Rail Runner Express to resume full schedule
New Mexico’s Rail Runner Express commuter rail service will resume a full schedule on May 24, about two months after resuming a limited schedule following a year-long shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to a full weekday schedule serving all stations, weekend service is also returning. KOAT-TV reports trains will operate with a 25% capacity limit. A mask requirement remains in effect.
Pittsburgh transit to ease, then lift capacity restrictions
Pittsburgh’s Port Authority transit system will raise light rail and bus capacity on May 31, then lift all limits on June 20. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the limits on light rail vehicles and articulated buses will increase from 25 to 35 at the end of May — the same date the state allows indoor and outdoor venues to return to full capacity — with commensurate increases for smaller buses. All restrictions will then be lifted the next month. “What we’ve heard is some businesses may be starting to have workers come back to their offices,” a Port Authority spokesman said. “We want to be prepared for that when it occurs.”
SEPTA to allow trains, buses to operate at full capacity on June 1
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will lift capacity limits on its trains and buses as of June 1, the agency announced. “Removing vehicle capacity limits to meet increased ridership demand is a major step in the region’s recovery,” SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said in a press release. “We are grateful for our riders who counted on SEPTA throughout the pandemic, and we are excited to safely welcome back those who may be taking the system for the first time in over a year.” A mask requirement will remain in place.
