Monday morning rail news:
Phoenix light rail project lands $638 million in federal funds
The Phoenix Valley Metro light rail system will receive $638 million in federal funding for its South Central extension. KTAR Radio reports $530 million will come from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program, with the remaining $108 million from the Federal Highway Administration. The grants will help fund a 5.5-mile extension from downtown Phoenix to Baseline Road in south Phoenix. Completion of the project, with a total estimated cost of about $1 billion, is projected for 2024.
California’s Valley Link project releases environmental report, beginning comment period
The 50-day public comment period has begun for the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Valley Link commuter rail project, which will connect Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Dublin/Pleasanton station to the planned Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail station at North Lathrop, Calif. The 42-mile, seven-station rail line will follow Interstate 580, the Alameda County Transportation Corridor right-of-way through Altamont Pass, and the existing Union Pacific route. Three online meetings are planned for presentations and discussions of the project: Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Dec. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Dec. 17, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Links to the meetings will be available here; the environmental report is available here.
VIA selects five companies to bid for upgrades of maintenance facilities
VIA Rail Canada has begun the second phase of the process to modernize its maintenance centers in Montreal and Toronto, selecting five companies — Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc., Buttcon Ltd., EllisDon Corp., Kenaidan Contracting Ltd., and Pomerleau Inc. — to participate in separate Request For Proposals for each location. The projects will involve construction of new buildings and facility upgrades, as well as supplying and installing maintenance equipment, to prepare for the arrival of its new Quebec City-Windsor corridor fleet. More information is available here.
