Thursday afternoon transit and commuter rail news:
— LA Metro has released its four-phase plan to restore rail and bus service following the current COVID-19-related service reductions. As outlined on Metro’s “The Source” blog, the first step will come in June with “modest gains in service” to accompany some non-essential travel. Additional phases are projected for July and August, September to November, and December to January, with the last phase including a long-planned restructuring of bus service. The agency will release more details as the plan advances.
— NJ Transit’s board of directors has approved a $4.1 million contract for design and engineering work on the Central Concourse Extension at New York’s Penn Station. NJBiz.com reports the contract to FX Collaborative Architects of New York is for a proposed project which would add additional passenger access to tracks 1-12 at Penn Station, and improve connectivity within the station and to the street. The project has a projected completion date of 2023
— Sonoma-Marin Area Transit is seeking public input on the cuts it is contemplating to address budget shortfalls created by the failure of a recent ballot initiative and the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moves under consideration include elimination of weekend service and a significant reduction of weekday service [see “BNSF lays off workers in Glendive, Topeka,” News Wire Digest, May 7, 2020]. A survey on the possible moves is available at the SMART website.
