Transit Briefs: NJ Transit, MBTA, TCMC Intercity Passenger Rail Project, Amtrak, Omaha Streetcar
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
NJ Transit's Erie Heritage locomotive debuted Nov. 8 at Hoboken Terminal.
NJ Transit unveils its latest heritage locomotive. Also, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) launches an improved web interface; the second Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) passenger train is on hold until 2024; Mobile forwards a lease agreement to Amtrak for a stop in Alabama; and Omaha reveals the first phase of its streetcar design.
NJ Transit
NJ Transit continues its 40th anniversary celebration by unveiling its sixth heritage locomotive to honor its predecessor railroads.
The latest EMD GP40 locomotive, which dons the Erie Railroad’s black-and-yellow color scheme, debuted on Nov. 8 at Hoboken Terminal.
The Erie Railroad operated on what it now NJ Transit’s Bergen County, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, including portions of the Main and Montclair-Boonton lines.
MBTA
MBTA on Nov. 7 announced that on Nov. 15, it will launch a new interface of its MyCharlie website, which, the agency says, will provide customers with a modern portal to register CharlieCards and other monthly passes.
For existing MyCharlie users, all account information will automatically transfer to the new site. Users will need to create a new MBTA account using the same email address as their MyCharlie account. As a result of the change, customers will no longer be able to add value to their CharlieCards online using MyCharlie. Commuter Rail, Ferry, and Express Bus passes on CharlieTickets will still be available for online purchase here.
The previous MyCharlie site, which will be retired on Nov. 15, required two steps to complete an online transaction: Customers would pay online to reload their cards but the only way to activate it was by tapping their CharlieCard at a rapid transit station either at a fare vending machine or a fare gate.
Under the online feature, which was not truly a one-step option, purchased fares were not able to be accessed at a bus or trolley fare box, for example, requiring customers to make a trip to a rapid transit station. Even when value was added online, it could only be activated at fare gates or fare vending machines in stations.
The new MyCharlie site will allow customers to:
- Register multiple cards and see them all in one place.
- Protect their CharlieCard balance against loss, theft, or damage.
- Quickly request replacement cards.
- Sign up for automatic payments with just a few clicks.
Recurring monthly passes through the legacy MyCharlie will be discontinued on Nov. 15. Passes will remain valid through the end of the month, but customers will need to enroll in Autopay on the new site to continue recurring payments.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to improve rider experience, the MBTA is working on modernizing the fare experience for riders,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “With this site change, people will be able to register cards and order recurring monthly passes, offering a modern user interface for riders.”
TCMC Intercity Passenger Rail Project
The start-up of a second passenger train daily from Chicago through Milwaukee and on to the Twin Cities has been delayed until next spring, according to a report by WUWM 89.7 FM.
According to the report, the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois had been hoping to start the TCMC this year but Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Chief of Railroads and Harbors Lisa Stern said, “the partnership is just being prudent.”
“We’re coordinating with three states— Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois. Additionally, making sure we have sufficient equipment. We just want to make sure that when we start the service, it is successful. We want to make sure we’ve dotted all our i’s and crossed all our t’s. And really, that’s what we’re looking to do,” said Stern, who added that there “doesn’t need to be any track construction before the TCMC gets under way.” Eventually, however, there will be some, Stern added.
“We can start current service with the existing infrastructure. But we will need that infrastructure to maintain and sustain the freight rail growth, and passenger trains, as well,” she says.
According to the WUWM 89.7 FM report, Stern explained the delay during a recent meeting of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers (WisARP) in West Allis. The group said the TCMC delay is “disappointing,” but added that it “understands underlying legal processes and reviews and will need to patiently await the completion of those.”
“Daily service from Chicago, through Milwaukee and the Twin Cities and on to the West Coast continues on the Empire Builder train. But frequent slowdowns, especially in the West have prompted the call for the second train just to the Twin Cities,” according to the report.
Meanwhile, WUWM 89.7 FM reports that Wisconsin “could soon find out if it’s getting planning money for more routes in the state.”
But some House Republicans, according to the report, are trying to reduce Amtrak funding. On Nov. 6, President Joe Biden announced $16 billion in infrastructure improvements for Amtrak’s highly used service between Boston and Washington D.C.
Amtrak
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office has forwarded a lease agreement to Amtrak that would allow the train service to build a stop in downtown Mobile, Ala., to support a new passenger rail route, a city spokesperson confirmed Nov. 3, according to an AL.com report.
According to the report, the agreement, which an Amtrak spokesperson confirmed was received, is viewed as “the final bureaucratic step needed to be completed” before a twice-daily service is restored along the Gulf Coast connecting Mobile with New Orleans. The route also includes four coastal Mississippi stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.
“Our expectation is to get it executed quickly and go before the council for approval,” said Candace Cooksey, spokeswoman for the city.
According to the report, Cooksey declined to provide details about the train stop, other than to confirm “it’s a platform and not a structural building like traditional train stations” and that construction of a train station would be considered after the passenger rail service is restored, which is expected sometime in 2024.
According to the AL.com report, it will take five votes on the seven-member Mobile City Council to authorize the lease agreement. The city-owned property is in downtown Mobile adjacent to Cooper Riverside Park next to Water Street and close to the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
Visit Mobile President and CEO David Clark, president & CEO with Visit Mobile said in September that the council “will have to also reconsider a vote on the city’s share of a Restoration & Enhancement (R&E) grant that a previous council voted on in early 2020 to support, but which has likely since change,” according to the report.
According to the report, the council approved $3 million over three years to support the Amtrak service. The revised R&E grant is expected to support a project that will last for six years.
Discussions to bring Amtrak back to the Gulf Coast have gone on for years, AL.com reports. “The route was expected to be restored this year after Amtrak, the Alabama State Port Authority and the two freight operators along the route—CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS)—reached a settlement in a case before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) about one year ago.”
According to the report, progress has slowed while all sides waited on a $178.4 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety (CRISI) program to pay for capital improvements along the route. That grant was authorized by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in September.
Non-federal matching funds come from $23.1 million from the states of Louisiana and Mississippi; $15.6 million from CSX, NS and the Port; and $6.2 million from Amtrak. Alabama is not a participant.
Omaha Streetcar
The first phase of Omaha’s streetcar design is finished and includes plans for stations at 16 stops along the route, as all as changes to the route to allow for future extension, according to a KETV report.
According to the report, the designs will be reviewed by the Urban Design Review Board this month, as required by city code. Omaha’s planning department has reviewed the 30% designs and recommended approval.
The plans, KETV reports, include conceptual designs for stations at the 16 stops, 13 of which will be at the curb along Farnam Street, Harney Street, Capitol Avenue, and Eighth Street. There will also be three stops in the median on Farnam Street between Midtown Crossing and the Blackstone District.
The city said the median stops will “create a safer pedestrian crossing and slow traffic in the busy corridor,” according to the report.
According to the KETV report, “Future Boarding Zone” signs will be installed in November along the route, with QR codes for people to learn more about the zones. The streetcars are expected to be in service by 2027.
