US Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is on board with Obama’s high speed rail programs, according to the Portland Tribune. Blumenauer says that securing federal funds for rail in our area is going to require state matches from Oregon and Washington, a tall order given the Washington state’s current $10 billion budget shortfall. The backlist of Washington Amtrak Cascades projects is pretty long, and we’re not likely to see the entire list knocked off with just the stimulus bill. It’s going to take a significant, sustained investment to get high speed rail on the Cascades corridor.
I don’t expect this in my lifetime (video by Ben):
But something closers to this would be really nice:
I’m here in Japan, and it’s got me reminiscing about when I lived here and took a cross-country trip on only local trains. Since I was a resident at the time, I couldn’t buy
a Rail Pass, which allows tourists to get discounted bullet train tickets*. So together with a bunch of classmates, I bought a 青春18きっぷ (Seishun Juuhachi Kippu, or youth 18 ticket) during spring break.
For about $60, we got five tickets each worth a unlimited rides on Japan Rail trains for one day, but the tickets were restricted to trains that weren’t the Shinkansen, Limited Express, Express, or sleeping cars. The day-tickets didn’t have to be used on sequential days, so we were able to stay for a couple of days in each of the cities we stopped in. We left Tokyo at midnight and went to Shizuoka and then Nagoya on our way to Osaka (we arrived after midnight) on the first day, to Kobe, Himeji, Okayama and Takematsu on the second ticket, from Takamatsu to Hiroshima on the third, Hiroshima to Fukuoka on the fourth, and the after a flight to Sapporo and out-of-pocket ticket from Sapporo to Hakodate to Misawa, the last ticket was for a trip from Misawa to Sendai and back to Tokyo.
For those curious, the Ninth Seattle – Tacoma round trip will start in June/July 2009. The service was supposed to start for the February schedule change but it was found that there is not enough room at the Tacoma/L Street yard. RailWorks Inc., is currently rebuilding the yard at L Street which will allow the 9th train room in the yard.
Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the progress but will make an effort to get down there tomorrow if the weather holds out.
It is my understanding this will be the last train added until service is extended to Lakewood Station.
The Puget Sound Regional Council has released their approved project list to receive funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The only change from the initial staff recommendations is that the Metro hybrid bus purchase fund has been increased by $3m, by zeroing out funding for a Burien TOD project (I think it’s this project). The big relief, though, is clinching the Metro vehicle maintenance subsidy, which should plug the 2009 deficit, increasing the time for someone to save Metro before armageddon in 2010.
I’ve asked Metro if the $25m for maintenance does count directly against the $29m deficit, and will follow up when I get an answer.
The full FTA list (and FHA list) is below the jump.
No link yet, though Josh Feit had a premonition earlier this afternoon. I’m sorry to see the Transit Oriented Communities bill be defeated, but I’m glad to finally be done arguing about it.
But there is a small, beautiful compromise in the viaductduring its construction, in 1953, three inches of the guardrail on the southbound side were cut away to accommodate a brick building standing at Bell and Western. Those few inches of brick, gently pushing into the viaduct, are preciousa cease-fire zone between the libertines and the scolds, a place where Seattle stops arguing with itself.
I hadn’t noticed this before. But there it is, plain as day:
TransLink, the transit agency for Vancouver, B.C., continues to roll out the goods with the finalization of the route and opening of the Evergreen Line Project Office.
“The Evergreen Line will vastly improve transit options for people in Metro Vancouver’s northeast quadrant,” said Falcon. “It will also be a big boost to the region’s economy, providing over 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.”
“The Evergreen Sky Train extension will improve the quality of life of Tri-City residents by creating more transportation choices, cutting traffic, and by reducing pollution,” said Moore. “Our government is proud to be a partner in this project.”
Using SkyTrain technology, the 11-kilometre Evergreen Line will link neighbourhoods in Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam and be fully integrated into the existing system, connecting directly onto the Millennium Line at Lougheed Station.
The Evergreen Line will start construction after the 2010 Olympics with opening service in 2014. The Evergreen Line will connect seamlessly to SkyTrain and the Canada Line at the Waterfront terminal, connecting also with SeaBus, West Coast Express, VIA Rail, and Amtrak trains. During peak rush hour, trains will be running every 85 seconds. Currently, SkyTrain runs around 108 seconds during peak hour. SkyTrain has the ability to run as close as 68 seconds a train, according to this video of SkyTrain.
Meanwhile, for the 2010 Olympics, Vancouver BC and Bombardier have joined forces to run a demonstration Streetcar line for 1.8km from Granville Island to the Olympic Villiage Canada Line station. Bombardier will provide 2 Flexity Outlook trams from Brussels, Belgium and will run every 6 to 10 minutes along the route and will be free during its trials. The streetcar route may become a full route which would run from Granville Island to Stanley Park with several stations along the route, including a station at Waterfront. The streetcar will open in January 21, 2010 and service will end on March 21, 2010.
If you’re a bus commuter, chances are you can recognize the bus drivers who get you to work and back. Well, now it’s time to really recognize them! Bus Chick is encouraging folks to participate in Bus Driver Appreciation Day, held on Wednesday March 18.
Next Wednesday, tell every driver whose bus you ride, “Happy Bus Driver Appreciation Day!” Make sure to keep smiling, even if they all look at you like you’re crazy. If you have a favorite driver, consider bringing him/her a card or other token–nothing that would be hard to keep on a bus all day, just something small to show your love. I talked to a few veteran drivers who suggested that jewelry was sufficiently small. They were kidding, of course. Sort of.
So, my fellow riders: Go forth, and appreciate. And oh yeah: Pass it on!
Why March 18? Every transit nerd should know that the first bus service in the world started on March 18, 1662 in Paris.
I’m a big fan of one driver in particular. He drives the #8 to Seattle Center that hits Broadway & John at 9:40 am and whenever I’m on his bus I enjoy a smoother-than-average ride that’s really fast, while some other drivers can sometimes be very gingerly along this particular route. I’ll have to give this driver some appreciation next Wednesday; maybe a giant cookie will do?
