Digest: Tri-Rail shuts down because of tropical storm

Miami-area commuter railroad Tri-Rail has suspended operations as of today because of severe weather expected with the arrival of Tropical Storm Eta. WFOR-TV reports Tri-Rail will also be removing arms from crossing gates, as is procedure when there are sustained winds of over 35 mph. The agency will monitor the weather to determine when to resume service; watch the Tri-Rail website or Twitter account for more information.

Georgia’s Gwinnett County narrowly turned down a referendum that would have extended MARTA rail service into the county, the second straight year it has turned down a transit initiative. The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that the final final group of late ballots from Tuesday’s election were counted on Friday, with the measure losing by a 50.14%-49.86% margin. Final results on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website show the margin was just 1,093 votes out of 397,195 votes cast.

With Joseph Biden declared the winner of the 2020 Presidential election on Saturday, Amtrak issued a statement promising to work with the new president and Congress, while calling for pandemic relief legislation. In the statement, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said, “To get the economy moving and help Amtrak and our employees through this unprecedented situation, Congress must act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding which enables Amtrak to recall furloughed employees, restore service frequency on long-distance and state-supported routes, and make investments that will advance critical capital projects such as bridges and tunnels on the Northeast Corridor and new equipment, infrastructure improvements and major station upgrades throughout our network.” After pointing out Amtrak’s environmental advantages, Flynn added, “As we enter our 50th year of service, we stand ready to play an important role in helping our nation recover and grow for the future.”