Commuter Rail – Page 80 – Railfanning.org

Washington Metro to Install More Red Platform Edge Lights

June 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — It’s going to get a lot easier for Metrorail riders to know when the next train is arriving. The transit authority is installing new red platform edge lights at the Fort Totten, L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Smithsonian, Union Station, Stadium-Armory and Eisenhower Avenue Metrorail stations during the next several weeks. In late February, Metro installed new red LED (light-emitting diode) platform edge lights on the Red Line platform at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station as part of a pilot program. “As we continue the next phase of installation of the new LED lights, we hope our customers will

CTA Trains, Buses Back to Normal

May 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — Chicago Transit Authority rail and bus service is back to normal, a day after elevated trains and several bus routes that serve the Loop were temporarily rerouted due to a crane accident at a downtown construction site. CTA routes No. 20 Madison, No. 56 Milwaukee, No. 60 Blue Island/26th and No. 120 Navy Pier have returned to their regular routing eastbound. All CTA buses and trains rerouted due to the crane accident downtown are operating along their regular routes. Southbound Red Line trains will continue to operate over the elevated tracks until 1 a.m. Monday, May 21 due

CTA Trains and Buses Rerouted

May 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — Chicago Transit Authority elevated trains and several bus routes that serve the Loop are temporarily rerouted due to a crane accident at a downtown construction site. Although trains are running, elevated trains will not serve stations along Wabash and Lake. Buses that normally travel on Washington and Madison are being rerouted. The following routes are affected: Green Line: Trains are operating into and out of the Loop via Van Buren and Wells. Brown Line: Inbound trains will only operate as far as the Belmont station before turning back. There will be no Brown Line service at Loop stations.

CTA to Relocate Historic Stationhouse

May 10, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority will relocate the existing historic stationhouse at Fullerton from 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 until 5 a.m. on Friday, May 11. Rail service will not be affected; however, Fullerton Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Sheffield and Halsted. CTA’s #74 Fullerton bus will be temporarily rerouted eastbound via Sheffield, Webster, Lincoln, Sheffield and Fullerton then resume the regular route. The stationhouse will be temporarily stored nearby until the work to install it at its permanent location is completed. The historic stationhouse will be refurbished and opened as an auxiliary entrance/exit for

N.J. Seeking to Commit Another Billion Dollars to Build Trans-Hudson Passenger Tunnel

May 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey is seeking to increase its funding commitment for a new trans-Hudson passenger rail tunnel by a billion dollars over the next decade — raising the state’s total investment in the Access to the Regions Core (ARC) project to $1.5 billion. In a unanimous vote yesterday, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Project Prioritization Committee approved a recommendation to their full Board supporting Governor Corzine’s plan to exchange traditional highway dollars to fund the transit project that will double commuter rail capacity. The NJTPA’s full Board of Trustees is set to consider the measure at

Customers On SEPTA’s Paoli Line and Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor To Enjoy a Smoother Rider After Trackwork

April 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA – Customers on SEPTA’s Regional Rail R5 Paoli-Thorndale Line and Amtrak’s Keystone Service will soon enjoy a smoother ride as Amtrak embarks on a major trackwork project between Paoli and Philadelphia. Scheduled to begin May 7 and continue through mid-November, the trackwork will cause adjustments to the schedules of trains that travel through the area, but in the end will result in more reliable service. During the project, SEPTA passengers will get a sneak peak at what the trackwork means to their daily commute as trains will operate over tracks that have already been upgraded. The trackwork, which is

Construction Begins on a New Metropark Station

April 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ISELIN, N.J. – N.J. Transit today broke ground today on a $47 million project to rebuild Metropark Station on the Northeast Corridor. Originally designed as a suburban stop for Amtrak Metroliner trains, Metropark became New Jersey’s first “park and ride” station when it opened on November 11, 1971. The station quickly became a model of a “regional interceptor,” a station located near a major highway, providing adequate parking and convenient train options for rail travelers. Today, Metropark is the busiest outlying (non-terminal) station in the N.J. Transit commuter rail network, accommodating four million passenger trips each year—14,200 N.J. Transit customers

Passaic-Bergen Rail Plan Advances

April 18, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. – The plan to provide a new passenger rail service link between downtown Hackensack and the Main Line Station in Hawthorne moved ahead today with the N.J. Transit Board of Directors approving funds for the project’s final design. The project will introduce FRA-compliant Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) technology into the N.J. Transit fleet of rail equipment and will provide new passenger service along more than eight miles of existing freight track. “I am pleased to see steady progress in this project, which will provide new and efficient travel options to the residents who live along this corridor,” said

MARTA Sees Ridership Increase

March 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA – From July to December 2006, MARTA’s passenger counts grew by 7.2 percent and passenger revenue increased by 3.8 percent over the same period last year. Nationwide, public transit ridership grew by 2.9 percent from 2005 to 2006. “MARTA is working hard to improve service and attract more riders to the system and we are pleased to see the positive results of our efforts,” said General Manager Richard McCrillis. “We hope to sustain this trend through the multiple renewal and improvement efforts we have underway – including our rail car rehabilitation project, increased service levels, and heightened focus on

FRA Announces Start of Environmental Impact Statement for California High-Speed Passenger Rail Project

March 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES — The Federal Railroad Administration announced it will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the California High-Speed Rail Authority for two sections of the state’s proposed high-speed passenger rail project. The two EIS documents, covering the Palmdale to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Orange County corridors, will involve preliminary engineering designs and assess the environmental impact associated with construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed project. These two corridors are part of the Authority’s plan to build a 700-mile high-speed rail system from Sacramento / San Francisco to San Diego capable of speeds in excess