DC line may miss Thanksgiving opening target
Washington D.C.’s Metro may be unable open its Silver Line extension to Dulles Airport before Thanksgiving as planned, after the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission rejected the agency’s request to return more 7000-series trains to service. The commission — Metro’s oversight body — said the plan to bring newer trains back into service is not backed up by safety data. Most have been out of service for nearly a year, after faulty wheels on one of them caused a derailment in October 2021. [dcist.com]
Amtrak Missouri River Runner cut to one trip
Amtrak is suspending one of two daily round trips to Kansas City beginning Monday, citing “a shortage of available train equipment.” The suspension, which comes just three months after the passenger rail carrier resumed twice-a-day service on the route following a state funding boost, will be in effect through Nov. 16. The second roundtrip had been discontinued in January after Missouri legislators had cut funding. Funding was restored on July 1st. [stltoday.com]
Trackside erosion cancels Ohio scenic train runs
Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad continues to cancel excursion trains because of riverbank erosion along its route. All trains but the Cleveland Dinner and Event Train, which will operate on an abbreviated route, have been cancelled through Nov. 6. The tourist railroad first saw erosion-related closures on Oct. 14. The new erosion issues came just over two weeks after Cuyahoga Valley National Park announced it had received a $14 million grant to stabilize the riverbank. [trains.com]
Expanded Vermont service sees strong ridership
Amtrak’s expanded Ethan Allen Express service in Vermont appears to be a success. VTrans said while it’s still very early on for this train route, ridership is on track with what Amtrak expected. The most recent data shows about 2,500 riders boarded in Burlington, Vergennes and Middlebury in July and about 3,000 in Augus, with New York City being the number one destination so far. Meanwhile, a VTrans marketing campaign promoting the train is running in NYC. [wcax.com]
California HSR project is sustainability leader
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released its latest Sustainability Report detailing how the project serves as the backbone of the state’s ambitious climate goals. Among key milestones highlighted in the report are the restoration of over 2,972 acres of habitat and protection of over 3,190 acres of agricultural land; planting of over 7,100 trees; and avoiding or sequestering 420,245 metric tons of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of removing one natural gas-fired power plant from the grid for a year [rtands.com]
