Railway Age’s roundup of significant North American projects in all modes of passenger rail—regional/commuter, rapid transit, light rail, intercity and high/higher-speed.
California HSR
The California High-Speed Rail Authority issued a request for qualifications for its upcoming Rail Delivery Partner (RDP) procurement. In January, CHSRA broke ground on the nation’s first high-speed rail system. Local and statewide small businesses are completing a majority of Construction Package 1, which includes 12 grade separations, two viaducts, a tunnel, and a bridge over the San Joaquin River. As of September 2014, 40 small businesses have active contracts valued at $296 million. A joint venture of Tutor Perini Zachry/Parsons is designing and building this first phase.
Amtrak
In February, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved nearly $8 billion in funding for Amtrak. Dubbed the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment (PRRIA) Act, the bill provides about $982 million per year for Amtrak’s national network and another $470 million annually for its Northeast U.S. routes. The bill, which is set to expire in 2019, also provides another $300 million per year for construction on Amtrak routes in the rest of the country. Amtrak last received an appropriations bill in 2008, which provided about $1.3 billion for a combination of operations, construction and debt service.
Work on the Empire Corridor, a partnership of Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation and CSX Transportation, continues. The program will design and construct approximately $200 million of infrastructure improvements: Albany-to-Schenectady double track, 17 miles of second main track and upgraded signals; Albany-Rensselaer station, fourth track; Schenectady station, new platform; replacement of old signal pole lines with new underground cables between Poughkeepsie and Red Hook; and upgrading of three grade crossings.
VIA Rail Canada
A May 2014 investment of C$10.2 million in the restoration of the Newcastle line, as well as additional departures on the company’s Ocean service during the holiday season, is intended to support targeted strategies for building traffic and improving customer service. Travel time between Montreal and Halifax has been reduced by approximately one hour.
Boston
The USDOT awarded the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) a $996 million FTA New Starts grant to extend its Green Line light rail service from East Cambridge to Somerville and Medford. DOT will contribute the $996 million over the course of the $2.3 billion project, which is being constructed in four overlapping phases from 2013 to 2020, with funds from the Commonwealth covering the remainder. The project will also include purchase of 24 new light rail vehicles; and relocation of some existing commuter rail track.
As of March 2015, refurbished Green Line Type 7 LRVs have started to make their way back to Boston, following significant work at the Alstom plant in Hornell, N.Y. The $104.4 million project includes upgraded HVAC, auxiliary lighting, flooring, seating and insulation.
MassDOT completed its $12.1 million purchase of 37 miles of Housatonic Railroad right-of-way stretching from Pittsfield, Mass. to Canaan, Conn., the railroad’s headquarters city sitting.
Providence, R.I.
Rhode Island’s state capital is moving forward with an altered version of its proposed streetcar line. The city is seeking proposals for a $100.2 million, 1.6-mile streetcar line that would begin at the Providence Amtrak/MBTA station and end near the main entrance of Rhode Island Hospital.
Connecticut
Completion of MTA Metro-North Railroad’s catenary replacement project on its New Haven Line is targeted for early 2017. Work is being funded through the Connecticut DOT.
ConnDOT announced capital investment to the newly named Hartford Line linking the state capital with Springfield, Mass. to the north, and New Haven, Conn., to the south. Construction is under way at numerous locations along what was called the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program.
New York City
The New York MTA awarded a contract to GCT Constructors, JV, a joint venture of Schiavone Construction Co. and John P. Picone Inc., to build the 375,000-square-foot Long Island Rail Road concourse at Grand Central Terminal. The contract is worth a minimum of $404.8 million.
NYMTA released its 2015-2019 Capital Program last September. The program includes $5.5 billion to expand the MTA network through major investments. This includes $1.5 billion to begin the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway from 96th Street to 125th Street in Manhattan. Currently, Phase I of the Second Avenue Subway, between 63rd Street and 96th Street, is under way and slated for completion by 2016.
Of the $5.5 billion, $2.8 billion will be to complete funding for ESA, and $743 million to begin the Penn Access project to bring Metro-North New Haven Line service into Penn Station and build four new stations in the Bronx.
On May 16, the MTA announced a series of efforts to flood-proof major sections of the New York City subway system. Specific projects include repair work in the 53rd Street, Cranberry, Rutgers, Clark Street, Canarsie and Montague subway tubes under the East River and the Greenpoint Tube under Newtown Creek; pump room augmentation; plan and design work for flood mitigation at the Coney Island, 148th Street and 207th Street subway car yards and 12 ventilation plants in multiple low-lying areas of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx; flood mitigation at the St. George Terminal and Clifton Shop of the Staten Island Railway; design and development of flood prevention and mitigation equipment at the entrances to several low-lying Lower Manhattan subway stations.
Final design reviews on PATH’s Signal System Replacement program have been completed and project completion is scheduled for 2015. PATH’s current power substation upgrades program includes replacements and upgrades of three substations and two switching stations. Work is anticipated to be completed by 2017.
New Jersey
The USDOT awarded New Jersey Transit $147 million through the FTA Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program for repair, recovery and resiliency projects associated with Superstorm Sandy. The funding will be used to continue to advance work on the Morris & Essex and North Jersey Coast Lines’ signal and communications systems, repair traction power and distribution systems that support the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, and other long-term recovery efforts.
NJT will receive $843,750 in federal funds to develop a validated forecast and warning system, in partnership with Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.
Philadelphia
Ground has officially broken on the $19.6 million 69th Street Transportation Center West Terminal Improvements Project, scheduled to be completed in November 2015.
SEPTA’s proposed Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2016, the 12-month period from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016, is $1.36 billion, an increase of 2.84% over Fiscal Year 2015. It maintains current SEPTA service levels, with no increase in fares, and includes resources for the permanent implementation of 24-hour weekend service on the Broad Street Line subway and Market-Frankford Line subway/elevated, which was launched as a pilot program last year.
Pittsburgh
A “Spine Line” extension to the city’s Oakland neighborhood, a major medical and educational center, remains on hold. Still in discussion is a proposed $380 million, 22.5-mile regional rail service from Alle-Kiski Valley in Westmoreland County, Pa., northeast of Pittsburgh, to downtown.
Baltimore
Construction on Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) $2.9 billion, 14.1-mile, east-west Red Line is scheduled to begin this year and go through 2022. Construction on MTA’s $2.5 billion, 16.2-mile, east-west Purple Lineis scheduled to begin this year and go through 2020.
MTA is considering LRT for the MD 5/US 301 corridor. A Southern Maryland Rapid Transit Study is under way.
Washington D.C.
WMATA debuted its first 7000-series train from Kawasaki Rail Car USA on the Blue Line. WMATA has ordered 528 of the new railcars, enough to replace all 1000- and 4000-series cars and expand the size of its fleet by 128 cars. Options to purchase an additional 220 cars can be exercised if funding is committed by midyear.
WMATA returned the Red Line to automatic train operation (ATO) in April. Eight-car trains will run in ATO mode initially; six-car trains will continue to operate in manual mode. A future software upgrade will allow six-car trains to return to ATO mode. The five other rail lines (Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow and Green) are currently undergoing track-circuit module replacement projects and a return to ATO on these lines is expected in late 2017.
Norfolk/Virginia Beach
The state has sweetened its funding commitment to HRT in its pursuit of a light rail extension from Norfolk. The state’s previous commitment of as much as $155 million in matching funds will be provided; as much as $30 million in low-interest loans will be made available through the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.
Charlotte
The $37 million Phase 1 of Charlotte Area Transit System’s CityLYNX Gold Line 10-mile streetcar is scheduled to open this summer. The $126 million Phase 2 is set to open in 2019. Construction continues on CATS’ LYNX Blue Line Extension. Service will begin in 2017.
Chattanooga
Chattanooga DOT entered into an agreement with Cambridge Systematics Inc. for the Commuter Rail Transit Study and Implementation Plan. In April, the City Council approved a resolution allowing the city to apply for a $400,000 TIGER grant to pay for most of the $690,000 study. Cambridge Systematics will study possible routes, passenger demand and fare structure for LRT as well as whether there is enough interest to justify the estimated $35 million project.
Atlanta
The East-West Phase One route of the new Atlanta Streetcar, with 2.7 track-miles and 12 stops, opened in December 2014 with Siemens S70 LRVs. Phase One offers connectivity to the city center for MARTA, the Atlanta BeltLine and other transit options. The proposed 22-mile Atlanta BeltLine will connect to MARTA at four locations.
MARTA’s proposed Red Line expansion would continue north from North Springs station, terminating at Windward Parkway. The project is ready for finalizing the EIS and project evaluation.
Orlando
SunRail has won a $93 million federal grant to expand the regional rail system 17 miles south into Osceola County. Expansions south into Osceola County and north to DeLand face potential delays of at least six months due to delays in securing $126 million in federal funding assistance. SunRail says it needs $91 million to extend service to Osceola and $35 million to reach DeLand. The two extensions would nearly double the length of the system to 61 miles.
Tampa Bay
Voters rejected a proposed sales tax to pay for a Tampa Bay regional LRT system and bus improvements dubbed “Greenlight Pinellas.” In December 2014, Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit, which operates the 2.7-mile TECO Line Streetcar, issued a study to explore an extension through downtown Tampa to the Marion Transit Center.
Fort Lauderdale
In early 2014 the FTA recommended a $50 million Small Starts grant for construction of The Wave Streetcar. The grant adds to the $18 million TIGER grant received in June 2012 and will provide the remaining federal funding needed to design and construct the 2.7-mile streetcar project in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Final design will be completed in 2015. Technical specifications are being developed for the procurement of streetcars, with a delivery goal of 2017. Phase One of The Wave, costing $83 million, would run 1.4 miles and begin operation in 2016. A hybrid streetcar, using catenary and battery power, is envisioned. Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority is weighing plans to add a second phase. Cost for both phases of The Wave is put at $142.6 million.
All Aboard Florida has selected GE Transportation to supply signaling equipment for the 235-mile HrSR corridor connecting Miami and Orlando. AAF is scheduled to begin service from Miami to West Palm Beach in 2016.
Miami
South Florida Regional Transportation Authority/Tri-Rail’s new Miami International Airport Station opened in April as part of the Miami Intermodal Center.
Buffalo
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is studying adding a Cobblestone District extension to its LRT. The potential of a new Bills football stadium in Cobblestone or further southeast along South Park Avenue makes the extension more of a possibility. NFTA is also studying options for extending LRT to Amherst.
Cleveland
Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority broke ground in April on a replacement $11.387 million station on the Cleveland-Brook Park border, near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. GCRTA is planning to rebuild at the East 116th Street light-rail station at Shaker Blvd. The station is used by Blue and Green line trains. Construction on the $6.3 million project is expected to begin in 2016 with completion scheduled for 20 months after groundbreaking.
Cincinnati
Construction on the 3.6-mile first phase of the $147.81 million Cincinnati Streetcar is under way. CAF USA will provide up to five low-floor Urbos 3 streetcars. Delivery is expected by fourth-quarter 2015. The system should open in 2016.
Illinois
METRA is rebuilding bridges over 22 streets along the UP North Line and has substantially completed the $142 million Englewood Flyover on its Rock Island Line. METRA is now building a third bay to the bridge so it can add a third track to the Rock Island Line.
METRA is taking delivery of 160 new Nippon Sharyo cars for its Metra Electric District at a cost of $585 million. METRA is also more than halfway through renovating 176 cars that were manufactured by Amerail and delivered to Metra in the 1990s. Total cost is $115 million. In February, METRA approved one of the first components of its plan to modernize rolling stock, authorizing a $91.1 million contract to rehabilitate 41 locomotives with Progress Rail Services Corp. The work covers 41 EMD Model F40PH-2 and F40PHM-2 locomotives.
Last fall METRA announced a $2.4 billion modernization plan, which seeks to purchase 367 new cars and 52 new locomotives and rehabilitate 455 cars and 85 locomotives. The plan also will cover PTC; Metra awarded a $79.9 million contract to Parsons Transportation to serve as PTC system integrator.
Chicago
The Chicago Transit Authority is moving forward with its Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) to completely rebuild and add passenger capacity to the northern section of the Red Line, as well as the Purple Line north of Belmont.
In February, CTA secured a $120 million TIFIA loan for Blue Line improvements between the downtown Loop and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
In addition, the four-year, $408.7 million Blue Line renovation (“Your New Blue”) will be supported by $16 million in TIGER funds awarded in 2012, with the remainder coming from state, local and other sources. The project represents the largest upgrade of the Blue Line since it was extended to O’Hare in 1984.
CTA began construction on three major infrastructure projects as part of the new Loop Link initiative that will redevelop and modernize transportation from Union Station to Millennium Park. The Loop Link is scheduled for substantial completion by the end of 2015.
The $203 million Wilson project is modernizing the 91-year-old stationhouse and the station’s more than 100-year-old track structure. About 2,200 feet of elevated tracks, signals and supporting infrastructure will be relocated and reconstructed, eliminating slow zones.
Amtrak committed $12 million to continue renovations of Chicago’s 90-year-old Union Station. The city is working with the federal government, the state of Illinois, Metra and Amtrak to facilitate an overhaul that will require a multi-year, $500 million investment. The FRA has awarded a $3 million grant to the Illinois DOT for use in its Chicago Union Station Terminal Planning Study.
Detroit
Construction on the 3.4-mile M-1 streetcar along Woodward Avenue began in July 2014. M-1 RAIL, which expects to be operational in 2016, completed its first phase in November. Construction Manger/General Contractor Stacy and Witbeck, Inc., in partnership with the Michigan DOT and local suppliers, is performing the work. M-1 RAIL has entered into a $30 million contract with Inekon for six streetcars.
Kenosha
Former Kenosha Mayor John D. Bilotti has joined with others to form a group Called “Common Sense Kenosha” aimed at stopping the planned $11 million expansion of Kenosha Area Transit’s (KAT) 1.7-mile streetcar. The line links the city’s Metra rail station to a marina and two parks along Lake Michigan.
Milwaukee
The City of Milwaukee Common Council has approved the $124 million Milwaukee streetcar project. Final design is under way; the first construction contracts could be let this summer. The Department of Public Works issued an RFP in April for four new streetcars. The project will consist of an initial 2.5-mile route. Groundbreaking will occur by early 2016, with operation expected by 2018.
Minneapolis/St. Paul
The $957 million, 11-mile Central Corridor LRT, the Green Line, opened in June 2014, connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul. A future extension of the Green Line, Southwest LRT, is a 15-mile route between Eden Prairie and downtown Minneapolis. It will be part of an integrated system of transitways, including connections to the METRO Blue Line, the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, bus routes and proposed future transitways.
Total project cost was placed at $1.65 billion but ground test results and project delays have increased the cost to $1.99 billion. The line will not open until 2020.
METRO is also planning a Blue Line extension that will operate northwest from downtown Minneapolis. The proposed alignment is primarily at-grade and will have up to 11 new stations in addition to Target Field Station and about 13 miles of double track. It will connect Minneapolis and the region’s northwestern communities with the Green Line, BRT, the Northstar system and buses.
Omaha
The USDOT issued $15 million in federal grants to the Transit Authority of the City of Omaha for the eight-mile BRT portion of its Preferred Transit Alternative, which also includes a 3.22-mile streetcar line.
Kansas City
Construction on the two-mile Downtown Kansas City Streetcar project is under way. The route will primarily run along Main Street connecting Kansas City’s River Market area to Crown Center and Union Station. The starter line is the first step in a longer-range plan to create a regional, integrated transit system. Completion is slated for fall 2015. Opening is scheduled for 2016.
St. Louis
Rehabilitation of the historic Eads Bridge on the 46-mile MetroLink LRT is expected to be completed this fall.
Construction on the 2.2-mile Loop Trolley project began in March. The $43 million project will link University City and Forest Park in St. Louis. The service will use two GOMACO vintage trolleys purchased in 2013 by the St. Louis Loop Trolley Transportation Development District from Portland, Ore.’s TriMet.Completion is scheduled for mid-2016.
Downtown STL, Inc.seeks a streetcar connecting Downtown, Midtown, Central West End, and Skinker-DeBaliviere. Cost estimates range up to $270 million.
Nashville
The Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee has launched the Northwest Corridor Transit Study to evaluate options between Clarksville and Nashville. RTA and the Nashville MTA are currently undertaking a strategic planning process. In the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan, adopted by the Nashville Area MPO, long-range plans call for a new commuter rail line in the region’s northwest corridor to connect Clarksville and Nashville.
Memphis
A proposed $404 million, 8.2-mile new line from Downtown Memphis to Memphis Airport remains under review and funding has not yet been secured.
Little Rock
A 2.5-mile extension to Little Rock National Airport on Central Arkansas Transit Authority’s 3.4-mile River Rail streetcar system remains on hold.
New Orleans
Construction on the North Rampart Street/St. Claude Avenue Streetcar Expansion project began in January. The project is part of the RTA’s French Quarter streetcar expansion. The first phase is a 1.6-mile line between Canal Street and Elysian Fields Avenue. The Cemeteries Transit Center project is the final phase of the Canal Streetcar Line. The project proposes to extend the streetcar to Canal Boulevard. The FTA, in conjunction with the RTA, has prepared an Environmental Assessment. It is anticipated that a Finding of No Significant Impact will be issued.
Baton Rouge
In September, Baton Rouge was approved for a $1.8 million TIGER grant to aid in the city’s streetcar plan. The proposed 3.1-mile route would serve Louisiana State University. Design specifications are expected to cost $2.76 million.
Oklahoma City
In September 2013, the Oklahoma City Council approved a 4.5-mile streetcar as part of the city’s MAPS 3 project. Known as the “Zeta,” the route connects the Downtown Transit Center, Automobile Alley, a future intermodal hub, a future MAPS 3 Convention Center, Bricktown and Midtown and runs a block from the future MAPS 3 Downtown Public Park. The budget provides for construction of five to six miles of track.
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s third-phase Orange Line extension, which serves Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened Aug. 18, 2014. Extension of DART’s Blue Line to the University of North Texas, which will add three more miles, broke ground in October. Two stations, Camp Wisdom and UNT Dallas, will be added. Completion is scheduled by 2016.
Dallas streetcar service resumed April 13, 2015, after a near-50-year absence, on a 1.6-mile route from Union Station to Oak Cliff Methodist Dallas Medical Center. This marks the first phase of Dallas’ modern streetcar system. Project development was kick-started by $26 million in TIGER grants. The second phase, which extends to Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District, is expected to be completed by early 2016. The third segment, currently in planning, will expand the line to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and Omni Dallas Hotel.
Denton County Transportation Authority’s A-train is a 21-mile regional rail system that uses Stadler DMU cars to connect Denton and Dallas counties. Passengers can transfer to DART LRT and Trinity Railway Express trains.
TEX Rail, the 27-mile commuter rail project being developed by the Forth Worth Transportation Authority, will be the next passenger rail service coming to Tarrant County, with service projected to have more than 15,000 daily riders using 10 rail stations at full buildout. The line will begin in downtown Forth Worth at the existing TRE T&P Station, continuing across Northeast Tarrant County to Grapevine and into DFW International Airport. TEX Rail has received a Record of Decision from the FTA and FAA that could lead to construction in 2016.
Houston
MetroRail has reached the testing phase for its 3.3-mile Green (East End) Line, 6.6-mile Purple (Southeast) Line and Downtown LRT. Opening day on the East End Line occurred in May.
Austin
Voters rejected the $1.4 billion, 9.5-mile Highland-Riverside urban rail plan claiming it was “seriously flawed.”
Last July, San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor called for the $32 million that the city had pledged for VIA Metropolitan Transit’s streetcar to be redirected. VIA would still have had the funding to build part of the 5.9-mile, $190 million downtown system, but in September, VIA’s board of trustees agreed to shift $92 million from the streetcar project to other city-wide projects.
The Transportation Policy Board of El Paso’s MPO approved $97 million in state funds for a 4.8-mile streetcar project that would run north from Stanton Street in Downtown to the University of Texas at El Paso. The proposed vehicles are PCCs.
Denver
Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) continues to make progress on its FasTracks program, which is adding 122 miles of LRT and regional rail. The 22.8-mile East Rail Line, connecting Denver with Denver International Airport, is scheduled to open in 2016. The 10.5-mile I-225 Rail Line, connecting Aurora to the East and Southeast Rail Line; the 11.2-mile Gold Line, connecting Denver and Wheat Ridge; and the first 6.2-mile segment of the 41-mile Northwest Rail Line, connecting Denver and Westminster, are all scheduled to open in 2016. The North Metro Rail Line, connecting Denver, Commerce City, Thornton and Northglenn, is scheduled to open in 2018.
Salt Lake City
Albuquerque
The Rio Metro Regional Transit District is developing a plan for transit’s future role in the region. Initial strategies are expected to be finalized in fall 2015. Currently, Rail Runner Express spans 100 miles. Herzog Transit Services handles operations and maintenance.
Phoenix/Tempe
Valley Metro has begun planning, design and construction of 40 additional LRT miles, which will be completed by 2034. This includes the 3.1-mile Central Mesa Light Rail Extension, scheduled to be completed this year. Construction on the 1.9-mile Gilbert Road Extension is expected to start this year, with operations scheduled for 2018. The 3.2-mile first-phase Northwest Light Rail Extension is expected to open in early 2016. Northwest Phase II will eventually expand service west toward I-17 and is slated to open in 2026.
In June 2014, the Tempe City Council supported a recommendation for a three-mile Tempe Streetcar. Capital costs are estimated at $175-$200 million and will be funded using regional Proposition 400 funds, federal grant dollars, and other potential sources. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2016 with project completion slated for fall 2018.
Tucson
The $196 million Sun Link streetcar line opened to the public in July 2014. The project is part of the $2.1 billion, 20-year Regional Transportation Authority plan. Streetcars were supplied by Oregon Iron Works/United Streetcar in Portland.
Honolulu
Honolulu Area Rapid Transit has completed the first two miles of elevated guideway for the $5.16 billion Phase 1 of the 20-mile, 21-station metro scheduled to open in 2017.
San Diego
San Diego MTS and neighboring Tijuana have revived plans for LRT service spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. The Blue Line, MTS’s original LRT debuting in 1981, stops just short of the border at San Ysidro. In January, MTS introduced its new fleet of low-floor Siemens LRVs, part of a $600 million effort to modernize the entire system. Construction on the $1.2 billion, 11-mile Mid-Coast Trolley is anticipated to start in late 2015, with service beginning in 2019.
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is working with North County Transit District to construct approximately $1 billion in improvements along the 60-mile San Diego segment of the 351-mile Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) corridor over the next 20 years. The enhancements are part of a package of improvements within the North Coast Corridor. In May, SANDAG opened 5.2 miles of new double-track at two locations along the LOSSAN corridor.
SANDAG is working with NCTD and MTS to add a second, 1.1-mile main line to the north from the Sorrento Valley Station. This project began construction in February 2014 and is expected to be completed in 2015. SANDAG is also adding approximately three miles of second main track between the Sorrento Valley Station and Miramar Road in San Diego. The environmental process is expected to be completed in 2015.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Metropolitam Transportation Authority’s 10-mile Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Light Rail Project will provide service to Inglewood and LA’s Crenshaw Boulevard neighborhood, linking the existing Green Line and the new Expo Line.The Foothill Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa will be completed in September 2015. Completion of the Azusa to Montclair segment will cost $1 billion. No funding has been secured for this segment of the extension.
The $1.37 billion, 1.9-mile Regional Connector Project will extend from Metro Rail’s Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the 7th St/Metro Center in downtown LA, allowing access to the Gold, Blue, Expo, Red and Purple lines. Completion is expected by 2020.
In November, Metro broke ground on its Purple Line Extension, which will extend westward for about nine miles with seven new stations. The first section will add stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, Wilshire/La Cienega and is scheduled for a 2023 completion.
Anaheim
The proposed 3.2-mile streetcar that would serve Disneyland has come under criticism for its nearly $30 million price tag. The FTA claims the project is a poor candidate for its New Starts program, which local officials are aiming to tap to help pay for half the costs. As well, resentment has arisen over the route’s perceived “catering to Disneyland.”
Santa Ana
The $250 million OC Streetcar project serving Santa Ana and Garden Grove has progressed with both city councils approving plans. The project received environmental clearances from the FTA. Expected to be partly funded by the county’s half-cent tax for transportation improvements, the project was recently accepted into the development phase of the FTA’s New Starts program, making it a candidate for funding. The Orange County Transportation Authority will design, build and operate OC Streetcar. Up to seven streetcars are planned to run along the route, stopping at 12 stations. Service is scheduled to open in 2019.
San Bernardino
In February, the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) received the Notice of Determination (NOD) of its nine-mile, $242 million Redlands Passenger Rail Project Final EIS/EIR, allowing the project to be cleared for final design and construction, which is expected to begin in late 2015. Operation is slated for 2018.
San Jose
The $2.3 billion, 10-mile first phase of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s BART extension through Milpitas into the Berryessa district of north San Jose is expected to open in 2018. The BART Silicon Valley extension will be in service by 2017 or sooner.
San Francisco Bay Area
Construction progresses on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (Muni) $1.3 billion Central Subway project to extend LRT underground 1.7 miles north to Stockton and Clay streets. The line is scheduled to open in 2019. Muni will more than double its fleet of LRVs in 2016 with addition of 175 new S200 SF LRV cars from Siemens under a $648 million contract. Options are in place for an additional 85 cars, bringing the total to 260.
Construction of BART’s $890 million, 5.4-mile extension from Fremont to Warm Springs is targeted for a fall 2015 completion. Bombardier will build BART’s Fleet of the Future; the first new cars will enter service in fall 2016.
A rigorous state audit reaffirmed that BART is facing $9.6 billion in capital needs, potentially affecting the reliability of rail service if additional revenue isn’t secured. The audit reports BART has taken recent steps to improve its process for planning capital improvements and has already begun work to secure funding and identify potential future funds. BART faces cash flow problems for each of its Big Three capital projects: 775 new railcars, a new train control system and an expanded maintenance facility. In addition, BART has identified more than $5.6 billion in capital projects needed to repair or replace infrastructure to maintain a state of good repair and to expand the system.
The Caltrain Board of Directors authorized the release of the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project Design Build RFP, the next step in the $1.5 billion project to electrify the Caltrain system. Electrification is expected to be operational in late 2020.
Progress continues on the first phase of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit’s Rail & Pathway Project. Phase 1 SMART passenger service from Airport Boulevard in Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael begins in late 2016, with pursuit of funding for the Larkspur Extension in the works. Initial on-track vehicle testing will take place at TTCI prior to extensive testing on the new SMART tracks during 2015. Testing will include full implementation of PTC.
Stockton
Altamont Corridor Express and the California High Speed Rail Authority continue to advance “blended” rail upgrading to allow ACE rail service and state high-speed rail trains to comingle, in order to save costs through shared (or adjacent) rights-of-way. Roughly $950 million in improvements, including electrification of ACE, are planned as a step toward high-speed rail operations.
Sacramento
California’s Sacramento Regional Transit District has activated catenary along the Blue Line to Cosumnes River College light-rail extension, currently under construction. The 4.3-mile, $270 project, which will extend LRTl south from the Meadowview Station to the new Cosumnes River College Station, is expected to open in September 2015.
Portland
TriMet’s $1.49 billion, 7.3-mile LRT MAX Orange Line, which will connect Portland State University and inner Southeast Portland to Milwaukie and Oak Grove in north Clackamas County, is scheduled to open in September 2015.
LRT is being considered to improve transit in the corridor that runs north-south from Downtown Portland to Sherwood and east-west from Lake Oswego to Beaverton.
In 2015, TriMet will be making upgrades to stations and pedestrian crossings along the MAX Blue Line.
Portland Streetcar’s “Complete the Loop” project, connecting streetcars to the TriMet Portland to Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge on both sides of the river, is slated to open this September in conjunction with the opening of the Orange Line.
Seattle-Tacoma
Sound Transit’s $2.8 billion, 14-mile East Link LRT extension to downtown Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport and the University of Washington is in the final design stage. Start of service is targeted for 2023.
The Federal Way Link Extension project will extend LRT from the future Angle Lake Station at South 200th in SeaTac, now under construction, to Kent/Des Moines by 2023. The project also develops a plan for extending LRT to the Federal Way Transit Center when additional funding is secured. The corridor is about 7.6 miles long and parallels SR 99 and Interstate 5.
ST is preparing to extend light rail from Northgate to Lynnwood by 8.5 miles. The project is targeted for 2023.
Construction continues on ST’s 4.3-mile Northgate Line extension, connecting the Northgate, Roosevelt and U District neighborhoods to downtown Seattle and the airport. The $2.1 billion project is expected to open in 2021.
Construction continues on ST’s 1.6-mile South 200th Link extension, connecting the current Sea-Tac Airport Station to South 200th Street in the City of SeaTac. The $383 million project is expected to be completed by 2016.
ST continues construction of a 3.1-mile University Link LRT extension from downtown to the University of Washington. The $1.7 billion line will run north from the Central Link’s Westlake terminus through the most densely populated residential and employment area in the Central Puget Sound region. Service is expected to begin in 2016.
Voters approved Sound Transit 2 in 2008, which included funding to explore expanding Tacoma Link. The project, included in the FTA’s proposed 2016 budget for a $74.99 million Small Starts grant, is in environmental review.
Vancouver
Translink’s 42.7-mile SkyTrain system will grow with the addition of the 6.9-mile Evergreen Line, connecting Port Moody and Coquitlam with SkyTrain; the $1.4 billion project is targeted for completion in the fall of 2016.
Edmonton
Edmonton Transit System is overseeing a public-private partnership (3P) effort to advance the first C$1.8 million stage of the Valley Line LRT project, running from Mill Woods to Lewis Farm, serving the city’s southeast quadrant. Edmonton has also completed its 2.8-mile North extension, running from Churchill Station to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. The line commenced service late last year.
Calgary
Calgary Transit in late 2013 placed a C$192 million order for 60 new S200 LRVs from Siemens, an increase of 10 from previous plans to acquire 50. The new cars are now arriving.
Ontario Province
Ontario’s Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GHTA) has entered into a major growth phase. Metrolinx has launched “The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the GTHA.” Encompassing new projects that amount to about $50 billion over the next 25 years, Metrolinx plans to build more than 700 miles of rail transit, more than triple what exists now.
Metrolinx in 2014 issued an RFI spanning a range of propulsion options for future GO Transit equipment, including EMUs, and electric and dual-power locomotives. The RFI sought responses by March 2015. The agency has been criticized for not committing to electrification of the GO Transit system, including a decision to initiate DMU Union Pearson Express service linking Toronto Union Station and Lester B. Pearson International Airport, instead of electrifying the new line, set to open this year with DMUs. Any commitment to electrifying GO Transit lines, a 10-year endeavor, is estimated to cost at least C$1.8 billion. Dual-power locomotives could be used if GO Transit electrifies portions of its rail network.
Metrolinx says its goal is to electrify GO lines to provide all-day, two-way service across the network, with 15-minute frequencies in core areas, a component of the C$13 billion Regional Express Rail (RER) project. At the heart of RER is the SmartTrack proposal, which involves using GO Transit’s Kitchener and Stoufville lines to create a 33-mile, 22-station east-west electrified route providing express service across the GTHA. The project could be completed within seven years using $C2.5 billion in funding from the city of Toronto.
The Province of Ontario has announced that construction will proceed on the 6.83-mile Finch West LRT. Work would begin in 2017, with completion scheduled for 2021; estimated cost is C$1.2 billion. Finch West will link the Toronto Transit Commission Finch West subway station, on the Spadina Subway northern extension (due to open in 2017) with Humber College. The alignment will be surface, except for a short tunnel section at the subway station. Bombardier Flexity LRVs, ordered as part of a procurement for the under-construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT, will protect the service. These vehicles are similar to the TTC’s 204 new low-floor Flexity streetcars for Toronto, the first of which entered into service in early 2015. The 12-mile Eglinton Crosstown is scheduled for a 2020 opening.
The Toronto City Council recently approved an extension to the Bloor-Danforth Subway, running northeasterly about five miles from Kennedy Terminal to Agincourt. This is expected to open by about 2025. It will replace the automated Scarborough Rapid Transit, and is the only heavy rail project currently on the drawing board in Toronto.
Ontario Province will be covering the entire cost of a 14.2-mile, $1.6 billion LRT connecting the Port Credit (Mississauga) and Brampton GO Transit rail stations, Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca confirmed in April.
When its first stage opens in 2017, the Region of Waterloo’s Kitchener-Waterloo ION LRT system will be among the first to open in Ontario since the 1970s. The C$818 million two-stage project will bring light rail to the Waterloo Region, which includes the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo, and Kitchener. Stage 1 is a 22.4-mile corridor that features 11.8 miles of LRT linking the growing urban cores of Kitchener and Waterloo, plus 10.6 miles of “adapted bus rapid transit” (aBRT) connecting the southern terminus of the LRT system in Kitchener to Cambridge. In Stage 2, aBRT service will be converted to LRT.
The B-Line is a planned 8.3-mile, 17-station LRT running along Main Street and King Street in downtown Hamilton, and connecting McMaster University and Eastgate Square. A Metrolinx-funded study is currently under way; Ontario Province has announced that it will fully fund the project’s $1.3 billion cost.
Montreal
Exclusive of rolling stock, C$1 billion will be invested in the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) Métro during the next decade. In 2013 a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom unveiled the first nine-car rubber-tire train set; STM has ordered 468 of the new-generation cars, with deliveries expected to continue through 2018.
Agence Métropolitaine de Transport now owns the 21-mile Deux-Montagnes Subdivision. Its five-line system will grow once work on the C$400 million, 36-mile Train de l’Est line, which will link Central Station with 11 new stations in northeast Montréal, is completed. AMT is using Bombardier dual-power locomotives and Multilevel cars. The C$386 million, 160-car Multilevel order has boosted system capacity 70%.