mond, East Chicago, and Gary. In the 2013 In- diana General Assembly, legislation was in- troduced that would have NICTD board mem- bers chosen by the mayors of the principal cities, which will lead to Lake County domi- nating the board. The legislation failed be- cause none of the politicians outside of Lake County have trust in Lake County politicians. So, in typical fashion, the matter was put in the hands of a study commission that will ad- vise the General Assembly. In my opinion, af- ter having been the Governor’s representative for 30 years, domination by Lake County would not serve the South Shore passengers or the lineside communities at all well. Leave things as they have been.
California Capital Corridor Expansion The Capital Corridor in California reaches from Sacramento to San Jose’s Diridon Sta- tion. Plans are afoot to extend Capital Corri- dor service beyond San Jose to John Stein- beck territory and Salinas. In addition to the Capital Corridor trains, the San Francisco to San Jose Caltrains serves San Jose. Another service to San Jose is the Altamont Com- muter Express from Stockton. The rail mileage from San Jose to Salinas is 68 miles. The service addition would be an extension of the Capital Corridor Joint Pow- ers Authority. The new service will begin with two daily round trips; depending on de- mand, service may rise to six round trips. Capital improvements to Salinas will in- clude a layover facility and a new platform, as well as a bus facility and parking. Similar investments will be made at Castroville and Pajaro/Watsonville.
Track improvements
will be made to 38 miles of Union Pacific Coast Line track between Gilroy and Sali- nas. Note that Gilroy (garlic capital of the world) is the destination for some Caltrains. Service to Salinas is expected to start in
2016. The project will make travel easier by offering an alternative to use of U.S. 101, and approximately 150,000 annual rail trips are expected. The cost of the extension is esti- mated at $135.71 million. Thanks to John A. Lee and the Rail Passengers Association of California and Nevada for the information.
More Light Rail in Maryland
Transportation officials in Maryland are working on two light rail projects. One has been dubbed the Red Line and it is proposed to be an east-west rail service in Baltimore that would be 14 miles in length and cost about $2.3 billion. The other is the proposed Purple Line, it would be 16 miles long, cost about $2.2 billion and offer a service roughly parallel with the northern arc of the Wash- ington Beltway and would link Hyattsville with Bethesda. With big projects that are so costly, the primary problem is not the engineering or construction challenges, but how to find the money. It is not likely that both projects will be undertaken at the same time because of the huge cost burden. In both cases, the state is going to seek private funds to help propel the projects and, of course, also seek federal funds. Thanks to Henry Goode and David Harris for the news.
Toronto: Union Station Renovation Renovation is always a trying affair, espe- cially if the facility under renovation is be- ing used. That is true at Toronto’s great Union Station. Passengers have to make do while the reconstruction work goes on.
The 161.5 million dollar project got start- ed in May 2011 and is scheduled to be fin- ished in time for the Pan American Games in 2015. The station is very busy and sees 200,000 people travel through it on a daily basis. By the summer of 2013, the renova- tion project was at the halfway point and was on schedule and on budget. Among the improvements is a new subway platform that is expected to double the capac- ity of the station. The new platform is joined by a stair free and seamless link between the rail concourse and the TTC subway station. There is a new concourse with more space than in the past and a new glass atrium has been especially designed for the station. Union Station is a major transportation hub and serves the long distance trains of VIA Rail Canada and the commuter trains of GO Transit. There is also the terminal for the streetcar line that serves the waterfront before turning up Spadina to reach the Bloor-Danforth subway. There are certain great Holy Places of transit and Toronto’s Union Station is one of them. Visit it as soon as you can. Peter Perreault is the kind per- son who supplied this information.
Crossing The Bridge Pennsylvania is chock full of old bridges. Not long ago George Pricskett journeyed from Buffalo to Philadelphia via Amtrak, and he visited places he recalled from the past. One place was the very historic Pennypack Creek bridge on Frankford Avenue in Holmesburg. The three-arch bridge opened in 1697 (wow!) and at one time, Route 66 street cars crossed it. Mr. Pricskett noted it is now crossed by Route 66 trolleybuses. Many years ago he rode the streetcar while delivering groceries for the A&P. He thought the trolleybus ride was smooth. I’m sure many readers have happy memories of past rides on electric cars in their youth.
Providence Streetcar Line Providence, R.I., is working on plans to de- velop a streetcar system in the downtown area as the relocation of I-95 presents an op- portunity for major change. The proposed Providence streetcar would provide a link between the hospital district in South Prov- idence and College Hill near Brown Univer- sity. The projected cost is $114.4 million and the line would be 2.1 miles long. Planners envision 12 minute headways and it
is
hoped that federal funding would pay for one third of the cost. Thanks to Fred Cole and George Malemont for the information.
Rails and the Midnight Marathon The Boston Marathon is well known. Less well known is the Midnight Marathon. when cyclists ride along the race course the night before. The course begins in Hopkinton and the problem is to get the bikers and their wheels to the starting point for the midnight run. The number of bikers and bikes outdid the capacity of the last regular commuter train. Arrangements were made to operate a special train for the 2013 cyclists and have engendered goodwill for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. I have no idea why these running events have become so popular, but it is a fact. My son, Paul, took part in the Chicago Marathon and enjoyed himself. Thanks to Peter Perreault, a solid New Englander, for the news. The sad fact of the explosion and deaths at the end of the marathon are part of history.
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