Tacoma Link light rail vehicle ready for delivery
Seattle’s Sound Transit is preparing to accept delivery of the first light rail vehicle for its Tacoma Link extension. The first of five Liberty NXT LRV light rail vehicles will be delivered this month by manufacturer Brookville Equipment Corp. The 1.6 mi (2.6 km) Tacoma Link line is being extended by 2.4 mi (3.9 km) to serve Tacoma’s Stadium District, Wright Park, medical facilities and Hilltop District from 2023. The low floor LRVs will cost $26.5 million. The 65 ft long vehicles will have a capacity of more than 100 passengers. [railwaygazette.com]
LA’s Metrolink to add 26 trains to schedule
Southern California commuter rail operator Metrolink will add 26 trains to its schedule on April 4th, moving closer to restoring service to its pre-pandemic level. The schedule changes will also see new Sunday service on the San Bernardino Line, and the Ventura County Line option to use four Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains — including on weekends. The additional service includes six trains each on the Antelope Valley, San Bernardino, and Ventura County lines; four on the Riverside Line, and two each on the 91/Perris Valley and Orange County lines. [trains.com]
NYC MTA names Richard Davey as new transit president
The MTA has selected former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey as the new president of New York City Transit. Davey, 48, will step into the role on May 2nd and will be responsible for overseeing the MTA’s 54,000-person workforce and all of the city’s transit operations.
Davey has served in several high-ranking transit leadership roles in Massachusetts and most recently was served as director of Boston Consulting Group, as one of the company’s top experts on transit. [ny1.com]
Amtrak successfully tests Miami Intermodal Center
Amtrak recently completed a successful test run for the first time ever into the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC). Previously, there was concern that the trains would be too long for the platforms at the MIC. It isn’t clear if Amtrak wants to run even longer trains into the MIC than the one tested. The Florida Department of Transportation completed the station at the MIC in 2015, intending for Amtrak to use it. However, Amtrak did not accept the terms of a lease agreement, and never operated from there. [thenextmiami.com]
Italy’s railway may have been target of cyber attack
Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) temporarily halted some ticket sale services on Wednesday fearing it had been targeted by a cyber attack. Italian news agency Ansa quoted unnamed security sources as saying that the type of attack suggested it was the work of Russian hackers. The state-controlled FS said it had suspended the sale of tickets at its offices and self-service machines in train stations as a precautionary measure, while online sales were working as usual. [wtvbam.com]
