The North American passenger rail market

Railway Age, March, 2005 by Greg Gormick

Following a decade of growth in ridership and revenues, VIA is completing its five-year, $C420 million Renaissance improvement program. Announced by the federal government in April 2000, the program has addressed urgent capital needs related to rolling stock, infrastructure, and health and safety. It also included 21 new GE P42 Genesis locomotives, new and upgraded stations, and track and signal improvements to case Corridor speed restrictions. VIA is continuing to explore options with the federal government and the freight railroads to address capacity problems, particularly in the Quebec-Windsor Corridor.

Iced in November 2003 by the incoming Cabinet of Prime Minister Paul Martin was Renaissance II, a second five-year program valued at C$692.5 million. The program would encompass locomotive acquisitions, renewal of the Light-Rapid-Comfortable (LRC) equipment that was introduced in the early 1980s, strategic infrastructure improvements, and station refurbishment. Renaissance II and an aggressive, incremental speed improvement program for the Quebec-Windsor Corridor, known as VIA Fast, were all but derailed by the tabling of the replacement Liberal government's March 2004 budget.

URBAN RAIL TRANSIT AND REGIONAL/ COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEMS

BOSTON

The FY2005-2010 capital investment program (CIP) of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is a $2.96 billion blueprint for the ongoing improvement of transit. The T's 468-route-mile rail system sees about 798,000 daily boardings and the CIP is designed to boost that number progressively. Of the total amount, $1.62 billion is earmarked for rail projects.

The largest element of the T's commuter rail improvement plan is the $479 million Greenbush Project, an 18-mile extension from Braintree to Scituate that will crown the restoration of service on former New Haven Old Colony lines southeast of Boston. Work has resumed under a design/build contract awarded to a Cashman/Balfour Beatty joint venture and service is expected to start in early 2007. It will add seven stations to the present commuter total of 119 along 12 routes.

Remaining on hold is a $669 million New Bedford/Fall River commuter extension from Stoughton and Taunton that would have eight stations. This is now relegated to "anticipated future needs."

One of the CIP's main features is a $184.7 million Station Management Project, which includes a new automated fare collection system, telecommunications system, CCTV, and intrusion and chemical detection systems. MBTA was slated to introduce a ticket version of the smartcard system on the Silver Line bus rapid transit operation in February, with expansion to the Blue Line later this spring, and to the Red, Orange, and Green subway lines in summer.

The CIP dedicates $646.3 million to revenue vehicles. On the rail side of this acquisition plan are 94 new Siemens heavy rail cars for delivery between mid-2005 and year-end 2006. On backlog are c 28 Kawaski bilevel commuter cars. Up in the air is the completion of the 100-car AnsaldoBreda LRV order. The supplier is currently = in negotiations with MBTA.