Urban Commuter / Light Rail / Modern Streetcar News!
***

 

DENVER, CO - On June 13, the Regional Transport District-Denver (RTD) eliminated vehicle capacity limits that have been in place throughout the pandemic, a move that aligns service levels with available staff resources, and helps RTD prepare for additional increases in ridership with summer events and more people returning to the office.

RTD continues to follow a federal order requiring that passengers wear a mask while riding buses and trains, agency officials said in a press release.

Hopefully, we will see a lot of this as the US opens after the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOS ANGELES, CA - On Monday, June 21, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on the $898.6 million Airport Metro Connector project (AMC) that will connect L.A. Metro's system to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

AMC is the ninth station along the Crenshaw/LAX Line that's under construction. It will connect directly with the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) automated people mover project — which also is under construction — that will serve all passenger terminals.

The AMC project includes platforms to access L.A. Metro light-rail trains, and a 16-bay bus plaza for L.A. Metro and other municipal bus operators. The rail station portion of the project includes two light-rail platforms that can be accessed via escalators and elevators, new ADA-compliant swing door fare gates and a full roof covering.

In addition, the station will feature a bike hub, a private vehicle drop-off zone, interactive information kiosks, public restrooms and commercial space for tenants.

This is an exciting project that will serve as the 'gateway' to LAX for future generations — just as LAX has long served as the gateway to Southern California for so many millions of people," said L.A. Metro Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Wiggins in a press release. "The AMC station will also provide multiple connections to the Metro system, and will help airport-area employees and travelers easily get to wherever they need to go in our region."

SAN DIEGO, CA - The first new vehicles are being tested on the Mid-Coast extension of the University of California San Diego Blue Line. The Mid-Coast Trolley extension route extends the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley service from the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego to the heart of UCSD. The project creates a one-seat (no transfer) ride from South San Diego county to the university, allowing for individuals as far south as the US-Mexico border to arrive in La Jolla in a maximum time of 70 minutes. The Mid-Coast Trolley is expected to begin service in late 2021.

The milestone signifies that train testing is beginning and that the San Diego Association of Governments is officially transferring responsibility for trolley operations to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS), according to a news release.

The Mid-Coast extension will expand the current trolley network to provide a one-seat ride from the U.S.-Mexico border north to the UC San Diego community. Major construction on the 11-mile trolley extension began in 2016. The project remains on schedule to begin passenger service in November 2021.

SDMTS has added 45 new vehicles (series 5001-5045) built by Siemens Mobility and partially funded by TransNet, the region’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects. Car 501 and mate are shown above. SDMTS has also added 128 new positions to manage the extension.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The F-line returned to the streets of San Francisco beginning Friday, May 14 with this ceremonial car, Blackpool tram #228 carrying many dignitaries including SFMTA boss, Jeff Turmin (waving at the camera), Market Street Railway President, Rick Laubscher and Mayor London Breed (about to take the controls).

Jeremy Menzies photo for SFMTA

In the next photo, Mayor London Breed is just about to take control of the Blackpool Tram. She requested it for this special event. She also ran the tram when she celebrated the removal of private automobiles from Market Street just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rick Laubscher photo

On Saturday morning, May 15, the first of twelve F-line cars, 1059, painted for the Boston Elevated Railway, left Cameron Beach yard for the 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM current period of F-Line operation. The operators now have a safer environment since 18 of the cars have already been fitted with an almost invisible protective barrier around the operators station. The original purpose of the barriers was to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus but they will be effective in protecting against physical attacks on operators which have increased in recent years, especially in evenings by members of the "sludge" contingent, which is growing in many urban areas.

In the above two photos, Car 1076, dressed for D.C. Transit (left) and 1075 (Toronto), 1058 (Chicago) and 1072 (Mexico City) (right) are at Fisherman's Wharf at Jones & Beach) on May 26th. Both photos taken by Rick Laubscher.

More Good News: Limited Cable Car service may begin in September 2021, so look for a grand celebration around that time.

SAN JOSE, CA - Progressive Railroading reported on June 2nd that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, more commonly known simply as the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), a special district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and county-wide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, has suspended light-rail service indefinitely, following the May 26th deadly shooting at the agency's Guadalupe rail yard in San Jose, California. There is no estimate as to when light-rail service will resume, VTA officials said in a statement. On May 26, a VTA employee opened gunfire on coworkers at the Guadalupe Light Rail Yard. Nine VTA employees were killed. The shooter died by suicide.

The light rail service is currently provided by 100 KinkiSharyo 70% low floor vehicles, two of which are shown below:

"As the VTA family grieves, attends funerals and supports each other, we have less staff available to operate reliable transit service," they said. In addition, because of the limited staffing, the authority will no longer offer substitute bus service along light-rail routes.

VTA is directing all its resources to the regular bus network that serves the majority of riders. Limited operator availability means that service will be less frequent, VTA officials said.