New York MTA’s Metro-North Penn Station Access Project would bring MTA Metro-North commuter rail service to Penn Station and Manhattan’s west side, along Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line on the Northeast Corridor (artist’s rendering shown).

Transit Briefs: Brightline, NYMTA, OCTA, SacRT, SCVTA

Ahead of service to Orlando, train testing of up to 110 mph continues for Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad. Also, New York MTA’s Metro-North Penn Station Access Project faces delays; Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Metrolink unveil track and station improvements in Anaheim, Calif.; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) in California begins station modifications to accommodate new LRVs from Siemens Mobility; and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) offers limited-edition trading cards.

Artist’s rendering showing an aerial view of Ontario Line’s Exhibition Station on Toronto’s west side. (Image Courtesy of Metrolinx)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, SCVTA, TriMet

Canada’s Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have awarded a fixed-price contract to Ontario Transit Group for the Ontario Line Southern Civil, Stations and Tunnel (South Civil) package. Also, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) in California is beginning work on two long-range transportation plans; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) is eying a fare increase in January 2024.

SCVTA said its use of a single bore approach to build the six-mile, four-station BART Silicon Valley Phase II extension “will save construction time, reduce the station footprint and property needs, increase the potential for transit-oriented development, [and] reduce disruption to city streets, neighborhoods, and businesses.” (Rendering Courtesy of SCVTA)

Independent Study OKs Single Bore Tunnel for BART Silicon Valley Phase II

An independent study has confirmed that the single bore tunnel method is feasible for the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Silicon Valley Phase II project, according to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA).

Transit Briefs: Miami-Dade Metrorail; SCVTA; Denver RTD

Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Metrorail has put into service the last two Hitachi railcars from a 136-car order that was awarded in 2012. In addition, California’s Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) may resume light rail service as early as this week, and Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) is moving forward with a northwest commuter rail study.

Mott MacDonald/PGH Wong Engineering lands BART Silicon Valley Phase II contract

A joint venture of of Mott McDonald and PGH Wong Engineering has won the contract to provide general engineering services for Phase II of the 16-mile, six-station Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Extension, which when completed will connect Fremont (Warm Springs) with San José and Santa Clara.