California high-speed proj pursues fed funds
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has submitted two applications totaling nearly $1.3 billion in federal grant funding. The applications include funding for design and track construction between Merced and Bakersfield, station development in Fresno and Kings/Tulare, purchase of six fully electric train sets, and advancing the next phase of design for two segments into the Bay Area and into Southern California. If awarded by the U.S. DOT, these grants will help accelerate progress toward the opening of the nation’s first 220 mph, electrified high-speed train system. [rtands.com]
Cincinnati’s streetcar breaking ridership records
The Cincinnati Bell Connector is on a roll and Memorial Day weekend’s Taste of Cincinnati event downtown was expected to push the streetcar into record territory for the seventh straight month. Ridership for the first three weeks of May totaled 52,092. By comparison, the best May on record totaled 53,116 passengers for the full month in 2017. Daily ridership on the streetcar has averaged 1,800 passengers per day for the past year. The daily average ridership during the current month has increased to 2,400 passengers. [fox19.com]
Mexican court suspends ‘Mayan Train’ proj
A Mexican Court ruling that indefinitely suspended construction of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s flagship “Mayan Train” rail project over environmental concerns was welcomed by activists on Monday. The 1,470-km (910-mile) railway project, which has been trumpeted by Lopez Obrador as a cornerstone of his plans to develop the country’s poorer southern states, aims to link tourist hot spots and spur development on the Yucatan Peninsula. [reuters.com]
Tickets on sale for new Amtrak Berkshire Flyer
Tickets are now on sale for Amtrak’s newest train service, the Berkshire Flyer, for travel between Pittsfield, Mass. and New York City. Service begins Friday, July 8, and will run through the summer between Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield, with several stops in between. Amtrak is offering the service in conjunction with the Massachusetts and New York departments of transportation. The train will make intermediate station stops at Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson and Albany-Rensselaer. The Sunday return trip will make the same stops. [timesunion.com]
