LACMTA
LACMTA on Oct. 30 broke ground for advanced utility work for the new Southeast Gateway Line in Artesia, the transit agency reported via Facebook. In attendance were LACMTA Board Chair and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Member Janice Hahn, Whittier Councilmember and LACMTA Director Fernando Dutra, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), California State Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-30th District), California State Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco (D-District 64), Artesia Mayor Pro Tem Ali Sajjad Taj, and LACMTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
The new 14.5-mile, 9-station light rail line (see map below) will run between the A Line’s Slauson Station in Florence-Firestone to Artesia; it will serve the cities and communities of Artesia, Bell, Bellflower, Cerritos, Cudahy, Downey, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, Paramount, South Gate and Vernon. There will also be a new station at the 105 Freeway where riders can transfer between the C Line and the SE Gateway Line.
The Southern California Gas Company (SCG) is performing the utility work in Artesia, LACMTA reported, and is now finalizing construction plans, securing permits and procuring construction materials. Following the utility work, other early activities will proceed, leading to eventual groundbreaking for major construction, the agency said.
The project area is home to 600,000-plus jobs—a number that is projected to increase to more than 700,000 by 2042; 44% of the population in project area is below the poverty line, 18% of households do not own a car, and the area has several Environmental Justice Communities, according to LACMTA.
Meanwhile, AtkinsRéalis on Oct. 31 reported being selected by LACMTA to provide program management support services for the transit agency’s acquisition of 182 HR5000 cars. LACMTA earlier this year awarded Hyundai Rotem a $663.4 million contract for the cars to expand service ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
AtkinsRéalis said it will oversee the supply of cars for use on the B (Red) and D (Purple) rapid transit lines, and to meet enhanced capacity needs due to the D line extension to West Los Angeles. “Key to AtkinsRéalis’ success is ensuring the on-time delivery of 42 of the 182 total base order HRVs ahead of the Olympic games, meaning they will need to be manufactured, tested, commissioned and accepted in less than four years,” the company said.
“With the eyes of the sporting world now turned to my hometown Los Angeles, AtkinsRéalis is privileged to support critical rail infrastructure that will transport thousands of people during the Olympic Games,” said Steve Morriss, President, U.S., Latin America, and Minerals & Metals at AtkinsRéalis. “The Canada Line, one of our flagship rail projects in North America, was a critical capital investment driven by the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Our comprehensive rail consultancy services ensured the line opened on budget and more than three months ahead of schedule and it continues to run at 99.8% average availability rate to this day.”
PATH
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) on Oct. 31 reported that the PATH Hoboken station will be closed from late evening Jan. 30, 2025, to early morning Feb. 25, 2025, as part of the agency’s two-year, $430 million PATH Forward program. The full station closure will enable the safety repair and improvement work to be conducted on an expedited basis that would otherwise necessitate schedule reductions and service suspensions repetitively over a prolonged period, PANY/NJ said.
Work will include:
- Replacement of Hoboken Interlocking and tracks: PATH will replace in-station tracks and the Hoboken Interlocking that allows all service from two tunnels to access three tracks at the Hoboken station. Without the continuous 25-day outage, this work would require four complete weekend shutdowns due to the scale and location of the interlocking, and an additional 50 consecutive days of reduced service levels in and out of Hoboken due to the reduction in station track capacity required to maintain safe operations during the construction.
- Track repair and maintenance work: PATH will repair 4,500 linear feet of track in the two tunnels leading into the station. The continuous 25-day outage prevents a full year of weekend service reductions that would otherwise be required to complete the work.
- Restoration of passenger infrastructure: PATH will replace the concrete walking surfaces in public areas throughout the station and replace four staircases between the station’s mezzanine and platform levels. Performing the most disruptive work during the outage will reduce a 28-weekend timeline of disruption to riders (selective closures, rerouting of passengers, etc.) at Hoboken. PANY/NJ coordinated the rehabilitation with the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office and the Hoboken Historic Preservation Commission.
PANY/NJ said it has worked with regional transit partners to provide riders with travel alternatives while work is completed, including expanded ferry service, frequent shuttle buses to other PATH stations, and supplemental PATH, light rail, and New Jersey Transit bus service between Hoboken and Manhattan.
“PATH is continually striving to create the best possible travel experience for our customers,” PATH Director/General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe said. “We recognize the inconvenience our customers will experience during this period of essential infrastructure and station rehabilitation, and we appreciate their patience and understanding as we work to make this 116-year-old rail network more reliable.”
The station closure is the next major phase of PANY/NJ’s two-year PATH Forward program, which encompasses a series of projects including track repair and replacement; modernization of bridges, railcars and other critical infrastructure; and rehabilitation of four major stations (Hoboken, Grove St., Newport, and Exchange Pl.).
Through the end of this year, work will continue between Journal Square and Harrison stations, including the replacement of 6,000 feet of track and installation of an additional interlocking system, according to PANY/NJ. This new interlocking will enable PATH trains to bypass disabled trains west of Journal Square, allowing for a quicker resumption of service on the Newark-World Trade Center line, the agency reported. Additionally, PATH is completing a sea wall along the Passaic River that will protect the system from future flooding.
The PATH Forward program began with rehabilitation work at the Grove St. station earlier this year, replacing floor tiles, patching and repainting work, refinishing platform columns and installing LED lighting and electrical wiring.
WMATA
The Metro Transit Police Department earlier this month welcomed its inaugural class of 24 recruits to the new Metro Transit Police Department Criminal Justice Academy. According to WMATA, the Metro Transit Police Department previously outsourced recruit training; bringing the training in-house will save $1 million per year, it said, including fees that were paid to other training facilities and personnel costs.
The Academy will host three classes per year, instead of two previously. Additionally, it will allow Metro Transit Police Department staff to focus on transit policing and training specific to WMATA, while still meeting training objectives established by the State of Maryland, Commonwealth of Virginia, and District of Columbia, according to WMATA. Recruits will be trained on community engagement, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and civil disturbance. Each recruit session includes eight months of training, followed by an additional 10 weeks of field training.
HDR
The Chippewa-St. Croix Rail Commission on Oct. 31 reported the selection of a consultant team led by HDR Engineering, Inc. and including HNTB Corporation, to complete Step 1 for the Eau Claire-Twin Cities Passenger Rail Project, which would restore intercity passenger rail service between Eau Claire, Wis., and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., via Menomonie, Baldwin, Hudson, and Washington County, Minn. This scoping phase, it said, will provide a “roadmap for the region to begin rail planning activities and establish the scope of work, schedule and budget” for the project that is slated to “enhance transportation options for underserved communities and rural areas; connect growing population centers to jobs, healthcare, education, and tourism; support station-area development; and reduce road congestion.” Additionally, the project will provide residents of West Central Wisconsin and the Twin Cities metropolitan area with greater access to critical services and opportunities.
This scoping work is the first phase in the Corridor Identification and Development Program (CID) established by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to identify and develop new and expanded passenger rail corridors across the country.
The FRA earlier this year awarded a grant of up to $500,000 to the Commission to support scoping for the new service. Eau Claire County, a member of the Commission, serves as its administrative and fiscal agent, and in that capacity will receive and administer the award.
HDR and HNTB were selected through a competitive request for proposals process to lead the scoping effort. According to the Commission, the firms are working together on several FRA CID projects, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Milwaukee-Madison-Eau Claire-Twin Cities Corridor and the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Second Round Trip studies, which are complementary to the Eau Claire-Twin Cities corridor planning.
The FRA has also pledged additional non-competitive funding through the CID program for subsequent planning and design phases. “This future funding, along with state and locally sourced funds, will enable regional authorities, in collaboration with states, local communities, and Tribal governments, to complete the service development plan and necessary environmental and engineering studies required to bring the project to fruition,” the Commission said.
Additionally, the Commission noted that its application specifically seeks to establish a competitive process for selecting a train operator; piloting a direct access model negotiated track access agreement with Union Pacific, the host railroad; considering zero-emission equipment; and ensuring sufficient train frequency to provide travel convenience and activity to support transportation-oriented economic development in station communities.
“After many years of strong community interest, this is a critical first step in bringing passenger trains to enhance the economy of our region,” noted Scott Rogers, a Commission member who has been designated as its project committee lead. “The commitment of federal funding to a pipeline leading to the creation of new corridors was always the missing element to move things forward.” Rogers is also Chair of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition, a community group that has advocated for train service for the region, and Vice President Governmental Affairs at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce.
