for lines over 30 miles long. According to an article in the States-
man, State Sen. Kirk Watson said remov- ing the current requirement would allow Capital Metro to make improvements to its rail line to Elgin at commuter rail standards at the same time as it makes upgrades for freight operations. With years-long construction projects looming for I-35 and U.S. Highway 290, having a rail alternative makes good sense. No other Texas city has such a law concern- ing passenger rail. Texas law, however, requires voter approval for any trans- portation project that issues bonds to be paid back using tax monies.
TEX Commuter Station Approved for DFW
TEX Rail is a 27-mile commuter rail
project being developed by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (“The T”) and will be the next passenger rail service coming to Tarrant County. The service is projected to have more than 13,600 daily riders using nine rail stations upon completion. TEX passenger service is expected to
begin in late 2018, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) officials say the new $28.4 million station in Termi- nal B will be ready. Archer Western, a contractor for the station project, has been hired along with Herzog, which will oversee the operation. The new station, similar to the DART station in Terminal A, will be constructed to accommodate additional track for the planned Cotton Belt project that will eventually bring Addison, Plano, and Dallas to the TEX system by 2022. The TEX line begins in downtown
for River Draw New Plans
NJ Transit ALP-46A 4657 leads North Jer- sey Coast Line Train 7216 over River Draw at Perth Amboy, N.J., on February 4. Built in 1908 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Raritan River drawbridge is the sole rail link for 17 of the 20 rail stations on the North Jersey Coast Line. The nearly half- mile span between South Amboy and Perth Amboy carries almost 10,000 commuters a day. A new bridge will replace the existing swing bridge, which suffered severe dam- age during Hurricane Sandy. No timetable has been announced for construction of the new span or demolition of the old bridge.
PHOTO BY ADRIAN CORUS
Fort Worth at the existing T&P Station, which also serves Trinity Railway Express commuter trains and Amtrak, and travels through the ITC station, also in downtown Fort Worth, continu- ing across northeast Tarrant County to North Richland Hills and Grapevine and into DFW Terminal B. A major portion of the route uses former Cotton Belt trackage. Unlike the electrified DART system serving adjacent Terminal A, TEX service will use diesel-powered light rail vehicles.
Metro-North and LIRR Break Ridership Record
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-
North Railroad are seeing record rider- ship numbers. In 2016, LIRR carried 89.3 million riders, a 1.9 percent increase over last year and the highest ridership since 1949. Metro-North Railroad handled about 86.5 million passengers in 2016, the highest ridership in its history. LIRR has registered a 1.97 percent average growth per year over the past five years and ridership has grown a total of 10.2 percent over five years, from 81.0 million in 2011. Metro-North’s ridership for 2016 surpasses the previ- ous record of 86.3 million, set last year. Metro-North’s total ridership has more than doubled since the railroad was founded in 1983. With record ridership it’s no wonder
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed major capacity enhance- ments to the LIRR and MN systems, including triple-tracking the LIRR between Floral Park and Hicksville and double-tracking the segment from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma, as well as
enhancements to Penn Station to handle proposed MN New Haven Line services via the Hell Gate Bridge route.
Milwaukee Streetcar Construction Begins
Construction on the new Milwaukee Streetcar was scheduled to begin in April, with the ambitious goal of opening for service in fall 2018. The 2.5-mile starter system will connect the Amtrak station with Milwaukee’s lower east side. A future extension along the lakefront is planned to open in 2019. The first streetcar is expected to be delivered from Brookville Equipment Corp. in December. The city’s last streetcar line was closed in 1959, not counting the North Shore interurban line to Chicago that closed in 1963.
San Jose Considering Fare Changes
The Valley Transportation Authority
(San Jose, Calif.) is considering raising fares to help cover a fiscal year deficit for 2017-18. While the news of a fair increase is routine, the reasons cited for this are not. The last increase was in 2009, when adult fares increased from $1.75 to $2. Since that time the agency has added service for an addi- tional hour per day. Ridership has decreased, and in this tech-savvy area ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have affected fare revenue. All fare components (passes, transfers, discount- ed travel) are being examined, and the public was to comment in February.
PLEASE SEND YOUR TRANSIT NEWS to Bob Gallegos at
transit@railfan.com.
20 APRIL 2017 •
RAILFAN.COM
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