Transit Briefs: RTA of Central Okla., UTA, Metro Transit, Metra, Amtrak Virginia
RTA of Central Oklahoma
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded the RTA of Central Oklahoma, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), a $400,000 grant to evaluate 52 at-grade crossings along a proposed commuter rail corridor from Edmond to Norman, RTA reported Feb. 4.
The project, funded through USDOT’s Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant program, “will analyze various suitable strategies, balancing the community’s needs and safety against improved mobility and surface traffic flow at rail crossings,” according to RTA. ODOT will contribute the 20% non-federal funding match.
RTA and host freight railroad BNSF have not reached an agreement on the route (see map, top).
“This grant will allow us to evaluate and determine which crossings will need upgrades so we can improve traffic patterns across the metro and continue to advance planning for Commuter Rail,” RTA Executive Director Jason Ferbrache said. “Reducing rail congestion will help us create better pedestrian and automobile traffic flow for our residents.”
“One of the benefits to being the last metro of our size to develop a regional transit system is that we get to look at what other cities have done and emulate their success, as well as learn from their mistakes,” RTA Vice Chair Marion Hutchison added. “Commuter Rail service between Norman and Oklahoma City and Edmond would be transformational for those cities, from both a quality of life and economic development perspective.”
Further Reading: New Mexico’s Rio Metro Receives $22.4MM from USDOT RAISE Program
UTA
UTA has finalized plans for a TRAX light rail line connecting Salt Lake City International Airport and the University of Utah’s Research Park (see map above), according to a Feb. 3 report by The Salt Lake Tribune, which said the new Orange Line is expected to open by 2032, ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics. Existing Red, Green, and Blue TRAX line routes will also see changes.
“The transit agency selected a plan that it says will make the whole system faster and slightly better for the environment than other proposed options, according to a final report on the project,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
The media outlet reported that eight stations will be constructed “to accommodate the new rail line and other route changes at the following locations:
“• Orange Line station at 300 South and 400 West.
“• Shared Orange and Red Line station near West Temple at 75 W. 400 South.
“• Shared Orange and Red Line station near Pioneer Park at 325 W. 400 South.
“• Orange Line station along Mario Capecchi Drive and Arapeen Drive.
“• Orange Line station along Arapeen Drive near Wakara Way.
“• Red Line station at 400 W. 600 South.”
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the Red Line “will still connect the U. to Daybreak in South Jordan, but will modify its route in Salt Lake City to serve the Granary District.” Additionally, the “Blue Line’s westernmost stop will move to the Salt Lake City airport instead of Salt Lake Central Station” and, “[c]onversely, the Green Line’s westernmost stop will become Salt Lake Central Station instead of the airport.”
The newspaper reported that the “new routes will be far cheaper to create than the other options UTA was considering, with a one-time capital cost of about $400 million to make the changes, plus a roughly $17 million increase in the annual operations and maintenance costs of the TRAX lines.”
What’s next? UTA Manager of Environmental Compliance and Sustainability Patti Garver told the paper that the project will enter environmental review by the federal government. A consultant will be hired by UTA to oversee what could be a two-year process.
Separately, UTA last fall celebrated 25 Years of TRAX service.
Metro Transit
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed budget would “cut the transfer of $32 million a year in general funds to Metro Transit for rail operations,” MinnPost reported Feb. 3.
“In presenting the proposal to the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday, Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle said it was part of budget pruning Walz says is needed to keep the next two budgets balanced,” according to the independent news outlet.
The Met Council is the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of essential services in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, and operates Metro Transit, Metro Mobility, and Transit Link, which collectively carry tens of millions of riders per year. Additionally, its investments support a growing network of bus and rail transitways, and transit-oriented development.
Zelle said, “As a cabinet member, I’m fully aware of the stresses on the general fund, particularly in the next biennium. We know the governor has to make tradeoffs. So choosing this reduction to this agency is one we accept and can manage without compromising the integrity of the operations,” according to MinnPost. “‘You will not often see a commissioner or a cabinet member come forward and advocate a reduction in revenue for an important service,’ Zelle said. ‘But for the additional funds the Legislature […] authorized for Metro Transit two years ago[—a regional sales tax of three-quarters of a cent for transportation, to be shared by all seven counties of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area] we would not be able to sustain a reduction in general fund support for rail operations.”
The Met Council “will be able to absorb the reduction in state support in the short term without impacting rail or transit service,” according to Zelle, but “that pledge isn’t as clear in the longer term,” MinnPost reported.
In 2024, MinnPost said, the Met Council received $417 million from its 83% share of the regional transportation sales tax, and is projected to receive $474 million by 2028. “It is being used to both build new transit lines and increase service and frequency on existing lines,” according to the news outlet. “The increase ended the Met Council funding gaps for transit that had been resolved temporarily by special appropriations from the state and from federal pandemic relief money.”
According to MinnPost, Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee Chair Scott Dibble (D-Minneapolis), “said he has not decided whether to support the reduction and understands the budgetary pressures on Walz.” In 2023, he and then-House Transportation Committee Chair Frank Hornstein were co-authors “of the sweeping transportation bill that included the regional transportation sales tax,” the news outlet reported. “But both the makeup of the Legislature and the state’s overall budget outlook has changed significantly since that transportation bill passed under a DFL [Democratic-Farmer-Labor] state government trifecta. While Walz remains in office and the DFL maintains a one-vote majority in the Senate, the Minnesota House is expected to be tied.”
Metra
The Metra Electric Line’s 103rd St./Rosemoor Station will reopen to commuter rail riders and the 95th St./Chicago State University Station will close temporarily for rehabilitation on March 3.
According to Metra, 103rd St./Rosemoor is the second station to reopen under a single $33.9 million contract with Elgin-based IHC Construction for work at three stations: 79th St./Chatham, 87th St./Woodruff, and 103rd St./Rosemoor. The 79th Street Station reopened to riders on Dec.16, 2024, and 87th Street closed for construction on the same day. When completed, all three stations will have enclosed, ADA-accessible entrances and lobbies with elevators; new stairs and headhouses; new composite deck platforms; and new lighting and signage, Metra reported. Funding for this contract was provided through the Rebuild Illinois capital program.
Under a separate contract with John Burns Construction of Westmont, Metra is investing $33.4 million to rehabilitate and expand the 95th St./Chicago State University Station. The project will replace the station’s existing headhouse, platform and stairs; and create a new street-level entrance on 95th Street with a new storefront, enclosed entrance area, and a new elevator. The new platform will include a full-length canopy. According to Metra, the project will also better connect the station to the Chicago State campus, with a new tunnel entrance and a new walkway and bike lane connecting to a new commuter parking lot. Work is expected to be completed in third-quarter 2027. This project is being funded through the Rebuild Illinois capital program, Cook County, and a Federal Transit Administration All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) grant.
While 95th Street/Chicago State Station is closed, riders can use the 91st St./Chesterfield or the newly rehabbed 103rd St./Rosemoor Station as alternatives.
“We are prioritizing improvements on the Metra Electric Line to make the line more accessible to persons with disabilities,” Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski said. “At the same time, the 95th Street project is an opportunity to grow our relationship with Chicago State University and build a station that better connects students to educational opportunities and increases mobility options for area residents.”
Amtrak Virginia
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) on Feb. 3 reported that its state-supported Amtrak Virginia service set a record for ridership during calendar year 2024 with 1,389,840 passengers traveling. That is the highest ridership mark since the service launched in 2009. The 2024 figure beat by 4.8% the previous record set during calendar year 2023, and it topped by 45% the pre-pandemic record of 953,008 set in 2019, according to VPRA. All four Amtrak Virginia corridors saw increases in 2024 (see chart below).
VPRA reported that December also set a record for the highest monthly ridership with more than 136,000 passengers traveling (see chart below). The total, 136,433, was the highest monthly ridership recorded since Amtrak Virginia service launched, beating by 4.1% the previous record of 130,998 set in August 2023. The total is also a record for the month of December and a nearly 24% increase compared with December 2023, according to VPRA.
For the month of December, all four Amtrak Virginia corridors had double-digit increases year-over-year with Roanoke seeing the largest increase at 30.5%. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year, fell on December 1 in 2024, contributing to the record month, according to VPRA.
“The holiday season was a busy time for us—our stations were crowded, and our trains were full,” VPRA Executive Director DJ Stadtler said. “But our 2024 record ridership represents more than just holiday travel. It is indicative of Virginians using passenger rail as a convenient part of their travel plans.”
VPRA reported that it continues to expand passenger rail Virginia. Last fall, it broke ground on Long Bridge, the largest of its Transforming Rail in Virginia projects. The $2.3 billion infrastructure improvement will connect Arlington, Va., with Washington, D.C., via a new two-track railroad bridge, dedicated solely to passenger rail. The project is scheduled for completion in 2030 and will allow VPRA to increase the number of daily Amtrak Virginia roundtrips from the current eight to 13 with service connecting to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The Long Bridge Rail Partners joint venture of Trumbull Corp. Fay, S&B Construction, and Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. was selected in January for the Long Bridge Project-South Package; the North Package was awarded to Skanska/Flatiron Joint Venture in December 2023.
Additionally, last fall also saw ribbon cuttings at two stations in the Virginia: Newport News and Quantico. The Newport News Transportation Center was built to replace an aging station that the Amtrak Virginia service had outgrown. The new station offers more parking; upgraded rider amenities; and connections to Amtrak’s Thruway Bus Service, Hampton Roads Transit, taxi service, and shuttles to and from the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport.
At Quantico, the station was upgraded to better meet the needs of riders, including adding an overhead pedestrian walkway with elevators for ADA accessibility. VPRA said it also added a third track to allow for an increase in the number of trains operating and improving the on-time performance.
Currently, Amtrak Virginia’s eight daily roundtrips include three between Norfolk and Washington, D.C.; two between both Roanoke and Washington and Newport News and Washington; and one between Richmond and Washington. The service offers a one-seat ride from Virginia to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, as well as intermediate stops on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.
