Biden Admin calls NYC-NJ tunnel plan “urgent”
The Biden administration has prioritized the Gateway rail tunnel project between New York City and New Jersey with urgency because of its “national significance”, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The project has been stalled since former President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the government if a spending bill directed federal funding for the tunnel. Buttigieg said the Transportation Department hopes to complete the project’s long-delayed environmental impact statement by the end of June. [bloomberg.com]
Legislation introduced to permanently fund Amtrak
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) have introduced legislation in both houses of Congress to provide for permanent federal funding for Amtrak. The bill, the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund Act, would create dedicated funding streams to help Amtrak invest in major improvement projects, increase passenger rail efficiency, and provide safer, more reliable service. Currently, Amtrak is funded through the annual appropriations process, making it difficult to plan for long-term, comprehensive investments. [railwayage.com]
Some states begin restoring Amtrak corridor frequencies; others continue planning
Amtrak will begin restoring daily departures for its long-distance trains in late May, after receiving directives and $1.7 billion from Congress. State-supported regional operations, however, can remain an inscrutable patchwork of limited service to the traveling public, with no published schedules or any hint when additional round trips might be restored from the sharply reduced levels resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. There are exceptions. with regional overviews providing information on where things stand. [trains.com]
Proposal calls for transforming DC region’s rail network
An alliance of top chief executives in the Washington DC region is pushing a plan for Maryland and Virginia commuter trains to cross jurisdictions to provide more interconnected service. The plan, promoted by the Greater Washington Partnership, aims to transform the region’s rail network. The group says having a commuter train system that operates harmoniously across the region could be achieved within a quarter-century. The plan has won support from transit advocates, the region’s passenger railroads and public- and private-sector groups. [apnews.com]
Brightline expects Orlando route completion by end of 2022
Brightline has refined the timeline on its roughly $2.7 billion, 170-mile Orlando expansion. Currently, the company is roughly halfway done on the expansion and it remains on schedule. The Miami-based intercity rail company expects to reach substantial completion of the route from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport by December 2022. Service will start in 2023. Besides its ongoing Orlando route, the company is working on an extension to Tampa, including a roughly 17-mile route to the Disney Springs shopping and entertainment district at Walt Disney World. [bizjournals.com]
