SF transit officials blame East Bay derailment on heat
A BART train headed to San Francisco from Antioch derailed Monday evening between the Concord and Pleasant Hill stations. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) officials say heat was the likely cause.”Heat can manipulate tracks,” explains Alicia Trost, a BART spokeswoman. In the past, extreme heat has caused BART tracks to move or buckle. The rails can become soft and be damaged by the train’s weight. Trost says heat caused the rail to curve, forcing the last two cars to come off the tracks. [abc7news.com]
Amtrak boosts service to Roanoke and Hampton Roads
Amtrak will add a third daily departure from Norfolk and a second daily departure from Roanoke on its Northeast Regional route, while also bolstering train service in Newport News, all beginning July 11. The train already departs from Norfolk early in the morning and mid-morning, so the third departure will be in the early afternoon. At the same time, Amtrak will restore a second train to and from Newport News and will add morning and afternoon departures in Roanoke. Amtrak service returned to Roanoke in 2017. [virginiabusiness.com]
Edmonton LRT extension on track for summer opening
The contractor behind Edmonton’s Valley Line Southeast LRT said it is still on track to open the line this summer, but an exact date has not been released. In a new update on the project, TransEd — the public-private partner building the 13 km (8 mi) line connecting downtown with Mill Woods — said an exact opening date will be provided closer to when the line will be ready for passengers. “I’m happy to report that right now we are still holding and maintaining our date of this summer. We will open the LRT this summer,” an TransEd spokesperson said. [globalnews.ca]
NYC subways to be 95% accessible – in 33 years
The MTA will spend billions to add elevators and ramps to stations over the next several decades, settling lawsuits accusing it of violating the rights of people with disabilities. New York has lagged for years behind other major American cities in making its subway system accessible to people with disabilities: Just 126 of its 472 stations, or 27 percent, have elevators or ramps that make them fully accessible. But this week, the MTA said it would add elevators and ramps to 95 percent of the subway’s stations by 2055 as part of a settlement agreement in two class-action lawsuits over the issue. [nytimes.com]
LA prefers Sepulveda Pass rail tunnel over monorail
LA Metro’s ambitious plan to connect San Fernando Valley with the Westside via rail comes down to a choice between an overhead monorail or underground subway, and in a new report based on 3,122 comments from residents, homeowner groups, environmentalists, elected officials and others shows 93% want tunneling. Just 7% want a monorail. The massive project that would move people between the two, heavily populated sections of Los Angeles without a car. Currently, 98% of the 400,000 people traveling the 405 corridor each weekday rely on cars. [dailynews.com]
