Minnesota state senator introduces bill to fund rail improvements for second daily Amtrak train
The president of the Minnesota state Senate has introduced a bipartisan bill to fund rail infrastructure improvements needed for the addition of a second daily Chicago-Twin Cities passenger train. The bill introduced by Sen. Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) would provide the state funding match for a $31.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for improvements including extension of sidings, yard leads, mainline work, and communication and signaling on Canadian Pacific’s main line in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Amtrak and Wisconsin have already committed their portions of funding. “The second train would be a great addition,” Miller said in a press release. “However, I’m most excited about the local track and signal improvements that are included in the proposal, which would benefit both freight and passenger rail. A $10 million investment from the state of Minnesota would result in $53 million in rail upgrades.”
Minnesota bills would reduce penalty for fare evasion, add ‘transit safety officials’
Two bills under consideration by Minnesota’s legislature would decriminalize fare evasion for public transit, issuing offenders a $35 administrative citation — similar in nature to a parking ticket — in place of the current criminal citation with a $180 fine. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the bills also call for “uniformed transit safety officials” — rather than police, to ride light-rail trains and some buses to collect fares and connect homeless and those with mental or substance issues to available services. The Met Council, which operates the Twin Cities’ Metro Transit, hopes to hire 54 such officers by 2023. The newspaper says the bills have bipartisan support and stand a good chance of passing.
Brookville delivers first new streetcar for Tempe, Ariz.
Brookville Equipment Corp. has delivered the first of six new streetcars for the Tempe, Ariz., Streetcar system, scheduled to open later this year. The 72-foot-long, three-section Liberty NXT cars include an onboard battery storage system allowing the cars to operate on sections of the system without overhead wire and recharge on sections with catenary. They are part of a $33 million contract to design, build, and test the equipment for the 3-mile Tempe system. “We look forward to continuing to support Valley Metro with the delivery of five additional Liberty NXT Streetcar vehicles,” Joel McNeil, Brookville vice president of business development, said in a press release, “and assisting their team as they strive towards the monumental achievement of revenue service for this all-new system later this year.”
Step 1: buy unused Talgo 8’s off of neighboring Wisconsin
Step 2: retrofit for service
Step 3: second Twin Cities trip!
Yeah, so the first thing Cheapy rail did was single track the old MKE main; now it’s build back better at taxpayer expense…who benefits the most for the do-over? Take a guess.
CURTIS – Good post. BTW those three mile long container ships on Cheapy Rail are quite a sight to see. Great on the railfan eyes, how well do those fit into a siding?
Something I would love to read about is the cost of putting a long frieght – or any train – into a siding. Crew hours, equipment hours, brake shoes, fuel to start up again … and more turnouts, which are maintenance intensive …. and what does it save? The rails wear out by the ton-miles so no maintenance is saved by doubling the traffic on one track.