Maryland DOT turns down request for single-tracking at Purple Line station, citing ‘significant risk’ to project
The Maryland Department of Transportation has turned down a request to reduce the Purple Line light rail project to a single track at its Bethesda station. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich had made the request, seeking to create room for a recreational trail, the Capital Crescent Trail [see “Digest: Schneider to double intermodal operations …,” Trains News Wire, March 5, 2021], but the Washington Post reports Maryland DOT officials said the request would increase station time, risk blocking the route if a train breaks down, and put the project at “significant risk” since the change would require new federal approval. Elrich had said the change would save the county from having to build a tunnel for the trail at an estimated cost of $54.9 million.
FRA chooses current route for Oregon passenger rail improvements, opening eligibility for funding
The Federal Railroad Administration has chosen the existing Amtrak Cascades route for improving passenger service in Oregon under a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision, the Oregon Deparment of Transportation has announced. The decision makes the state eligible to pursue grants for improvements between Eugene and Portland, Ore., along the Union Pacific rail line. The Oregon Department of Transportation reports that because the work will be conducted within the existing right-of-way, improvements may be “separated into relatively small, lower-cost elements” so the work may be done “incrementally as funding becomes available.” The FRA documents and other information on the project are available here.
City permit issue stalls start of work on Metra’s Peterson Ridge station
A permitting issue has delayed work on the start of Metra’s Peterson Ridge station on the UP North line, Block Club Chicago reports. Groundbreaking had been slated for May, but will be delayed an estimated three to five months; if the delay is any longer, major construction could be pushed back to spring 2022. At issue is an environmental feature that would have returned water runoff to the ground rather than into the city sewer system. The city is concerned the water could leak into water mains that run under the location, Joe Ott, Metra’s director of construction, told the website, so the groundwater system must be revised before a permit is granted. Metra had listed the Peterson Ridge project as one of the major undertakings in its 2021 construction plans [see “Digest: Metra launches capital improvement work …,” Trains News Wire, April 15, 2021].
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