The North American passenger rail market

Railway Age, March, 2005 by Greg Gormick

Continuing is a $1.2 billion, five-mile second-phase extension to the 10-mile, 20-station Hudson-Bergen LRT. Service now extends from 22nd Street and from West Side Avenue in Jersey City to Hoboken Terminal and Weehawken. The second phase is to be completed in 2005 to Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen. Construction also continues on a $225 million, one-mile, four-station extension of the 10.3-mile Newark City Subway light rail line, the first phase of the Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link.

NJT's capital program includes funds to aggressively advance an environmental analysis for the Access to the Region's Core (ARC) project that encompasses into more Hudson River rail tunnels into Manhattan and a new Penn Station concourse.

PHILADELPHIA

Throughout Pennsylvania, transit agencies are being battered by the ongoing battle between Democratic Governor Ed Rendell and the Republican legislature over the immediate need for funding. Philadelphia's Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is getting much of the financial fallout from this political squabble, yet continues to move ahead on an ambitious capital improvement program. The governor said in late February there is now $412 million set aside for mass transportation throughout the state, enough for SEPTA through next year.

Nearing completion is the rebuilding of the 5.25-mile Market-Frankford subway/elevated line between Girard Avenue and Bridge Street, following the 2003 opening of the $187 million Frankfbrd Transportation Center (FTC). Meanwhile, the $567 million reconstruction of the elevated Market Street portion of the Market-Frankford line continues between 45th Street and the western abutment near Millbourne Station in Millbourne Borough, Delaware County, with substantial completion foreseen in 2007. The work involves converting the structure to a sleek, single-column configuration and complete rebuilding of six stations.

Also under way is a $78 million modernization of the Broad Street Subway signal system that dates back to the opening of the line in 1928, with completion set for this year. Continuing is a $57.6 million renovation of the downtown Suburban Station concourse that should end in first-quarter 2006, following 2003's completion of catenary, overhaul between this facility and 30th Street Station.

Stalled following a $56.2 million renovation is the reintroduction of the 8.2-mile Girard Avenue streetcar line, which includes 18 rebuilt PCC cars built in 1947. Completed last year but not inaugurated due to the protests of residents near the Callowhill Carhouse, the line has been out of service since 1992. Restoration will raise the total route-miles in SEPTA's light, heavy, and commuter rail system to 375.

The Philadelphia area's other rail transit agency, Delaware River Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), is modernizing its 35-year-old, 14.5-mile heavy rail automated Speedline to Lindenwold, N.J., at a cost of $100 million.

PITTSBURGH

Stage II of a $386 million modernization of portions of old trolley lines to light rail standards by Port Authority of Allegheny County. was completed in June 2004 with the reopening of the 5.2-mile Overbrook Line. Besides 28 new cars, this project includes remanufacture of 40 of the current fleet of 55 cars, slated for completion in 2006. It also includes expansion/modernization of the Operations Control Center, more than a doubling of park and ride spaces, and upgrades to the Library Line for two-car operations.