VIA Rail
VIA Rail on March 28 launched an RFQ, seeking a co-development partner for its Dorval Hub Project.
Aligned with the VIAction 2030 strategic plan, the project will not only upgrade the Dorval Station (see map above) to meet passenger needs but also integrate the various operators in the Greater Montreal area on a single site, according to VIA Rail.
VIA Rail said it will work closely with Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain on the project.
Responses to the RRQ are due May 9, 2025.
Sound Transit
BRIDGE Housing has begun construction on the Spring District TOD project (see map above), Sound Transit reported Feb. 28. Scheduled for completion in late 2026, the project will bring 234 affordable homes to Bellevue on land contributed by Sound Transit and the City. The project includes two multi-story buildings, just steps from the Spring District Link light rail station, which opened in April 2024. The units will be affordable to households earning 60% AMI and below, according to Sound Transit. Forty will be set aside for individuals with developmental disabilities, with supportive services provided by Open Doors for Multicultural Families.
Planned amenities include a community room with a kitchen, a fenced courtyard with a play structure, an elevated terrace, on-site property management and resident services offices, shared laundry rooms on each floor, a bicycle room, and garage parking. Resident services will be provided by Wellspring Family Services.
To support the TOD project, Sound Transit conveyed two development lots appraised at $16.25 million near the OMF East facility to BRIDGE Housing in December 2024 at no cost. The project was also awarded a predevelopment grant and low-cost financing from Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. Public funds were awarded by the City of Bellevue, ARCH, King County DHCS, WA Housing Trust Fund and CHIP, and a tax-exempt bond allocation through Sound Transit’s partnership with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
“This site is a testament to creativity, flexibility, and commitment to a vision,” King County Council Member and Sound Transit Board Vice Chair Claudia Balducci said. “Thanks to the commitment from all the partners, we were able to site a necessary piece of maintenance infrastructure while still following through on our vision of the Spring District as a vibrant transit-oriented neighborhood. I’m thrilled that this new affordable housing will bring people of all backgrounds and incomes together to enjoy both everything the Spring District has to offer and access to opportunity across our region through quick and convenient transit on light rail.”
WMATA
WMATA is gearing up for cherry blossom season when more than 1.5 million people visit the Washington. D.C., region each year, the transit authority reported Feb. 28.
For the third consecutive year, it is wrapping a train and three buses in a special cherry blossom theme (see above). This year’s design features a bright blue background, pink blooms, and a Japanese “rising sun,” a nod to the national flag, “to symbolize the close relationship between the U.S. and Japan,” according to WMATA. (Read about the history of the cherry blossoms, “Japan’s gift to America,” on the National Park Service website.) WMATA’s slogan—“Your Metro”—is on the side of the vehicles in both English and Japanese.
The vehicles are expected to make their debut on March 21. Riders can track the vehicles’ live locations by visiting wmata.com/live and clicking on the “Special Edition” tab.
WMATA is also introducing a commemorative SmarTrip fare card in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The artwork is by artist Anna August and titled “Bloom.” It features cherry blossoms and the Jefferson and Washington monuments—two prominent landmarks near the Tidal Basin.
Twenty thousand of these limited-edition cards will go on sale March 15 at the Metro Center, Navy Yard, L’Enfant Plaza, and Smithsonian stations.
To accommodate crowds, WMATA said it will have additional trains “strategically placed throughout the system to add capacity, and additional buses on key routes to provide additional service if needed.” There will also be extra staff at key stations to help riders. The transit authority noted that it “will be chasing a major ridership milestone during the cherry blossom season: the first combined 1 million-trip day since March 2020.”
“Cherry blossom season kicks off one of the busiest times of year for Metro,” WMATA Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer said. “We are proud to get visitors from the airports to hotels and down to the Tidal Basin to be a part of the festivities. Locals already know Metro is the best way to get around, so we look forward to getting them to the celebration, too.”
