Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and Purple Line Transit Partners, have signed the final financial documents for a $5.6 billion PPP contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the light rail Purple Line north of Washington DC.
In an effort to improve safety, increase reliability and provide passengers with a more comfortable ride, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has awarded a $36.8 million contract to Bombardier Transportation to overhaul 63 MARC III bi-level commuter rail cars, MTA announced Feb. 4, 2016.
California, Illinois and Maryland have ordered a combined 34 Charger diesel-electric passenger locomotives from Siemens Mobility, bringing the number of state Departments of Transportation procuring these units to six and the total number of units to 69. The locomotives will be built at the Siemens rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif.
The Board of Public Works approved the Maryland Department of Transportation’s contract to purchase eight new diesel locomotives for MARC Train service.
2015 is adding up to be a year of innovation, and a few surprises, in the North American locomotive market.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has decided to phase out its 10-unit fleet of AEM7 and HHP8 electric locomotives used for MARC regional/commuter rail service and replace them with eight new 125-mph “Charger” diesel-electric locomotives from Siemens Industry.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan gave the go ahead on a “more cost-effective and streamlined” version of Maryland Transit Administrations’s proposed Purple Line LRT, but said the Red Line project would not proceed.
Two Chevy Chase, Md., residents and the Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, a citizen’s group, have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop the proposed Purple Line light rail transit project due to claims of threatening two species of small invertebrates in nearby streams, despite assurances from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that such impact is extremely unlikely.
Maryland’s contentious Purple Line light rail transit project got a supportive boost Thursday, March 20, 2014, with the Federal Transit Administration issuing its Record of Decision essentially approving the 16-mile line.
Maryland Transit Administration and Montgomery County have reached a legal agreement with the Columbia Country Club on adjusting the proposed Purple Line light rail transit route, with both sides quietly claiming victory.