CHARLOTTE, NC - Charlotte television station WBTV reported in mid-November that campus police at the state university at the northeast end of the Charlotte Area Transit System are worried about homeless transient riders disembarking from LRVs onto the grounds of the educational institution,. Some are drunk and others sleep on the campus. The LRT extension takes the LRVs from Uptown to the university.
CINCINNATI, OH - The Cincinnati Bell Connector modern streetcar line from downtown to Over-the-Rhine historical zone offered free rides for November's "Small Business Saturday" just after Thanksgiving, The Enquirer newspaper reported on its website. The free riders were scheduled to be repeated December 1, 8 and 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. with carolers riding the cars to entertain shoppers.
 Car Car 1178, one of Cincinnati Connector's five CAF-built vehicles! |
DUBAI - The "cbm" website reports that the Dubai tramway that opened in 2014 has transported 20 million riders since its debut. The tram uses Alstom Citadis LRVs with APS ground level current collection. It proved the operational success of APS in a sandy and dusty environment at the emirate along the Persian Gulf. The 10.6 kilometer route with 11 stations has contributed to reducing the greenhouse gas carbon footprint of the wealthy emirate.
DURHAM, NC - Durham is planning to build a light rail line to connect with Chapel Hill, serving both Durham and Orange counties. But a new problem has cropped up. Durham wants a light rail station at its Performing Arts Center and that would mean closure of an intersection, resulting in traffic problems. Other facilties in that area also are opposing the street intersection closure.
EL PASO, TX - The 4.8 mile, $97 million El Paso Heritage Streetcar Line debuted for public service Friday, November 9th, television station KVIA station reported. A special ceremony was held with five of the six streetcars refurbished by Brookville on hand. One of the features of the ceremony was the handing of the "keys" to the streetcars from one of the original operators who was present in 1974 when the original line closed to one of the new operators.
Earlier in the morning, during a special ceremony, five of the streetcars were debuted. The sixth car is still at Brookville in Pennsylvania. The mayor emphasizing some of the upgrades as he spoke to a crowd of people who came to get a glimpse at the Streetcars. Mayor Dee Margo said, "They will have all the modern amenities, such as air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and as we said earlier ADA compliant." Jay Banasiak, the Director of Sun Metro said, "People love it, they're happy, and they're just happy to be on it and riding around."
Each car at the ceremony represented a different decade that they were originally in service. The yellow (National City lines "Fruit Salad") car 1515 is from the 1950's, car 1504 with the dark green stripe is from the 1960's, and car 1506 with the red stripe is from the 1970's.
The Streetcars travel in two loops through downtown and the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) areas. They also pass by several businesses, restaurants and, the downtown ballpark. Some believe the El Paso Streetcars are just another step in El Paso's promising future.
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These six streetcars demonstrate the durability and longevity of rail vehicles as they. are entering their third lives. These 80 year old vehicles were delivered between March 1937 and January 1938 to the San Diego Electric Railway and these six along with twenty-two others ran there until 1948. El Paso bought 20 of the 28 cars between 1950 and 1952 and put them to work on their international car line that ran between downtown El Paso, Texas and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico where they ran until 1974. They sat on vacant lots in the El Paso area for decades until the decision was made to renovate six of them. San Diego 508 and 528 currently reside in a museum in Southern California. The six cars overhauled for the line were 1504, 1506, 1511, 1512, 1514, and 1515, formerly San Diego 509, 512, 518, 519, 523 and 524, respectively.
 Car 1504 at Franklin & Mesa, inbound. |
.gif) Car 1506 at the outer end of the line. |
 Car 1514 at Stanton & Cincinnati |
 Car 1515 at Stanton & Cincinnati |
All above photos taken November 10, 2018 by Peter Ehrlich.
The city of El Paso posted a primer on how tor ride the new 4.8-miile heritage streetcar line. It operates in two loops -- downtown to just north of the border with Juarez, Mexico, and from downtown to the state university (UTEP). The streetcar is free on weekends during Winterfest until early January. Otherwise, the fare is $1.50 for a single ride and $3.50 for an all day passm The El Paso Tiems reported.
KENOSHA, WI - Kenosha, Wisconsin hosted its annual winter lighting illumination the day after Thanksgiving and one way to see part of it was the heritage PCC streetcar line, Kenosha News reported. Rides were free from 4 to 9 p.m. thanks to various sponsors. The PCC loop along the lakefront uses ex-Toronto and ex-Philadelphia SEPTA PCCs
 One of Kenosha's ex-Toronto PCCs dressed in Pittsburgh livery/! |
MILWAUKEE, WI - The new Milwaukee modern streetcar line adjusted its route and service for a November 10 Veterans Day parade, the Journal-Sentinel online reported. The "Hop" streetcar serves a 2.5 mile downtown route and uses Brookville Liberty cars.
 Milwaukee Streetcar being delivered in March 2018! |
Just one month shy of its initial public service, the Milwaukee "Hop" modern streetcar line is carrying more riders than the city originally projected, WISN-TV reports. Passenger volume had been predicted at 1,850 daily. But from November 5th to 18th, the streetcar recorded 2,191 riders with the highest volume on November 17th at 3,806. The 2.5 mile downtown car line uses five Brookville Liberty model streetcars.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has given a green light to St. Paul-Minneapolis based Met Council to begin construction of the Southwest light rail project, KMSP television and Progressive Railroading reported. The letter of no prejudice from FTA will be followed by a Full Funding Agreement which will provide $929 million or about half the cost of the LRT project. The LRT route will extend the St. Paul to Minneapolis Green Line LRT by about 14 miles to suburban Eden Prairie with the full route operated as the Green Line. The project will provide about 7,500 construction jobs. Preliminary construction work including demolition and utility relocation could begin as early as this winter.
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According to Progressive Railroading, on November 15, 2018 Minnesota's Metropolitan Council awarded a nearly $800 million contract to Lunda/C.S. McCrossan to build the Southwest light-rail project, an extension of Metro Transit's Green Line service. The $2 billion project marks Minnesota's largest infrastructure project to date, council officials said in a press release. Under the agreement, Lunda/McCrossan will build 14.5 miles of double track and 16 light-rail stations and structures. The companies also will construct 29 new bridges along the route, six pedestrian tunnels, two cut-and-cover light-rail tunnels and more than 100 retaining walls. The Southwest project will share a 7.8-mile corridor with Twin Cities & Western Railroad and BNSF Railway Co.
Wisconsin-based Lunda Construction Co. specializes in bridge, railroad and industrial construction. Minnesota-based McCrossan is a highway/heavy civil general contractor with experience building light-rail lines.
McCrossan was one of the prime contractors that worked on the Minneapolis portion of the Green Line, which included rehabilitating the Washington Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River to accommodate light-rail track. The company also worked on Metro Transit's Blue Line.
The council was able to award the civil construction contract after receiving a letter of no prejudice from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in mid-November. The letter makes early construction work on the project eligible for federal reimbursement upon award of a Full Funding Grant Agreement, which is expected in spring 2019, Met Council officials said. The federal government would pay $929 million toward the project, with local funding covering the remaining costs.
Next month, the council expects to issue a limited notice to proceed, which will allow the contractor to start construction in designated areas. That will help keep the project on schedule while the council prepares its grant application to the FTA, Met Council officials said. Activities this winter could include staffing and equipment mobilization, site clearance, demolition and utility work. Heavy construction is expected to start in 2019 and wrap up in 2022. Light-rail vehicle testing would follow in 2022 or 2023. The Southwest line would operate from downtown Minneapolis through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Oklahoma City has provided $675,000 to its MAPS 3 streetcar system to resolve differences in construction costs for the loop line, the "News OK" website of the Oklahoman newspaper reports. The Oklahoma City care line will use Brookville Liberty dual-mode streetcars. They will be decorated in three different liveries including rosebud, sky blue and grass green.
 One of the three "Redbud" cars being delivered! |
December 14 is now the official date for the ribbon cutting of the Oklahoma City modern streetcar line, according to the "News OK" website reports. The public will be allowed to ride the Brookville Liberty model streetcars following the ceremony.
PORTLAND, OR - Met Council at Portland, Oregon, has approved the route of a proposed 12-mile, $2.6 billion light rail line to serve suburban cities southwest of downtown Portland according to a report on November 15th from the Oregon Live website. An environmental study could be finished in 2019 with the project possibly part of a 2020 bond package.
SAINT LOUIS, MO - After many delays, the Delmar Loop heritage streetcar line at University City, just west of Saint Louis finally began operation on Friday, November 16, Fox 2 News reported. The fare is $2.00 for a two-hour pass or $5.00 for an all day ride. A 50 percent discount is available for disabled or elderly riders. Service on the 2.2 mile line from Missouri History Museum to the west end of Delmar Loop is noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays. The line uses ex-Portland, Oregon replica Council Crest cars built by Gomaco.
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TEMPE, AZ - Tempe, the home of the main campus of Arizona State University, began streetcar track construction November 16th according to the Arizona Central website of The Arizona Republic. It will be the state's second modern streetcar line after Tucson which opened in 2014. It will have two connections with Phoenix Valley Metro light rail, which will operate the streetcar system. The three-mile, $201 million car line is expected to transport 800,000 to 1,000,000 riders using five dual-mode Brookville "Liberty" model low floor streetcars equipped with battery power for off-wire operation and pantographs for travel under trolley wires.
The currently planned route of the Tempe streetcar is shown next:
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA -Toronto Transit Commission's King Street streetcar pilot project has marked its first anniversary and it has shown improvements in speed and reliability, according to a report on the CP24 website. But an agency spokesman says there still is room for improvement. The problem, he says, is crowding on the streetcars during peak travel periods. This issue may be lessened when TTC takes delivery of more Bombardier Transportation Flexity articulated, low floor streetcars.
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TUCSON, AZ -Tucson Sun Link streetcar rides were free on both November 10th &11th, KGUN television reported. The free service was sponsored by the Dusk music festival and a downtown restaurant. The 3.9 mile car line has been in service since 2014 with eight United Streetcar LLC units. The Tucson Sun Link streetcar line also offered free rides on November 24 to mark "Small Business Saturday," the Arizona Daily Star reported on its website. The 3.9 mile car line opened in July 2014 to link the University of Arizona, the 4th Avenue nightclub district, downtown and the Mercado retail project on the city' s westside. Retailers along the route offered special discounts to encourage shopping.
 Sunlink 108 in downtown Tucson! |
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA - The mayors of Vancouver, British Columbia in western Canada, face tough decisions in deciding on light rail versus automated Skytrain, the North Delta Reporter website reported. In early November, the Surrey City Council led by the new mayor decided against LRT to Surrey and Langley. If confirmed regionally, this could mean Skytrain would be extended to Surrey.
WASHINGTON, DC - The Washington Post published an op-ed analysis November 24 examining whether extending the District of Columbia modern streetcar line would lead to urban revitalization and real estate development. The answer based on new studies by San Jose State and the Mineta Institute is "maybe." Additional incentives may be needed based on an examination of Portland and Seattle streetcar systems. That could include zoning changes, streetscape upgrades, investment in public spaces and tax and financing assistance.
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On November 27th, The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $281 million in additional fiscal-year 2018 funding through the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program for four transit-rail projects and one bus rapid transit project.
The rail projects include the Tempe Streetcar; the Los Angeles Westside Purple Line Section 3; San Diego Mid-Coast light-rail project; and Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) Red and Blue line platform extensions.
The $201.9 million Tempe project involves a 3-mile streetcar system with 14 stations that will connect downtown Tempe and Arizona State University, and link with existing light-rail lines serving Phoenix, Mesa and the area’s airport. The project will receive $75 million in funding requested through the CIG program. After final FTA approval is issued for a construction grant agreement, the project will receive $25 million in FY18 CIG funds.
The $3.7 billion Los Angeles Westside Purple Line Section 3 project involves a 2.6-mile, two-station heavy rail extension from Century City to Westwood, California. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has requested $1.3 billion in funding through the CIG program, and upon final FTA approval of a construction grant agreement, the project will receive $100 million in FY18 CIG funds. Metro anticipates a federal grant agreement in early 2019 with construction starting on Section 3 sometime next year. “The FTA’s allocation is a strong sign that our subway extension project remains on track to receive federal funding,” said Metro Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington in a press release.
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The $2.17 billion San Diego Mid-Coast Corridor light-rail project involves a 10.9-mile extension from downtown San Diego to the growing University City area. The FTA announced a $1 billion grant agreement for the project in September 2016 and it will receive an additional $80 million in FY18 CIG funds.
Finally, DART’s $128.7 million platform work calls for extending and modifying platforms along the Red and Blue lines to accommodate three-car trains with level boarding. About $60.7 million has been requested through the CIG program, and upon final FTA approval of a construction grant agreement, the project will receive $2 million in FY18 CIG funds.
Since January 20, 2017, the FTA has advanced CIG funding for 17 projects totaling about $4.8 billion in funding commitments. The administration expects to execute 13 CIG funding agreements seeking $3.3 billion by year’s end. The FTA so far has allocated $1.86 billion of the $2.62 billion in FY18 CIG funds appropriated by Congress.
