LIGHT RAIL, RAPID TRANSIT, AND COMMUTER RAIL NEWS
TTC Launches First Expansion Since 2000
On June 18, the Toronto Transit Commission celebrated the opening of the 514 Cherry streetcar line, the first extension of the TTC streetcar system since July 2000. According to a news release, the new
514 service connects Cherry Street and the West Don Lands area in the east to Dufferin Street and the Liberty Village area in the west. Route 514 Cherry streetcars will run between Distillery Loop and Dufferin Gate Loop via Cherry Street/Sumach Street, King Street and Dufferin Street. The extension of the streetcar network
to Cherry Street is part of Waterfront Toronto’s wider revitalization project, and an integral part of the new West Don Lands community — the first “Transit First” neighborhood in Toronto. The goal of the Cherry Street streetcar extension was to have transit access within a five- minute walk of all residences in the West Don Lands. Service to the new community along the waterfront and the Distillery district was designed to prioritize transit users. The Cherry
Street streetcar extension was funded by the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and the Government of Canada.
Maryland DOT Purple Line Secures Financing, Contracts for New Cars
On June 17, Maryland Department
of Transportation (MDOT), MDOT’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), and the Purple Line Transit Partners, LLC, signed the final financial documents on the $5.6 billion Purple Line Public-Private Partnership (P3) contract. The Purple Line is a new 16-mile light rail system connecting Bethesda to New Carrollton. This historic event clears the way for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the new line. Purple Line Transit Partners secured all its financing for the project including an $875 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation; $313 million in Private Activity Bonds issued by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation; and $138 million from the
partners’ own private equity. The project remains on schedule and construction of the line is slated to begin in fall 2016. The Purple Line will connect Metro rail and bus, MARC, Amtrak, and local buses into a true transportation network for Maryland residents. The Purple Line will run east-west inside the Capital Beltway, with 21 stations connecting to Metrorail’s Orange, Green, and Red lines; the MARC Brunswick, Camden, and Penn lines; and Amtrak at New Carrollton. Daily ridership is estimated to reach more than 74,000 by 2040. Service is expected to begin in 2022.
With the project on track for
a construction start this fall, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) has been selected to manufacture 26 five-module light rail vehicles. According to the CAF press release, the contract includes spare cars and parts, special tools, and test equipment, and will be managed by the company’s subsidiary CAF USA, Inc. The contract value exceeds $200 million for the supply of rolling stock. CAF USA holds a 20 percent share in Purple Line Transit Partners, which will manage the
Issue 7
As the 40th Anniversary of the American Bicentennial celebration approaches, TRAINS & RAILROADSOF THE PAST 3rd Quarter 2016 presents a patriotic tribute featuring the American Freedom Train and a look back at the many Bicentennial locomotives, freight cars and cabooses that brightened up the railroad scene in 1976.
Each issue of TRP features
This issue also features a variety of locomotives and other rolling stock wearing non-standard paint schemes, spotlighting the coveted “one-of-a-kind”
specials. Some of these diesels celebrated an event, while others defied explanation!
Oleve Taremae relates his experience on the “original” Genesee &
Wyoming in Retsof, New York, including a chase on the G&W when it was an all-Alco railroad.
Mike Bednar takes you to
Slatington, Pennsylvania, where a fast westbound freight slammed into the two-story Lehigh Valley station in the middle of the night.
Mike gives you the circumstances surrounding the wreck and is there for the clean-up!
Order online day or night at
shop.WhiteRiverProductions.com P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631 • Toll-free (877) 787-2467
some of the finest color and B&W railroad photography from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. While the focus is on locomotives and rolling stock, including freight
cars, you'll also see lots of trackwork, signs, scenery, signals and structures, too! Readers enjoy re-living this exciting era of railroading in the pages of TRP.
TRPmagazine 18 SEPTEMBER 2016 •
RAILFAN.COM
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