Transit Briefs: Amtrak, TriMet, DART, TTC, SFMTA, 30 Cleary Avenue
Amtrak
Year-to-date ridership on the new state-sponsored Borealis trains between St. Paul and Chicago has propelled past the 100,000-customer mark this week.
Operated daily by Amtrak under contracts with Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, state transportation department and Amtrak officials turned out on Oct. 24 to ride both the east and westbound Borealis trains.
To celebrate, customers were given complimentary refreshments and commemorative certificates entitling every passenger to 500 bonus Amtrak Guest Rewards points. As a fun addition, each passenger received a “100-Grand” candy bar as a snack or a keepsake, courtesy of Amtrak.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the excitement and ridership that the new service has created and couldn’t be prouder of our partnership. The number of full trains, even at mid-week on the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor, is leading Amtrak and our state partners to look at how we can add capacity,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris, who added that Amtrak ridership nationwide is on trend to set a record this year.
Borealis trains originate from St. Paul at midday and Chicago in the late morning with Amtrak everyday discounts for children ages 2-12, students, seniors, veterans, military personnel and families, groups, and others. The trains offer Coach and Business Class in addition to a café car featuring regional items.
TriMet
As part of TriMet’s efforts to make its services available to more people, the agency has made a major improvement to its website. Now people whose first language is Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Russian or Korean can view the web app on TriMet’s homepage and rider content pages in their native language. These are the first languages added in addition to English and are the most commonly spoken languages in the agency’s community.
TriMet says it hopes to add additional languages in the future.
“The expansion of languages reflects the diversity of our community and TriMet’s commitment to equity and inclusion,” the agency said. “Now, more riders can plan trips, track buses and trains, learn how to ride and more. By reducing language barriers, more people can access information on our services and resources, making it easier for them to get where they need to go using TriMet.”
DART
DART celebrated an important milestone on Oct. 24 with the ceremonial groundbreaking of its new Silver Line Equipment Maintenance Facility.
Speaking to a gathered crowd, DART President and CEO Nadine Lee, told the invited elected officials, federal agency representatives, business executives and DART employees about the benefits of the new facility and its impact to the surrounding area.
“We are grateful to our partners at the City of Plano for sharing the vision of bringing this facility to Plano, allowing DART to continue investing our agency’s assets into our member cities and growing transit opportunities across the DART service area,” Lee said. “The Silver Line is a major piece to solving the mobility puzzle in North Texas by providing a strong east to west connection between Plano and DFW Airport.”
The new facility is being built behind a 20,000-plus-square-foot office building DART purchased earlier this year at 3201 Technology Drive in Plano’s industrial district. The purchased office building will serve as the operations and maintenance home for Silver Line staff once the regional rail is in revenue service.
Construction will take place within DART’s rail right-of-way (approximately 14 acres), near the end of the Silver Line track alignment and a few hundred feet from the Shiloh Road Station, causing minimal impact on road traffic and the surrounding area. The facility will feature two new buildings for the Silver Line vehicles to be housed, cleaned, and maintained, as well as an underground fueling tank, a canopy structure for cover when dispensing fuel and a storage yard for all the vehicles.
By working with Plano officials to secure the construction of a full maintenance facility, DART says it saved more than $30 million in capital costs and almost $1 million in annual operating expenses in comparison to a shared facility off the Silver Line alignment, which was discussed. The proximity to an existing station also reduces the number of “deadhead” or empty trips needed to begin daily operations and provides DART personnel quicker and easier responses to any track- or vehicle-related issues once the Silver Line is in service, the agency noted.
Once constructed, the Silver Line EMF would become just the fourth regional rail facility in the North Texas region and the only one in Collin County, joining Irving (TRE), Lewisville (DCTA) and Fort Worth (Trinity Metro). DART anticipates the entire 40,000-square-foot complex to house 65 current and new permanent employees with additional room to grow in the future.
“The Silver Line EMF is proof that it takes a lot of various groups working together to deliver a project that will benefit many,” said DART Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Dee Leggett. “With the area’s continued growth, we believe DART having a dedicated presence in Plano is a win for everyone.”
Residents and commuters in the area have familiarized themselves with Silver Line trains over the past few months, according to DART, which has been operating simulated test runs between the Shiloh Road Station in Plano and the University of Texas at Dallas Station in Richardson since this summer. Testing in other segments of the 26-mile alignment, which runs from Plano to DFW Airport, will continue until revenue service begins late next year or early 2026.
TTC
TTC recently announced that Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, will be the final day that TTC tickets, tokens and day passes will be accepted on the transit system.
The transition from these fares began in 2019 when the TTC stopped selling them in subway stations. Customers have since embraced the tap-and-ride convenience of PRESTO fares, including PRESTO cards, PRESTO Tickets, PRESTO in mobile wallets, and debit and credit card payments. Today, fewer than 1% of customers pay with legacy fares to ride the TTC, according to the agency.
“Currently, fewer than 1% of fares are paid using TTC tickets and tokens. It’s clear that most riders have embraced PRESTO tap-and-ride,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “As we move forward, it’s important to remember that TTC tickets, tokens, and day passes will only be accepted until December 31, 2024. I encourage everyone to take advantage of your remaining passes this year to get to work, school, appointments, or to explore our great city!”
TTC tokens were introduced in 1954 when Canada’s first subway system began serving Torontonians. The last of the iconic TTC tokens were sold by third-party retailers in March 2023, marking the end of an era.
Starting Wed., Jan. 1, 2025, the TTC will only accept fares paid using a physical or digital PRESTO card, PRESTO Ticket, debit or credit card, including those stored in an Apple or Google Wallet. Cash payments will still be accepted in station fare boxes, and, on buses and streetcars. Customers can also use cash to purchase PRESTO cards and tickets from Fare Vending Machines in subway stations.
The TTC advises that refunds, exchanges, or credits will not be provided and that customers should use up their remaining TTC tickets, tokens, or day passes by the end of this year.
“We want to ensure that every customer is informed about these changes, and we encourage you to spread the word to friends and family who may still be using these fares,” said TTC CEO Greg Percy. “If you still have TTC tickets, tokens, or day passes, I encourage you to use them by December 31, 2024. Or, if you’re a collector, hold onto them as nostalgic keepsakes to remember a bygone era of transit fare payment in Toronto.”
SFMTA
On the average weekday in September, more than half a million people rode Muni, marking the highest average weekday ridership since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a major milestone, SFMTA recently announced.
The agency saw 521,000 average weekday trips in September—that’s 37,000 more daily riders than in September 2023.
Systemwide in September, SFMTA saw:
- Weekday ridership reach 74% of 2019 levels, the highest since the pandemic started.
- Weekend ridership reach 92% of pre-pandemic levels.
- Overall ridership reach 78% of pre-pandemic levels.
- 13.9 million total boardings in the month, almost 1 million more than September 2023.
“Month over month and year over year, our investments in improving Muni service are paying off,” said SFMTA Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum. “And more people are riding Muni, they’re enjoying faster buses, shorter wait times and more reliable service.”
More information is available here.
30 Cleary Avenue
Odayanhaway (Little Village), a new sustainable transit-oriented infill development located next to a light rail transit (LRT) station at 30 Cleary Avenue, has received the green light from Ottawa City Council to proceed.
This project, a partnership between Theia Partners, the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa (FirstU) and Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS), will transform an underutilized parking lot adjacent to transit and the Ottawa River into a thriving inclusive community for 200 individuals and families.
The project, the partners say, aims to address Ottawa’s pressing need for affordable housing while setting a new standard in sustainability and community collaboration.
Odayanhaway will feature two distinct buildings:
- 16-storey market affordable high rise: This building, jointly owned by FirstU and Theia Partners, will deliver 148 units, with at least 80% meeting Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) affordability criteria, as well as a commitment to include deeply affordable units.
- 6-storey affordable non-profit building: This building will offer 66 affordable units, facilitated through a land donation from FirstU, as part of its commitment to Reconciliation. The building, Indigenous-owned and operated by OAHS, will be designed to provide culturally appropriate housing for Indigenous individuals and families.
In addition to being located next to an LRT station, both buildings will adhere to strict environmental sustainability standards, demonstrating that affordable housing can also be sustainable housing. The project will feature innovative green technologies, such as geothermal heating and cooling, and sustainable design practices, reducing the buildings’ carbon footprint and contributing to Canada’s environmental goals.
This project, the partners say, “is a model of how diverse partnerships, combining resources and expertise from private developers, non-profit organizations, and community groups like FirstU, can pave the way for innovative housing solutions that go beyond simply providing affordable units; they can build community and foster inclusivity, while being sustainable.”
With Council approval now secured, the joint venture, managed by Theia Partners, is preparing to break ground on the project as early as Summer 2025. Construction is expected to be completed by 2028.
