March « 2009 « The Transport Politic

U.K.'s High Speed Two Fleshed Out

March 27th, 2009 |

With support from Tories and Labour, project construction is virtually guaranteed

The United Kingdom, despite its intense population concentration and relatively straight-shot connection between its biggest cities, has yet to invest in a major high-speed program, unlike its peers in France, Spain, and Germany. Beginning late last year, however, the Conservative Party, under leader David Cameron and shadow Transportation Minister Teresa Villiers, began pressuring the Labour-controlled government to begin planning a high-speed rail link between London and Manchester, via Birmingham, as a replacement for the planned third runway at Heathrow airport. Plans to route the line through the airport to allow easy

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Ontario Pledges $3 Billion to Mass Transit

March 27th, 2009 |

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But Canadian province doesn’t explain exactly where the money will go

Two years ago, Toronto introduced its Transit City plan, which would provide 120 km of light rail lines in the city, largely replacing existing well-used bus lines and supplementing the two major lines of subway service currently offered by the Toronto Transit Commission. In addition, both the Yonge and Spadina branches of the subway would be extended north into York County.

Yesterday, the province of Ontario announced that it would spend $27.5 billion on infrastructure projects over the next two years to act as a recession-fighting stimulus. This amount includes $3 billion

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AnsaldoBreda Problems Aren't in Los Angeles Alone

March 26th, 2009 |

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Denmark developing backup plan in case Italian rail manufacturer can’t get its act together

I reported yesterday on Los Angeles’ problems with the light rail manufacturer it chose for its Gold Line Eastside Extension. Namely, the contractor, the Italian AnsaldoBreda, which also produced the city’s heavy rail cars in the early 1990s, is more than three years late on delivering the trains it promised. Los Angeles holds an option to purchase 100 more cars at a reduced rate, but Metro’s chief argues that the order for new vehicles should be put up to competitive bid. AnsaldoBreda’s response? An offer to build a

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MARTA at the End of Its Rope

March 26th, 2009 |

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Like New York’s MTA, Atlanta’s MARTA will have to cut service significantly if state legislature doesn’t get its act together

MARTA runs Atlanta’s transit operations, including the United States’ sixth largest metro system by ridership, and its patronage increased by almost 10% last year. Unfortunately, however, it’s facing a budget crisis – a $65 million operating deficit this year – due to the steady drop in sales tax revenue that has been affecting transit systems around the country.

Unlike those other agencies, though, MARTA does have the money; it’s just that it’s locked away due to the manner in which the 1¢ sales

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