Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority on June 14 held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of its West Portal facility, the future location of the Santa Clara Station and Newhall Yard & Maintenance Facility, and the site where the Tunnel Boring Machine will be assembled and launched to bore the five-mile underground tunnel for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project. (SCVTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: DART, Denver RTD, SCVTA, SEPTA, Valley Rail

Dallas (Tex.) Area Rapid Transit (DART) eyes fare structure changes. Also, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District CEO earns a Women in Business Award; California’s Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) celebrates the West Portal groundbreaking for its BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) advances a subway station accessibility project; and construction kicks off for the Valley Rail program in California.

A Siemens Mobility Venture trainset at the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission facility in Stockton, Calif. (Caltrans)

Amtrak San Joaquins, Caltrans Deploy New Siemens Venture Cars

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on March 5 celebrated the launch of new, state-of-the-art Siemens-manufactured Venture Cars for deployment across the Amtrak San Joaquins service.

From Left to Right: Andy Daly, Senior Director of Passenger Operations, CSX Railroad; Stacey Mortensen, Executive Director, San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA); Lee Ohanian, Senior Fellow (adjunct), Hoover Institution; and Kirk Watson, Mayor, City of Austin, Texas.

State of Intercity Passenger Rail Discussed at Rail Subcommittee Hearing

Four witnesses on Nov. 29 discussed the state of intercity passenger rail at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

evo-rail, Nomad Digital and Alstom will deliver core rail-5G mmWave radio technology to Caltrain, which provides commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. (Photograph Courtesy of Caltrain via Twitter)

Transit Briefs: Caltrain, Metro-North, SJRRC, VIA Rail

evo-rail teams with Alstom and Nomad Digital to bring rail-5G mmWave radio technology to Caltrain. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad train inspectors could strike this fall; San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) will receive $40 million from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for a double-tracking project that has both freight and passenger rail benefits; and VIA Rail Canada is investing more than C$25 million on London, Ontario, station upgrades.

Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins Transitioning to Renewable Diesel

Renewable diesel (RD), a locomotive fuel made from renewable raw materials and considered more sustainable than its fossil fuel counterpart, will soon be deployed on two California intercity passenger rail services. On

CalSTA awarded Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) $375 million for the six-mile, four-station BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project that will bring BART service to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara. Project completion is scheduled for 2033.

CalSTA Awards $2.5B for Rail Transit Projects

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) are among the 14 California agencies that will share $2.515 billion in TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants from CalSTA (California State Transportation Agency) for rail-related projects.

The LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency—manager of the Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego, Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, Calif.—is one of three California agencies that partnered last fall to form CIRCLE, an advocacy coalition.

Reciprocal Switching’s Potential Impact on Passenger Rail (UPDATED)

Two passenger rail organizations are urging the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to “carefully consider” how its proposed reciprocal switching regulations would impact their operations as well as investment.

California Agencies Team on Intercity Rail Advocacy

An advocacy coalition has been formed by the three California agencies that manage the Amtrak-operated Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquins intercity rail services.

CTC Approves 11 Rail-Related Infrastructure Projects

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated more than $1.4 billion for state projects to improve transportation infrastructure. Of that total, $67.78 million is for 11 rail-related efforts.

$100MM TCEP Grant For Stockton Diamond Grade Separation

A $237 million highway/rail grade separation project on what is described as “the busiest, most congested at-grade rail junction and rail bottleneck in California” has been awarded a $100 million TCEP (Trade Corridor Enhancement Program) grant from the California Transportation Commission (CTC).