Brightline extension to Orlando is halfway complete
Railroad officials, local leaders and other stakeholders have celebrated the 50 percent mark of the Brightline rail extension between the West Palm Beach station and Orlando. The 170-mile extension will bring service to Orlando International Airport and the future site of a vehicle maintenance facility at the airport served as a backdrop for the celebration event. When the Central Florida extension is complete, it will connect Brightline’s 235-mile network between Miami and Orlando. Brightline expects to complete the $4.2-billion project by late 2022. [masstransitmag.com]
UK to reunify national rail network under government control
Britain plans to bring the national rail network back under government control, reversing one of the most controversial elements of the privatization drive carried out by the Conservative governments of the 1980s and ’90s. Under the plan, a new entity known as Great British Railways will own all railroad infrastructure, set most fares and schedules, collect ticket revenue and run a single ticketing website. Private companies will continue to operate trains under contracts with the state. [apnews.com]
Pikes Peak Cog Railway reopens after a nearly four-year hiatus
The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway has finally opened to the public after closing in 2017 for improvements. The railway invested $100 million in new tracks and cars, shipped in from Switzerland, to carry folks up to the summit of Pikes Peak. One of only a few cog railways in the United States, the railroad has been part of Manitou Springs for about 130 years. It attracted some 300,000 visitors back in 2017, its most recent year of operation. [cpr.org]
Passenger association urges fed investment in rail future
In testimony submitted to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the American Public Transportation Association has called passenger rail an underutilized mode ripe to connect the nation with high-performance corridor services. The testimony emphasizes a belief that today’s investments can be the foundation of a strategy to develop a safe, reliable, efficient, integrated and climate-friendly high-performance rail network; one positioned to succeed in the future global marketplace. [masstransitmag.com]
