Tuesday morning rail transit news:
Charlotte unveils preliminary Silver Line light rail plan, sets meetings
Charlotte’s transit agency has unveiled initial plans for its 26-mile Silver Line light rail project, and is beginning a series of six public meetings to address the potential route. WCNC-TV reports the Charlotte Area Transit System project aims to be operational within 10 years. The upcoming meetings will each address specific segments of the potential route, looking at alternatives the agency has considered and seeking public comment.
VRE, with ridership still down 90% and recovery uncertain, declines to estimate long-term revenues in new budget
Virginia Railway Express ridership remains about 90% below pre-pandemic levels, and uncertainty about recovery led the commuter railroad to omit the usual six-year forecast of expenses and revenues from its 2022 budget. Inside NoVa quotes chief financial offer as saying, “Doing a forecast like this at this moment would include highly uncertain estimates on a number of variables, particularly including ridership.” CEO Rich Dalton says the agency is ready to expand from its current 18-train weekday schedule to the pre-pandemic level of 32 trains, but expects it will be 12 to 18 months before the agency recovers a large portion of its previous ridership and knows what the “new normal” looks like.
LA Metro to hold meetings on light rail extension to Torrance
LA Metro is set to hold public meetings this month to discuss a $1 billion, 4.5-mile expansion of its C (Green) Line light rail from Redondo Beach to Torrance, Calif., which will include two possible routes through the community of Lawndale, which opposes the project. The Daily Breeze newspaper reports Lawndale officials have convinced Metro to eliminate plans for a station in their community which is concerned about noise and the impact on property values. Online meetings will be held Feb. 24 and Feb. 27, with written comments accepted through March 15. Officials say they hope to have the draft environmental impact report on the project completed by March 2022.
