Rapid Transit/Light Rail

RTD West Rail Line to open in April 2013, eight months early

The Denver, Colo., Regional Transportation District will open the West Rail Line to the public on April 26, 2013, eight months ahead of the originally scheduled opening date. The West Rail Line is the first FasTracks project to be completed and part of the current $4.2 billion investment in the region. Presently, 50 miles of new rail line are in construction or under contract to begin construction.

Officials kick off Eads Bridge Rehabilitation project

Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan joined Missouri and Illinois officials to kick off the Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which will repair and restore the historic, 138-year old bridge and ensure safe and efficient light-rail service for thousands of people who use the bridge to cross the Mississippi River every day.

Milestone reached on Dulles Metrorail project

Engineering, project management and construction company, Bechtel, has been building Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in northern Virginia and has installed the final segment of the elevated Tysons East Guideway, signaling the close out of the heavy civil work needed on the project.

BART to implement last of inflation-based fare increases July 1

Bay Area Rapid Transit near San Francisco will implement the last in a series of inflation-based fare increases when fares increase by 1.4 percent. Because BART fares are rounded to the nearest nickel, some fares will remain the same after the increase, including the minimum BART fare of $1.75, and the average fare will go up by five cents.  Fares last increased in July 2009

MBTA releases See Say smartphone app

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police Department released the See Say smartphone app. With this iPhone App, riders are able to instantly report suspicious activity on the MBTA to Transit Police. In just a few clicks, riders can share pictures, text and incident location details.

Sound Transit’s deputy CEO to retire

Seattle’s Sound Transit Deputy CEO Celia Kupersmith will retire effective August. 3.

“I have loved every moment at Sound Transit and am pleased by all we have accomplished in my time here but my two-year old grandson is calling so I am moving on to spend more time with him.”

NCRR, CATS and NS reach agreements for LYNX Blue Line extension

The North Carolina Railroad Company, the Charlotte Area Transit System and Norfolk Southern signed lease, construction and operating agreements for the LYNX Blue Line Extension light-rail project along the North Carolina Railroad corridor. The 2.7-mile section begins near East 12th Street and ends a half mile east of Eastway Drive in Charlotte, N.C.

TriMet ridership continues to rise

In April, there were more than 8.8 million trips taken on Portland, Ore.-area TriMet buses, MAX and WES commuter rail. For 13 consecutive months, weekday and weekly trips and total monthly ridership increased. System-wide, all modes were up in all categories of ridership for April.

Twin Cities’ Central Corridor LRT construction reaches halfway mark

Construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project in Minnesota is 50 percent complete and on track to be 75 percent done by year’s end.

“The contractors really hit the ground running in March. We now have work occurring in all areas of the nearly 10-mile long project, employing more than 3,000 workers to date,” Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh said.