San Diego track relocation project gets $300M boost
The San Diego Regional Planning Agency is moving forward with a long-term plan to move the railroad tracks along the fragile Del Mar bluffs into a tunnel under the coastal city. SANDAG has accepted a $300 million state grant to begin advance work on the project. The two most-likely routes under consideration would extend from Jimmy Durante Boulevard in the north to Carmel Valley Road in the south. [timesofsandiego.com]
Boston subway line returns after month-long closure
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is resuming Orange Line subway service after a 30-day shutdown. The MBTA closed the line in order to repair track and signal infrastructure while addressing safety issues identified by the Federal Transit Administration. The FTA had cited “slow zones” where defective track forced trains to operate at restricted speeds. The MBTA said it was able to eliminate the slow zones and improve service by replacing thousands of feet of rail. [wcvb.com]
Train returns to Adirondacks decades after shutdown
When a passenger train pulled into Tupper Lake, New York in the heart of the state’s Adirondack region this week, it was the first step in a plan to restore seasonal service between the town and Utica, New York. Service currently runs between Utica and Thendara, New York. The newly renovated section connects Thendara to Tupper Lake. The railroad will stretch over 100 miles, making it the longest tourist railroad east of the Mississippi River. [thrillist.com]
Boise and Salt Lake City seeking rail link restoration
The City of Boise has partnered with Salt Lake City to reopen a passenger rail line between Caldwell and SLC. This would rely on the federal Corridor ID program, which considers former Amtrak routes for restoration. It’s all part of the city’s broader effort alongside other Mountain West partners to reboot the full Pioneer Line stretching Portland to Salt Lake City, which will soon be under study. That route ended service in the late 1990s. [boisedev.com]
‘Parade of Trains’ takes NYC riders back in time
After a two-year hiatus, the “Parade of Trains” was up and running through Brooklyn this weekend, but with a twist. The trains on the rails were not the average MTA trains — they were a blast from the past. Train enthusiasts boarded vintage and antique trains that once road through the city that never sleeps. Event organizers said most of the fleet is over 100 years old. The antique trains took visitors on a trip through time from the Brighton Beach station to Kings County and back. [newjersey.news12.com]
