San Francisco Cable Cars returning in August with free rides for all
After being closed for over a year due to the pandemic, SF’s iconic cable cars are set to return in August. While the cable cars won’t return to full service until September, limited passenger testing will begin in August — primarily on the Powell-Hyde line — and both locals and tourists will be able to ride them for free for the entire month. “We’re actually inviting the public to come join us for operator training,” SFMTA chief Jeffrey Tumlin said, adding “Normally, we would fill the cable cars with sandbags in order to actually test the weight. But actual people are a far better test.” [sfist.com]
New York subway daily ridership reaches 2.5 million, breaking pandemic-era record
Ridership on the New York City subway reached 44 percent of pre-pandemic era ridership, carrying more than 2.5 million passengers – the highest number since the Coronavirus hit New York in March 2020. Since the pandemic began, the MTA has undertaken unprecedented cleaning and disinfecting protocols. The authority has also rolled out public education campaigns and issued millions of masks to its customers. Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. [masstransitmag.com]
World’s largest steam locomotive returns with ‘The Big Boy 2021 Tour’
Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, will embark on “The Big Boy 2021 Tour” this summer to celebrate railroad heritage and the communities UP serves. This is the first tour since the locomotive was restored to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion. The train will leave the railroad’s Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 5, making brief whistle-stops in communities across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. [up.com]
Hong Kong’s Peak Tram due for replacement – 6-month service gap ahead
HK’s classic burgundy Peak Tram, which has been in service for 32 years, will be officially retired on June 28th. The Peak Tram service will also be suspended for about six months from that date, after which the new sixth-generation tramcars will be launched. As soon as the news broke, people went to take a last ride on the current trams before they retired, and some railway fans also came to take photos of the tramcar. In the past, the lower terminus station was always packed with long queues. Since the beginning of the pandemic, annual ridership from a peak of 6 million to 1 million. [appledaily.com]
