Santa Clara VTA light-rail system returns to full operation
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) light-rail system is now fully operational. The Green Line, from Diridon Station to Winchester Station, was the last segment to be reactivated after being shutdown following a deadly mass shooting at the Guadalupe Light Rail Division on May 26th. The agency noted that, while employees are still grieving, most are glad to be back at work, providing the service the community depends on. Free fare for light rail will continue through September 30th. [masstransitmag.com]
Yucatan’s Mayan Train passenger line project to lay rail bed
Progress continues on the Mayan Train project in Mexico as the first shipment of ballast arrived over the weekend. Crews received over 7,300 tons of ballast material from Veracruz, and in total the project will need over 4.6 million cubic meters for the seven sections of the route. When complete, the Mayan Train will be a 948-mile passenger line along the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting Palenque in Chiapas and Cancun, Quintana Roo. [rtands.com]
Montana county commission declines to support rail project
The Morton County Commission will not support a Montana group’s efforts to bring passenger rail back to parts of North Dakota. The commission took no action last month on a request by Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority for an official statement supporting its plan. The rail authority wants to revive passenger rail in southern Montana and other parts of the upper West and Midwest more than 40 years after the North Coast Hiawatha Route ended service. That route ran from Chicago to Spokane, Washington, until the late 1970s. [bismarcktribune.com]
Japanese “bento” meals to debut at Paris train station
Japanese “bento” box meals called “ekiben,” typically eaten on long-haul train trips, will debut at Paris Gare de Lyon station in November, featuring a dish of seasoned chicken with rice. Hanazen, a time-honored company based in northeastern Japan’s Akita Prefecture, will also sell bento meals featuring food items like “udon” noodles and smoked radish pickles at the station, which is one of France’s biggest terminals. The ekiben boxes will be sold at a pop-up store at the station through April next year. [kyodonews.net]
