Toronto Transit Commission board votes to close Scarborough line in 2023
The Toronto Transit Commission board has voted in favor of a plan to shut down the Scarborough RT, a 4-mile rail transit line, some seven years before a replacement route is ready. CP24-TV reports the board voted unanimously for the report calling for closure of the line in 2023, but has asked the TTC staff to look into creating a dedicated bus lane with signal priority to serve the route. Extension of an existing subway line will eventually serve the same route, but is not expected to be completed until 2030. The TTC report ruled out overhaul of the 35-year-old Scarborough line — which, while part of the subway system, uses unique equipment — saying that renovation would cost more than C$500 million and would not guarantee reliable service [see “Digest: Lease agreement paves way …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 5, 2021].
Trinity Rail Maintenance to close Texas plant
Trinity Rail Maintenance Services will close a facility in Vidor, Texas, laying off 59 workers, the Beaumont Enterprise reports, citing a company filing with the Texas Workforce Commission. A spokesman for parent Trinity Industries told the paper the move “is due to a shift in company strategy combined with market conditions.” It is one of three Trinity facilities in Texas — the others are in Saginaw and Fort Worth — and one of eight nationwide. The company’s Hugo, Okla., location was cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday for 13 violations of safety regulations in connection with an accident which killed two workers in August 2020 [see “OSHA cites Trinity Rail Maintenance …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 10, 2021].
Connecticut governor’s budget proposal cuts commuter rail funding
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed a budget that would reduce funding for Metro-North and Shore Line East commuter rail service, citing the decrease in operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hartford Courant reports Lamont’s two-year budget would cut funding for the Metro-North by $35 million each year, while reducing Shore Line East funding by $5 million the first year. “We will adjust the services to reflect the demands of our residents,” Lamont said.
