Tuesday morning rail news:
Rail Runner Express to resume limited operation, almost a year after suspension
New Mexico’s Rail Runner Express commuter train will resume service March 8, the Rio Metro Regional Transit District has announced, almost a year after service was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The train will operate on a limited weekday-only schedule, with just three round trips daily over the full route between Santa Fe and Belen, N.M., and three other trips beginning or ending in Albuquerque. Trains will be limited to 25% of capacity and will not stop at five stations: Bernalillo County, Montano, Downtown Bernalillo, Kewa, and Zia Road. The complete schedule is available here. Those who were holding monthly passes when service was suspended March 15, 2020, will be able exchange those passes for one good for 30 days after reactivating usage.
Collapse of Del Mar bluffs threatens rail line, will require emergency repairs
A section of Southern California’s Del Mar Bluffs collapsed Sunday, threatening the rail line used by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and Coaster commuter trains and necessitating emergency repairs. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports a 15-mph speed restriction is in place while North County Transit District and the San Diego Association of Governments assess the extent and timing of repair work. At its closest point, the collapse came within 35 feet of the tracks. The area is the subject of long-running repairs to stabilize the bluffs, which are increasingly threatened by erosion. Stabilization work by the transit district, which owns the former Santa Fe line, is one facet of a matter before the Surface Transportation Board to address the district’s right to perform maintenance in the face of potential opposition from the city of Del Mar and state commission overseeing coastal matters. That proceeding is currently in abeyance while the parties negotiate [see “Digest: STB delays action …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 30, 2020].
Ottawa light rail project could be delayed as a result of pandemic
Construction work on the extension of Ottawa light rail’s Trillium Line is facing delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Global News reports. A memo to city council members says the construction contractor TransitNEXT has reported “schedule impacts” on the north-south extension, but the impact on the scheduled handover of the project in 2022 has not yet been determined. The extension will add eight new stations and include service to Ottawa International Airport. Rail service on the original portion of the Trillium Line has been replaced with bus service during construction. The same memo said extensions under construction on the east-west Confederation Line have also seen delays, but those problems have been mitigated. The Confederation extensions are slated for completion in 2024 and 2025.
