the interiors of its 20-trainset Acela fleet. The project, which took 15 months to complete, replaced business- and first-class seat cushions and covers, and carpet runners, deep-cleaned each of the 100 Acela cars. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: California’s Amtrak Capitol Corridor increases train speeds
Thanks to recent track upgrades, a new Capitol Corridor timetable has taken effect, reducing by five minutes the time it takes trains to travel between Sacramento and San Jose, California. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: Cleveland RTA board approves free passenger Wi-Fi
Greater Cleveland’s Regional Transit Authority has approved a $2 million five-year deal to bring 4G cellular data to RTA trains and buses by next year. The service will provide free Wi-Fi for riders and power real-time location and vehicle diagnostics, messaging and navigation for RTA staff. [cleveland.com]
USA: Virgin will be the fastest train ever in the southern U.S. when Orlando service starts
Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, which curently runs express service from downtown Miami to West Palm Beach, has confirmed that trains running along a portion of its currently under construction extension to Orlando will reach a top speed of 125 miles per hour. [tampabay.com]
USA: New York MTA wants vendors to transform vacant storefronts at major subway hubs
As part of its ongoing quest to make its 472 subway stations more appealing to modern commuters—and make some money in the process—the MTA is looking for vendors to transform vacant or outmoded retail spaces at several subway hubs throughout the transit system. [ny.curbed.com]
