Brightline launches ticket sales ahead of November return
Brightline has opened ticket sales for its rail service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Tickets are now available for train service that begins in early November. Trains are currently being run without passengers in order to test the line. Trains are running at 79 mph along the entire 67-mile corridor, which is the speed that has been approved and authorized by the Federal Railway Administration. Construction is now underway on two new stations in Aventura and Boca Raton, with both set to come online in 2022. Service to Orlando is set to begin in early 2023. [thenextmiami.com]
Court to hear claim that Texas Central is not a railroad
The Texas Supreme Court has changed course on a case involving the Texas Central high-speed rail project. After originally declining the case, the Supreme Court decided to take it on after reviewing a petition from landowner Jim Miles. The case centers around whether or not Texas Central is legally a railroad company. If it is, then it has the eminent domain authority to acquire property for the high-speed rail route that will connect Dallas to Houston. The petition claims Texas Central is not a railroad company because currently it has no track and does not operate trains.[rtands.com]
Pay with your face tech debuts on Moscow’s Metro
Moscow Metro has introduced a new facial recognition payment system, sparking concerns that it will be used by Russian authorities as a surveillance tool. Face Pay has been launched in all of Metro’s more than 240 subway stations. Face Pay users pay subway fares by looking at the camera on select turnstiles without the need of a card, phone, or cash. The system is the first in the world to be deployed on such a large scale according to a Metro spokesman who noted that other payment methods are not being phased out and using Face Pay is optional. [gizmodo.com]
60% of DC Metrorail fleet off track due to derailment
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metrorail service will operate on a reduced schedule at least until Sunday, October 24th, as an investigation continues into an Metrorail’s recent Blue Line derailment. The reduced schedule began Monday, after WMATA sidelined 748 of its 7000-series rail cars, or about 60% of its rail fleet. The agency is working with the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Transit Administration and Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on the investigation. [progressiverailroading.com]
UK’s Southeastern rail franchise taken over by government
Southeastern railway services, one of Britain’s busiest commuter networks, has returned to public control, after the government stripped the private operator of its franchise agreement. An investigation made public last month found that Southeastern had failed to declare more than £25-million ($34-million USD) of taxpayer funding that should have been returned. Train services, which connect London with its southeast suburbs, will be run by the Department for Transport (DfT). Passengers are not expected to see any immediate changes in service. [theguardian.com]
