Toronto’s Metrolinx begins testing Eglinton Crosstown light-rail vehicles
Metrolinx has begun testing the first six Eglinton Crosstown light-rail vehicles (LRVs) along surface level tracks in Toronto’s east end. Tests involve coupled LRVs and analyze speed, brake, and concurrent vehicle performance. Preliminary tests, including communications systems and signals, have been ongoing since the spring. The Eglinton Crosstown line will serve 25 stations along a 12 mi (19 km) route over half of which will be underground. It will link to three Toronto subway stations and GO Transit lines. The line, which parallels Eglinton Avenue, will open in 2022. [progressiverailroading.com]
Brightline in Boca a go: Site plan for $46 million train station, parking garage passes
Residents in the southern part of Palm Beach County will soon have a new high-speed path to Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The Boca Raton City Council has approved an updated site plan for the Brightline train station and parking garage. The council will amend the site plan for the city’s downtown public library to allow for the construction of the one-story train station and four-and-a-half-story parking garage. The $46 million project, which will be finished next summer, will stand to the east of the library. [palmbeachpost.com]
Mexico’s Maya Train cost is up one-third due to expansion of project
The cost of Mexico’s Tren Maya (Maya Train) railroad will be one-third higher than originally anticipated due to a range of changes to the project. Double tracking and electrification over half of the 1,500 km (950 mi) route will increase the cost of the project from an estimated 150 billion pesos to over 200 billion pesos (US $9.8 billion). The railroad, which will serve tourist destinations across the Yucatan Peninsula, will connect Chiapas and Cancún via two separate northern and southern routes. [mexiconewsdaily.com]
Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen train makes its Swedish debut
The world’s first hydrogen-powered train, Alstom’s Coradia iLint passenger train is making its debut in Östersund, Sweden, with aims to reduce CO2 emissions and help decarbonize rail transport. Train operators elsewhere have already tested and implemented the more sustainable trains. The first two 100% H2 iLint trains entered service in Germany in 2018 and have already covered more than 100,000 km (over 60,000 mi). To date, 41 trainsets have been ordered in Germany, and successful trials have taken place in Austria and the Netherlands. Italian operator FNM ordered 14 H2 trains at the end of 2020. [globalrailwayreview.com]
