Interim CEO says Honolulu rail system will cost $12.4 billion, take 10 more years to complete
The cost of Honolulu’s light rail system has risen to $12.4 billion and will take another 10 years to finish, interim CEO Lori Kahikina told the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board. Hawaii News Now reports that Kahikina that the agency is in a dispute with manufacturer Hitachi Rail over who is at fault for a recently revealed problem with railcar wheels that don’t properly fit switch frogs [see “Digest: MBTA sidelines new CRRC cars …,” Trains News Wire, March 17, 2021], leaving unsettled who will pay for repairing the problem. The troubled light rail system, which was supposed to be completed in 2020, is now estimated to cost $3 billion more than the available sources of funding.
South Shore project realigns tracks at East Chicago station
A South Shore Line project at the commuter railroad’s East Chicago station is intended to shave a minute to a minute and a half off travel times, a prelude to forthcoming changes meant to significantly reduce travel times between Chicago and Michigan City, Ind. The Chicago Tribune reports the project, which could lead to 10- to 15-minute delays for some midday trains for the next two to three months, will realign track to allow trains to travel faster than the current 15-mile restriction they face entering and leaving the station, as well as upgraded signals and computerized train control. The $2 million project is being funded with federal money and the railroad’s annual capital improvement budget.
U.S. DOT launches ‘Mask Up’ campaign
The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched the “Mask Up” campaign to aid the safety of transportation workers. An effort across all forms of transportation, including efforts of the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration, the centerpiece of the campaign is a digital toolkit including posters, social media materials, FAQs, and other resources. “Throughout the pandemic, transportation workers have played a vital role connecting Americans to their jobs, keeping goods moving, and ensuring that vaccines get to where they’re needed,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release. “With this campaign, we’ll send a clear message to people who travel: When you wear a mask, you’re protecting the safety of our essential transportation workers, your fellow passengers, and yourself.” More information is available here.
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