Hope is rail line ready in 2021 for new Vermont Amtrak route
Vermont transportation officials are hopeful upgrades to the rail line between Rutland and Burlington can be ready sometime next year. Once improvements are completed, officials are planning to have Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express, which now travels between New York City and Rutland, continue to Burlington. [apnews.com]
Helsinki Eyes New 6-Hour Bullet Train to Moscow
Finland has expressed interest in a new high-speed train that would connect its capital Helsinki to Moscow in just six hours and boost tourist traffic between the cities. The project would be an extension of the new high-speed railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg that is expected to be built by 2026. [themoscowtimes.com]
Should Cities Make Public Transport Free?
Around the world, cities are the “ground zero” of inequality and unsustainability. This leads to the question of how the evolution of public policy, and urban design, can strategically combat these two growing issues. Around the world, cities are looking to mobility as part of the solution, and in particular, asking a simple question: what if public transport was free? [archdaily.com]
Florida: Disney and Brightline confirm advanced talks over theme-park station
Brightline and Walt Disney Co. officials have confirmed advanced talks about a station on or near theme-park property as part of a route to Tampa proposed by the passenger-rail system being renamed as Virgin Trains USA. Virgin Trains is at work on a $4 billion, 160-mile expansion from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport [orlandosentinel.com]
The last train to Cape Town?
A train trip to Cape Town that takes nearly two days, and the unexpected cancellation of a return leg to Johannesburg, forces a broader contemplation of the continuing decline of public services in South Africa. Slowly but surely, together with rest of South Africa’s rail transportation, the country’s long-distance passenger lines’ fortunes are going sour. [dailymaverick.co.za]
Brussels-Vienna night train returns as Europe eyes flying alternatives
Night trains have returned between Brussels and Vienna amid growing interest in alternatives to flying. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) Nightjet’s arrival at Brussels Midi station, the first ÖBB night train between the two cities since 2003, is part of the Austria state railway’s revival of its overnight network. [theguardian.com]
