March_2022 - 8

PEOPLE & PLACES
THE LASTEST INDUSTRY NEWS
BART restarts delivery of its
Fleet of the Future rail cars
IndyGo
COMMUNITY LEADERS gathered Feb. 25 to break ground on IndyGo's Purple Line
BRT project.
IndyGo breaks ground on
Purple Line BRT project
The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) held a
groundbreaking event on Feb. 25 to mark the start of construction of its
second bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the Purple Line. The BRT project will
connect downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence - neighborhoods once served
by streetcars and other forms of urban transportation. IndyGo President
and CEO Inez Evans said the start of construction " symbolizes the beginning
of new opportunity and growth for an entire community. " When the
Purple Line opens in 2024, it will connect nearly 60,000 residents to more
than 134,000 jobs all within walking distance along the 15.2-mile corridor.
Of those residents living within walking distance, more than 30 percent
are classified as low-income and more than 61 percent identify as minority.
MassTransitmag.com/21258449
Amtrak, Penn Station
Partners begin Baltimore
Penn Station construction
▶ Construction has commenced at Baltimore
Penn Station with Amtrak and Penn
Station Partners, the Baltimore-based
global development team leading the
transformation of the city's main transportation
hub, installing scaffolding, fencing
and materials around the station exterior.
Essential core and shell improvements,
tentatively scheduled to start in summer
2022, include masonry repairs, existing
window refurbishment, a new roof, new
mechanical, electrical and plumbing
systems, as well as updated elevators,
stairs and ramps. Currently vacant, the
three upper floors of the historic station
will be refurbished for new office use,
able to accommodate a single anchor
tenant or multiple users. New elevators
and restrooms are also part of the planned
office redevelopment, slated to deliver in
approximately summer 2023. Just over
the tracks from Penn Station, a brandnew,
state-of-the-art station expansion
will be integrated with the existing station
and with a new planned high-speed rail
platform, modernizing functions and increasing
capacity. Transit functions, such
as ticketing and baggage, will be relocated
to the new station expansion, freeing up
the concourse level of Penn Station for
commercial and retail uses.
MassTransitmag.com/21258668
8 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | MARCH 2022
▶ Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is accepting
deliveries of its Fleet of the Future rail
cars after pausing deliveries in January
2021 due to reliability issues. When BART
temporarily halted the new car deliveries
in January 2021, it said the move would
allow Bombardier " time to take steps to
improve the cars' reliability and availability,
and to alleviate rail car storage constraints
at BART's maintenance yards. " BART
worked with the rail cars' manufacturer to
make the necessary upgrades and modifications
during the pause in deliveries. The
transit agency says those modifications
coupled with software improvements
have improved the overall performance of
the new cars. BART has received 308 new
rail cars with 219 currently in service as of
February 2022.
MassTransitmag.com/21257110
BART
BART IS again accepting delivery of its
Fleet of the Future cars.
Bi-State Development to take
on operation of Loop Trolley
▶ The St. Louis region's Bi-State Development
Board of Commissioners voted
on Feb. 18 to approve an agreement that
will see Bi-State Development operate
the Loop Trolley through June 30, 2025.
The 2.2-mile Loop Trolley, a heritage
streetcar project linking St. Louis' Delmar
Loop district with Forest Park, opened in
November 2018 and suspended operations
in December 2019. The line briefly
resumed service in July 2020 before
halting operations due to the pandemic.
The Loop Trolley's suspended service
reached a new level of consequence in
December 2021 when the Federal Transit
Administration requested service resume
by June 1, 2022, or the city of St. Louis
could be asked to repay the more than
$37 million in various federal funds used
to construct the line.
MassTransitmag.com/21257531
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21257110 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21258449 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21257531 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21258668 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
March_2022

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