PaSSeNgeR Rail gUiDe
riders, or about 13% of the Met Council’s total transit ridership, and exceeding the pre-construction estimate for the year 2020. Last month Metro Transit began operating the first two Siemens S70 light rail vehicles in revenue service, with 57 more on order. • OMAHA •
Omaha’s transit authority is conducting a 10-month, $1.3 million transit upgrade study that will include an examination of streetcars and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) options. • KANSAS CITY, MO •.
Kansas City Streetcar Authority Inc. at press time was ready to choose an operator and a vehicle manufacturer for its initial 2.2-mile downtown streetcar route, the development of which is being overseen by HDR Inc. The authority reportedly was seen favoring a European manufacturer rather than a U.S.-based firm. • ST. LOUIS •
St. Louis’ 46-mile, bistate MetroLink LRT system remains the only “interstate” light rail transit system in the U.S., and current capital plans include a three-year rehabilitation of the historic Eads Bridge spanning the Mississippi River to maintain that link. Armed with roughly $25 million in federal funds, the Delmar Loop Trolley would stretch 2.2 miles between Forest Park and University City, using heritage equipment. A second proposal by the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis seeks a streetcar” connecting the areas of Downtown, Midtown, Central West End, and Skinker-DeBaliviere.” • NASHVILLE •
Nashville Regional Transportation Authority plans to develop a five-line system remain, at best, quiescent. Its sole line, Music City Star, offers six round trips per weekday, connecting eastern suburbs to Nashville’s Riverfront station. • MEMPHIS •
Memphis Area Transit Authority has approved a first-phase Southeast Corridor line connecting with the city’s airport as a “top priority.” MATA chose LRT as the preferred mode. But the proposal, now nearly six years old, shows little sign of progress. • LITTLE ROCK •
The Central Arkansas Transit Authority’s 2.5-mile River Rail streetcar system spans the Arkansas River to connect downtown Little Rock with North Little Rock. A 2.5-mile extension to Little Rock National Airport remains an elusive next step. Five Gomaco Trolley Co. streetcars operate on the route. The three-line, 4.9-mile MATA Trolley, a heritage streetcar system, opened in 1993.
• NEW ORLEANS •
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority on Jan. 28 opened the 1.5-mile Union Passenger Terminal/Loyola Loop streetcar line, adding it to its three-line streetcar system. Next likely prospect is extending streetcar service into the French Quarter, running 2.48 miles from Canal Street to Press Street and linking with the existing Riverfront Streetcar line. • OKLAHOMA CITY •
Oklahoma City plans to construct an urban circulator streetcar line, to cost $120 million, under the “MAPS 3” redevelopment plan approved by the city’s voters. The line would include a stop at the city’s Santa Fe station. • DALLAS METROPLEX •
DART/TRE: Dallas Area Rapid Transit in December secured a nearly $120 million loan that will enable DART to advance construction on the third phase of its Orange Line extension project to connect Irving, Tex., with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, part of DART’s long-term effort to obtain airport access. DART’s Orange Line to Irvine debuted last July, with a second extension to Beltline road opening last December. DART’s fiscal year 2013 budget of $1.07 billion also targets continued expansion of its Blue Line from Ledbetter Station to the University of North Texas. A second line through downtown, either LRT or streetcar, continues to be discussed and debated. With a DART assist, Dallas’s Oak Cliff streetcar line was set to receive nearly $31 million for more right-of- Ridership on the 34-mile Dallas-Ft. Worth Trinity Railway Express (TRE) service slipped to 7,600 weekday boardings in the third quarter of 2011, down from the 9,800 weekday boardings average in 2010. way work and two additional streetcars from Brookville Equipment Corp. , which already is building two streetcars for the line, set to open in October 2014. DCTA: Denton County Transportation Authority received 8 more diesel multiple-8nj9t cars from Stadler for its 21-mile, five-station line, which opened in June 2011, linking Denton and Dallas counties (and DART Green Line light rail service at Carrollton). TEX RAIL: Planned rail service linking southwest Tarrant County, downtown Fort Worth, and northeast suburbs continues, though at least one suburban participant expressed doubts about the plan, which includes a link at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, serving up to 30% of anticipated riders. Tex Rail will serve two downtown Fort Worth stations already served by TRE. • HOUSTON •
Siemens delivered its first of 70 S70 “H2” light rail cars in October to Houston MetroRail. Metrorail in August March 2013 Railway age 33