Transit Briefs: HFR Corridor, SacRT, Brightline, LIRR, TTL

HFR

The Canadian government late last year “requested an extension on bids” to construct a dedicated HFR corridor between Toronto and Quebec, The Canadian Press reported Jan. 12.

The HFR corridor project was first revealed by former VIA Rail Canada CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliao in an interview with Railway Age in January 2015.

Transport Canada confirmed Oct. 31, 2022, that state corporation VIA Rail had been shunted aside from its own project to construct and operate an electrified HFR service along its corridor linking Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto—the only profitable route VIA currently covers. A new state enterprise would be created to carry the project forward and oversee HFR operations.

In 2023, following a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), three consortiums were advanced to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage:

• Cadence: CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin, Systra Canada, Keolis Canada.
• Intercity Rail Developers: Intercity Development Partners, EllisDon Capital, Kilmer Transportation, First Rail Holdings, Jacobs, Hatch, CIMA+, First Group, RATP Dev Canada, Renfe Operadora.
• QConnexiON Rail Partners: Fengate, John Laing, Bechtel, WSP Canada, Deutsche Bahn.

Proposals were to be due in summer 2024, with the proposed partner to be announced in fall 2024.

“The office of Transport Minister Anita Anand said extensions [on bids] are ‘standard,” with the possibility included in the request for proposals,” The Canadian Press reported Jan. 12. Anand said in a statement to the media outlet: “No contract has been awarded to a consortium for the rail project on the Quebec-Toronto corridor. I look forward to sharing more when the time comes.”

According to media outlet, “[t]he holdup marks a minor setback to a project slated to span more than a decade. But while some observers worry the postponed proposal bodes ill for the pricey enterprise, others fret the whole undertaking could be thrown into limbo with a potential change in government around the corner following the prime minister’s [Justin Trudeau’s] planned resignation.”

“‘Everybody I know who’s involved in the rail industry is kind of waiting with bated breath because they expected this announcement to happen in early December,’ said Terry Johnson, president of passenger advocacy group Transport Action Canada,” reported The Canadian Press. Johnson also noted that “the pushed-back timeline could make it easier for new leadership in Ottawa to scrap the project altogether.”

However, Pierre Barrieau, “who teaches transportation and urban planning at the University of Montreal, says the competing proposals lay out complex plans that demand thorough analysis and that months-long delays for the megaproject should come as no surprise,” The Canadian Press noted. 

SacRT

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Jan. 10 awarded SacRT $9.5 million through its Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. According to the transit agency, the grant provides the final funding needed to construct the new Dos Rios Station on its Blue Line. The station will serve the Mirasol Village housing development and Sacramento’s River District, just north of downtown Sacramento.

The Dos Rios Station is a $43 million project at the intersection of Ahern, Sproule and North 12th streets. Preliminary work has already begun at the site, constructing a retaining wall and leveling ground, according to SacRT. Major construction is scheduled to begin this spring. Opening is anticipated by the end of 2026.

“With the strong support of our congressional delegation and our local partners, we’ve been making tremendous progress to deliver the new Dos Rios Station,” SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li said. “This funding award is the last piece of the puzzle to complete project delivery to increase connectivity for the community.”

“We’re extremely excited to be part of this long-awaited celebration for the SacRT Dos Rios Station project which will create a key link in connectivity that has been missing in the River District for decades,” said La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director of Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. “The new station will serve an important transportation need for residents at the new Mirasol Village development across 12th Street to be able to get to work, school, appointments and other places, while also enhancing access to the new housing, public amenities, and attractions in the District.”

USDOT on Jan. 10 announced $1.32 billion in Round 1 awards from the RAISE program for 109 projects across the country, part of the Department’s larger announcement of nearly $5 billion in grant awards through RAISE and six other programs (Railroad Crossing Elimination Program; Restoration and Enhancement Grants Program; Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program; Airport Infrastructure Grants Program; Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program; and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program).

Separately, SacRT on Jan. 5 resumed light rail service to all Folsom area stations following completion of a new passing track at the Glenn/Robert G. Holderness Station.

Brightline

Brightline on Jan. 10 reported receiving a $33.8 million Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Restoration and Enhancement Grant (R&E) for a project that “will help meet the urgent need to increase passenger capacity” between Miami and West Palm Beach.

The funding will support the operation of longer train consists, extending from five to seven passenger cars in two increments—expanding to six cars as early as March 2025 and then adding a seventh car later in the year, according to the FRA. The goal: to increase available seats/seat miles. R&E funding will cover the first and second years of service, the agency said.

“Brightline has revolutionized how people travel around South Florida and proven that daily commuters need more options that make it possible for them to get out of their car,” said Patrick Goddard, President of Brightline Florida. “The funding allows us to expedite new passenger cars into service and with that capacity, increased availability for the South Florida traveler.” 

Brightline called the project a new “commuter” offering, which may be seen as “a bridge or interim plan before Brightline and local counties are able to establish commuter lines in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.” It noted that Miami-Dade and Broward counties continue to advance projects to provide commuter service along the Florida East Coast corridor and discussions to finalize an agreement are ongoing.

“We’ve been working on developing a true commuter system in South Florida for years, but that solution takes time and can’t be turned on overnight,” Goddard noted. “This is the next best thing and can be seen as an interim commuter program before Miami Dade and Broward launch service.”

According to Brightline, complete details for the new commuter program will be rolled out on its website.

Separately, Brightline and Canada’s Porter Airlines are partnering for savings just in time for the 2025 season. Through a first-of-its-kind partnership for the intercity rail system facilitated by VISIT Florida, guests booking on Porter Airlines receive 50% off adult SMART fares on select Brightline trains between South Florida and Orlando.

LIRR

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 10 reported that 2024 was LIRR’s strongest year with an on-time performance record of 95.65%—the best in its nearly 200-year history excluding 2020-22 during the COVID-19 pandemic. LIRR also surpassed its 94% on-time performance goal each month throughout 2024 for the first time, and reached an on-time performance record of 96.2% in November. Additionally, each of the 12 LIRR branches exceeded the 94% on-time performance target and 95% of trains ran on time in December.

“New Yorkers deserve fast and reliable train service wherever they’re headed, and the LIRR delivered to our commuters in 2024 with its strongest year to date,” Gov. Hochul said. “I am committed to keeping New York moving and continuing to build on these performances, as we look forward to projects that will modernize our railroads, reduce travel time and expand train service for riders.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber commented: “Transit is helping to make Long Island—and the entire New York region—more affordable. The 687,000 monthly tickets we sold in 2024 actually cost less than in 2019.”

According to the Governor’s Office, LIRR saw a “substantial upswing” in customer satisfaction in the bi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted in Fall 2024. Overall satisfaction reached 76%, a six-point increase from Spring 2024—the highest it has been since Fall 2022 prior to the opening of Grand Central Madison.

The Fall 2024 bi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey was conducted Oct. 14-31, 2024, and offered online in nine languages and on the phone. LIRR had 21,854 respondents, a 27% increase from Spring 2024.

“One of my main goals when I assumed the presidency of the LIRR was to create an amazing customer experience, every day, on every train,” LIRR President Rob Free said. “This incredible jump in customer satisfaction shows that we are in fact achieving it. LIRR continuously monitors data and customer feedback to improve the reliability and customer experience of our service. On-time performance is at record highs, schedules are more convenient, and this makes our customers happy.”

Preliminary ridership statistics for 2024 show an increase in ridership—75.5 million riders rode the LIRR in 2024 compared with the 65.2 million people who rode in 2023, marking a 15.8% increase, according to the Governor’s Office. In November 2024, LIRR not only reached a record on-time performance level of 96.2%—the highest level for that month since the statistic started being kept in 1979—but also carried 6.3 million riders, up from 5.8 million in 2023.

TTL

MTA, PANY/NJ, NJT, NYCDOT and the Partnership Fund for New York City on Jan. 13 launched the seventh annual Transit Tech Lab (TTL). This year’s challenges, they said, call for “tech-driven approaches to support the agencies’ objectives in analyzing ridership and travel demand data in order to improve ridership (Ridership Improvement Challenge) as well as optimizing inspections and maintenance (Inspection and Maintenance Challenge).” Applications for the two challenges are now open. Interested companies can submit proposals until Feb. 27, 2025, at: transitinnovation.org.

Representatives from each participating transportation agency will evaluate applications based on the technology’s impact and the applicant’s product, team, and overall value proposition. Selected companies will advance to conduct a proof-of-concept over an eight-week period.

Ridership Improvement Challenge

How can transit agencies accurately measure, capture and improve paid ridership and travel demand data to optimize transit schedules and communicate effectively? In this Challenge, technologies may include:

• Tools to measure passenger loads on subways, commuter railroads and buses; understand travel patterns; and optimize scheduling according to paid ridership demand.
• Tools to inform customers and internal staff of service changes, disruptions, crowdedness, and arrival times to optimize navigation of disparate transit systems (buses, subways, trains, paratransit, airports, transit hubs, etc.).
• Tools to automate scenario planning and schedule adjustments with the ability to incorporate an overlay of ridership data, train cycle changes, and loading profiles of trains, as well as train staffing assignments.
• Tools to reduce fare evasion, including fare compliance tools to assist fare inspections.

Inspection and Maintenance Challenge

How can transit agencies digitize manual inspections and optimize maintenance processes? Technologies may include:

• Zero-emission bus specific operations and maintenance tools.
• Data analysis tools to improve maintenance prioritization.
• Hardware to improve physical inspections and manual maintenance processes.
• Tools to help maintain a state of good repair in all facilities.
• Tools for secure, remote diagnostics, repairs and data capture (e.g., secure VPN access, private 5G networks) to maintain machines and pull data without requiring physical presence.
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) modeling software to inform strategic business and operational decisions that can analyze and weigh cost impacts (cost modeling over time), environmental assessment(s), and risk impacts; across large projects impacting operating efficiencies, fiscal accountability/savings and service delivery.
• Tools to digitize paper-based processes and streamline workflows.

“This year we’re focused on harnessing the power of AI and other tech to improve foundational elements of the customer experience like scheduling, communications and system maintenance,” Stacey Matlen, Vice President of Innovation at the Partnership for New York City, said. “We’re excited to collaborate with our partner agencies and forward-thinking technology companies to build a vibrant future that benefits all New Yorkers.”

This is the seventh challenge cycle for the TTL. Since the program’s inception in 2018, more than 900 companies have applied to participate in the program, 69 companies have tested their technologies, and 37 solutions have commercially scaled or informed commercial procurements.

Further Reading: Transit Tech Lab Releases Latest Challenge Results