[TRAINS: David Lassen]
Metro-North, Long Island RR reach PTC milestones
Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road have reached significant milestones in positive train control implementation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. Metro-North has operability on 100% of its rail lines, while all Long Island equipment is now PTC equipped. Metro-North still needs to complete addition of PTC software to the M8 electric cars on the New Haven Line, while the LIRR needs to complete functionality on 6% of its mileage — at its Jamaica station, and at Harold Interlocking, the junction with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor in Queens.
Amtrak inspector general: planning, oversight errors led to cost increases in Moynihan project
Planning and oversight problems in the initial stages of Amtrak’s development of New York’s Moynihan Train Hall have led to $72.8 million in cost increases and could delay completion of the station project beyond its scheduled opening at the end of 2020, according to a report from Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General. The project, to convert the James A. Farley Post Office building, adjacent to Penn Station, into a transportation center, is expected to to cost $1.6 million. Amtrak’s initial $106 million share has increased by 69%, according to the report, because it failed to include such elements as design costs, construction management, and information technology. In a press release, the office says the problems “are another example of a longstanding pattern of program management challenges the OIG has reported on extensively.” The full report is available here.
Metra extends sale of $10 one-day pass
Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra is extending sale of its $10 all-day pass through Oct. 31. The pass, introduced June 1, is good for unlimited rides on all Metra lines until 3 a.m. the following morning, and costs less than two one-way fares for anyone traveling downtown from Zone C or farther in Metra’s x-fare-zone system. Passes bought using the Ventra smartphone app expire after seven days, while paper passes sold by station agents are good only on the day they are sold.
