El Paso, Colo., county board voices opposition to passenger rail district
Officials in Colorado’s El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, have indicated their opposition to a proposed Front Range Rail Passenger District, expressing concern that taxes raised by the district could be better used to fix local roads or could be spent elsewhere in the state. Broadcaster KRDO reports four of five members of the county Board of Commissioners indicated their opposition to the project, with commissioner Holly Williams saying, “I’m concerned that the money we generate could be used to pay for the light rail connection from Denver to Boulder that was never completed.” [That route, actually a commuter rail line, could be part of the proposed passenger rail route from Fort Collins to Pueblo]. Board Chairman Stan VanderWerf said money should first be spent on improvements to Interstate 25 “before we do a multi-billion-dollar front range rail investment that will likely lave low ridership.” A bill to create the district — which would allow the counties served by the project to levy taxes to pay for it — was introduced in April [see “Colorado bill would create Front Range Passenger Rail District,” Trains News Wire, April 12, 2021]. The bill does not set tax rates [see “News and Analysis: Colorado commission advances Front Range plans,” News Wire, April 26, 2021] although Williams talked about a one-cent sales tax in her comments.
Toronto’s plans for ‘rail deck park’ jeopardized by planning tribunal
A park which was to have been built on a deck over the rail lines leading to Toronto’s Union Station is in jeopardy after a ruling favoring a development of condominiums and office parks. The CBC reports the proposed 21-acre, C$1.7 billion park — billed as the city’s version of New York’s Central Park — was quashed by Ontario’s Local Planning Appeals Tribunal in favor of the 16-acre mixed-use development because the air rights necessary for the park were never obtained by the city from the developers who want to build a 36-story office building along with residential towers and some green space. The matter landed in the hands of the tribunal because the city rejected the developers’ plans, then announced its plans for the park. Craft Acquisitions Corp., which holds most of the air rights, appealed that decision. Other air rights necessary for the park belong to Canadian National, commuter agency Metrolinx, and other developers.
Port Huron & Detroit roundhouse being demolished after partial collapse
A former Port Huron & Detroit roundhouse in Port Huron, Mich., is being demolished after part of the structure collapsed in April. The Port Huron Times Herald reports CSX Transportation, which owns the structure, began the tear-down on Monday and hopes to complete the project this week. The structure, built in 1920, was long abandoned prior to the recent collapse of one wall [see “Digest: Death toll reaches 50 in Taiwan derailment,” Trains News Wire, April 3, 2021]. CSX had begun demolishing the building in 2018 but had stopped over environmental concerns.
With the second-most populous county along the route rejecting it, the Front Range rail project is dead in the water. Sorry Colorado rail lovers, you tried.