Metropolitan Transportation Authority
More Friday morning rail news:
Long Island Rail Road triple-track project reaches midpoint
The Long Island Rail Road Expansion project, adding 10 miles of third track on the LIRR Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, N.Y., has reached its halfway point ahead of schedule and under budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced. Grade crossings have been eliminated in four of eight locations that are part of the project, and six of the seven bridges involved have been rebuilt or upgraded. “This project continues to move forward at a remarkable pace and under budget, and is a model for how the MTA can deliver large infrastructure projects better, faster and cheaper,” Janno Lieber, President of MTA Construction & Development, said in a press release. Work on the project began in January 2018 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022. More details on the project are available here.
SunRail could use Brightline tracks to reach Orlando airport
Orlando-area commuter railroad SunRail could eventually begin serving Orlando International Airport — with help from Brightline. WFTV News reports that Brightline is offering to let SunRail share its tracks to the airport and the Disney World area that are coming as part of Brightline’s expansion to Orlando. Seminole County Comissioners indicated their support for a plan to allow Brightline to study the partnership, with commissioner Brenda Carey saying, “I think we should support this … because in order for our SunRail system to be successful, it has to get to the airport.” The proposal could be Brightline’s second involvement with commuter rail service — it is currently in negotiations with Miami-Dade County for commuter operations on the southernmost 15 miles of its Miami-West Palm Beach route [see “Brightline negotiating to operate Miami-Aventura commuter service,” News Wire Digest, May 27, 2020].
