Southern Rail Commission

ACE officials are anticipating that expansion into Stanislaus and Sacramento counties will begin in late 2026, The Modesto Bee reports. (ACE Photograph)

Transit Briefs: ACE, Amtrak, BART, Brightline West

ACE’s (Altamont Corridor Express) timeline is being pushed back for its commuter rail service expansion into Stanislaus and Sacramento counties in California. Also, Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission are seeking a federal study for new long-distance service across Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas; San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) proposes fare increases in 2024 and 2025; and Brightline West teams with the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC) and the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union on its planned 218-mile high-speed rail system connecting Las Vegas and Southern California.

Ahead of future service between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, La., Amtrak engineers and conductors will soon begin required “familiarization” trips to learn the route’s physical characteristics.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, MTA Metro-North, Tri-Rail

Amtrak advances crew training for Mobile-to-New Orleans intercity passenger rail service. Also, Connecticut lawmakers eye electrification of MTA Metro-North Railroad’s Danbury Branch; and south Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter railroad saw January ridership grow 30% over the same month last year.

Will New Orleans-Baton Rouge Passenger Rail Service Return?

Canadian Pacific is committed to establishing New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger service if the railroad’s proposed merger with Kansas City Southern is approved, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation James Clements told Louisiana officials on Dec. 8.

BART and Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority are embarking on the Link21 program that will connect BART with the region’s intercity, commuter and high speed passenger rail systems while also “connecting people sustainably to employment opportunities and affordable housing throughout the 21-county Northern California Megaregion.” (Link21Program)

Transit Briefs: BART; TTC/TransLink; SRC

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) has awarded ICF a contract for up to $30 million to provide environmental services for Link21. In addition, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and Vancouver’s TransLink are installing antimicrobial copper coatings on high-touch vehicle services as part of a pilot; and the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) will award federal grants to four cities for passenger rail station upgrades in anticipation of Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service restoration.

STB Will Consider Amtrak Gulf Coast Case

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Aug. 6 concluded that the matter of Amtrak providing Gulf Coast service over host freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) “is ripe for adjudication.”

FRA Acting Administrator Amit Bose

FRA’s Bose Backs Interstate Rail Compacts

Interstate rail compacts “deliver results and hold tremendous promise in advancing passenger rail development,” FRA Acting Administrator Amit Bose said during a recent quarterly meeting of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC).

In late February, Amtrak confirmed its intention to begin service between New Orleans and Mobile in 2022. But a stakeholder agreement had not yet been reached.

Gulf Coast Service? Not So Fast, Say CSX, NS

“Unripe.” That is what CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) have called Amtrak’s application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) asking for an order requiring the freight railroads to permit access for twice daily round-trip passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, starting on or about Jan. 1, 2022.

Amtrak has confirmed its intention to begin service between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala., in 2022. But a stakeholder agreement has not yet been reached. (Amtrak)

New Orleans-Mobile Amtrak Service in Development

There is a good deal of controversy swirling around proposed new intercity passenger rail service between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala., involving Amtrak, two Class I railroads, a multi-state agency and a major Alabama port.

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