Still more Friday morning rail news:
The Walsh Group
Chicago Transit Authority unveils plans to rebuild four stations as part of Red-Purple project
The Chicago Transit Authority has unveiled designs for four Red Line stations to be rebuilt as part of phase one the CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization project, a $2.1 billion effort to improve the Red Line, the system’s most-used rail route and one featuring century-old infrastructure. The Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr stations will be rebuilt to be fully accessible to customers with disabilities while also adding what the CTA calls “vastly improved amenities.” The new stations are expected to open by the end of 2024. The project also includes a new Red-Purple Bypass, expected to be completed this year, along with reconstruction of the Red and Purple line track structure between Belmont and Newport/Cornelia, and installation of a new signal system on 23 track miles between Howard and Belmont. “CTA’s Red Line forms the backbone of our city and is a critical transportation link for Chicagoans, including essential workers, who need efficient, reliable, and modern service each and every day,” CTA President Dorval Carter said in a press release.
CN burns off propane from tank cars after New Brunswick derailment
Canadian National began a controlled burn of propane from three derailed tank cars on Thursday, part of a cleanup of a 20-car derailment that occurred Tuesday night in Saint-Hillaire, New Brunswick. The CBC reports CN spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said a CN team trained to dispose of hazardous materials was “purging” the contents of the three cars. The propane cars were the only ones involved in the derailment which required special handling; the others were empty or could be easily removed. Adjacent Route 120 remain closed while cleanup continued from the accident, which occurred about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. No injuries were reported, and no evacuation was required because of the accident. The cause is under investigation.
Advocacy group offers $2.5 billion plan for faster construction of Atlanta Beltline light rail
A transit advocacy group has outlined a $2.5 billion plan to build a 22-mile light rail loop on Atlanta’s Beltline in a decade, significantly accelerating the current plan of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Agency. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the group Beltline Rail Now would fund the project with $1 billion in federal dollars, plus money from special assessment district, sales taxes, and tax increment financing. MARTA, which currently plans to build 15 miles of the system by the 2040s, called the proposal “less a blueprint for funding and more a wish list.” The Beltline project would convert abandoned rail lines encircling central Atlanta into a transit line and network of pedestrian trails. While some of the trails have been developed, light rail construction has yet to begin. The Beltline Rail group report is available here.
