Free Republic

The Loop Trolley project is moving forward again, thanks to a nearly $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The $24.99 million grant, which was announced in July, is funded by the Urban Circulator Program, which provides federal funding to projects intended to increase public transportation in cities. “This is just a huge thing for all of St. Louis, to get that kind of support from the federal government,” said Joe Edwards, president of the Loop Trolley Company, which is planning and raising money for the project. “It’s a real testament to how far along this project has...

The D.C. Council approved emergency legislation Tuesday that permits overhead power lines as part of the construction of the streetcar line along H Street and Benning Road. The move came after a transparent power play by National Capital Planning Commission Chairman L. Preston Bryant Jr. Last week, Bryant -- who lives in Richmond, Va., 100 miles away from the impacted area -- asked the Federal Transit Administration “to withhold federal funds from the District” for the streetcar system because of the overhead wires. While such wires were banned under 1888 and 1889 laws, Greater Greater Washington’s David Alpert argues that...

Streetcar is coming. Streetcar is coming! I'm sure most of the regular readers of this site have heard the good news. Dallas won a federal TIGER (transportation initiative) grant for $23 million (PDF) to start design and construction of the proposed 1st phase of the modern street car line. The second piece of good news, is that it is actually going to be one of benefit rather than the tourist trap downtown loop initially proposed. The flip side of this story is that while the application was pursued in concert with Fort Worth, the federal government took it upon themselves...

Metro, the city of Galveston and a third group are all pushing commuter service conceptsA political turf war has broken out to determine who will bring commuter rail to the Houston area. While actual trains are years in the future, the lobbying and jockeying have begun behind the scenes, spurred by stimulus money and the promise of future federal money for high-speed passenger trains. “If this thing gets built it's going to involve a lot of funding,” said Christof Spieler, a transportation analyst on the board of the Citizens' Transportation Coalition. “Every agency wants to be in charge of that...

ANOTHER MUSLIM SNIPER? By Michelle Malkin · July 28, 2004 05:05 PM "Michael Wagner" is a black Muslim convert who was pulled over by an Iowa State Trooper for not wearing a seatbelt. No doubt the professional grievance-mongers are rushing to provide their pro bono services to an innocent man wrongfully profiled by racist cops. Never mind what was in his car: A 9mm pistol Three bulletproof vests Hundreds of rounds of ammunition A flight simulator and a bag of flight manuals dating to 2001 A 5-foot telescope hooked to camera equipment Night-vision goggles and a night-vision rifle scope found...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. The Las Vegas monorail passed a tough test during the Consumer Electronics Show last week. The oft-troubled monorail carried nearly 150,000 passengers and generated $450,000 in revenues from ticket sales during CES. That's according to monorail officials. The chairman of the company that manages the monorail says the system performed extremely well. Jim Gibson says he's pleased the monorail turned out to be a reliable and safe transit option during one of the busiest conventions in Las Vegas.

11 alternative transit systems presented at event Imagine zipping to Bush Intercontinental Airport from downtown in less than 10 minutes. Sound like fantasy? It isn't fantasy for travelers in Shanghai, China, who since April have been able to take a high-speed magnetic levitation train that carries them 19 miles to the airport there in eight minutes at up to 270 mph. The developer of that system made his pitch in Houston on Wednesday during the opening of a three-day forum to examine present and future transit modes. The Metropolitan Transit Authority is holding this week's Advanced Transportation Technology Forum at...

Metro should seek alternatives to light rail, he says IRVING - Houston leaders responded with enthusiasm Friday to an apparent warming of relations between U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the Metropolitan Transit Authority. "I consider this to be a real positive, and perhaps a turning point, for improved mass transit in our region," Mayor Bill White said. "Metro has established a good relationship with Mr. DeLay, which is critical to getting the mass-transit funding we need." DeLay, who has opposed Metro rail plans for more than a decade and blocked federal funds for the Main Street light rail...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Mass transit in San Antonio and around the nation is on a downward spiral, but technology and good sense could increase ridership during the next decade, an expert says. "I think it is possible," said Chris Bausher, who will be among about 2,000 government and private professionals attending the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's conference this week in San Antonio. The recipe calls for predictability and comfort by making buses and trains faster, more reliable and attractive, said Bausher, an engineer in the Houston office of PBS&J, an engineering company. Tools...

It's been nearly a decade since an outmoded trolley rattled along the Overbrook line of the light-rail transit system in the South Hills. The century-old line --which runs from Castle Shannon to the southern edge of the city-- closed in June 1993 because railroad beds, tracks and bridges were too unstable. Steep hillsides where the line passes had been mined for coal and slate in the 1800s, leaving the terrain susceptible to subsidence and landslides. South Hills residents, especially those who live near the Overbrook line, have wondered if transit cars ever would return. Their wait is about over.

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. W. Corridor among six new light-rail lines in FasTracks The federal government has agreed to approve the proposed West Corridor light-rail transit line from Denver to Golden. It is the first of six new rail-transit corridors planned by the Regional Transportation District as part of its $4.7 billion FasTracks plan to get environmental clearance for construction. "We're very excited about this," Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder said. "We've spent many years working with the neighborhoods, RTD, CDOT and the people at the Federal Center, a lot of hard work." Lee Waddleton, the...

Tampa streetcars running again A restored streetcar line opened Saturday, October 19 in Tampa, Fla., 50 years after the city scrapped its streetcar system. The yellow TECO streetcars link downtown with the Ybor City entertainment district. The $53 million project includes a 2.3-mile route with 10 stations. The line’s seven cars run every 7 to 15 minutes between the Marriott Waterside Hotel in downtown Tampa and 8th Avenue/20th Street in Ybor City. The line is initially expected to carry 950 riders daily; a mile of track remains to be completed.