Valley Metro Tempe streetcar begins service
After years of construction, the wait to ride the new Valley Metro Tempe streetcar is finally over. The first ride kicked off last week and rides will continue every day until midnight. The new route covers most of the ASU Tempe campus and has two connections to Valley Metro’s existing light rail line. Construction for the Tempe streetcar line began in 2018. Four years and about $200 million of public and private funding later, the three-mile, 14-stop route that goes from Apache Boulevard to Marina Heights is finally open to the public. [azfamily.com]
Via Rail Canada CEO Cynthia Garneau stepping down
Canadian Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra has announced the resignation of Via Rail president and CEO Cynthia Garneau. The resignation comes three years after she was appointed CEO in May 2019. Alghabra credits Garneau with helping to modernize Via Rail and adapting its operations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Garneau did not share why she was stepping down. Via Rail’s chief commercial affairs officer, Martin R. Landry, will oversee operations until a replacement for Garneau can be named. [thestar.com]
San Diego LRVs find new home in Argentina
Mendoza’s Metrotranvía has taken delivery of the first three of up to 39 Siemens SD100 light rail vehicles donated by San Diego’s operator MTS. The LRVs, which have been in service since 1995, are now being replaced by Siemens Mobility S700 vehicles, Metrotranvía is covering all costs involved, including transport and paying for a team of MTS workers to reassemble the cars, and is to send technicians to San Diego for maintenance and operations training. [railwaygazette.com]
Colorado Dems ask fed funding for Front Range rail
Colorado’s Democratic U.S. representatives sent a letter to federal officials requesting funding for the Front Range rail project that has been in the works for years. The letter, sent to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration. “The population among the Front Range is expected to grow by 35%, increasing the pressure on Colorado’s transportation system,” the letter read in part. “This project will help ease the burden on our roads, improve safety of commuters, and create jobs across the state.” [kpvi.com]
