Amtrak restores passenger train service to Toronto
Amtrak service from New York’s Penn Station to Toronto’s Union Station, suspended because of Covid-19, has resumed for the first time since March 2020. The service is operated through a partnership between Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada. While Amtrak had suspended its Maple Leaf service to Toronto, trains continued between Niagara Falls and Penn Station. Similarly, full Adirondack service between NYC and Montreal, currently suspended north of Albany, is expected to resume soon. [wbfo.org]
Brightline station at Walt Disney World canceled
Plans to open a Brightline station at Disney Springs have been canceled. Brightline already has stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and a stop at Orlando International Airport is expected to be completed by year’s end. The rail service is expected to go to tourist-heavy International Drive instead. An extension to Tampa is the next step in connecting 70 percent of the state’s population by Brightline. [local10.com]
LA Metro plan to fight station-area gentrification
The LA Metro Board of Directors has voted to pursue land-banking as a tool to prevent gentrification near its future transit projects. By buying up land early in its planning process, the mega transit agency can “bank” the property, then sell it to affordable housing developers. In the past land prices and property values near stations have skyrocketed, edging out low-income renters and mom-and-pop business owners. [dailynews.com]
Beijing reopens Asia’s largest station after makeover
Beijing’s oldest train station has gotten a 21st-century makeover. Fengtai Railway Station, which was built in 1895, has reopened after a multiyear renovation process. The reimagined station – billed as the largest in Asia – has 32 train platforms, plus departure lounges, restaurants and other amenities spread across 400,000 square meters. At its peak, the station will be able to host 14,000 passengers per hour on a mix of bullet and regular trains as well as subway lines. [cnn.com]
