September 2023 News!

Missed the Virtual Summit?

You can listen to the recording!

Community Streetcar Coalition September Virtual Summit

Getting to Construction: From Final Design to Turning Dirt

The Coalition held their September Virtual Summit yesterday, using Teams for the first time. Jake Speck, Kiewit, moderated and contributed alongside Madeleine Greathouse with Sound Transit and long-time streetcar consultant, Rick Gustafson, who is currently assisting Omaha Streetcar.

Discussion topics included money, politics, organization, utilities, and construction approach. The panel spoke from years of experience and tried to give the lessons they learned along the way.

CSC will apply for Continuing Education Credits.

If you had any problems with using Teams or have suggestions for how to make the virtual events better, please email Christy Willhite at christy@streetcarcoalition.org.

Listen to the Recording

APTA National Conference and EXPO Reception

If you'll be attending the APTA National Conference and EXPO in Orlando, Florida, October 8-11, please make plans to join us for a reception after the APTA Streetcar Subcommittee Meeting (Sunday, October 8, 9:30-11:00 AM Eastern). We'll be at The Pub Orlando from 2:30-4:30 PM, on Sunday, October 8, then we'll walk back to the Convention Center for the APTA Opening Reception.

Mpact Transit + Community Conference

Make plans to join us a the Mpact Conference in Phoenix on November 6 for the mobile workshop- MW13 Discover Vibrant Tempe Via Modern Streetcar. The workshop will run from 2-5 PM and end with a reception, sponsored by the Coalition at Whole Foods in Tempe.

FTA Announcements:

FTA is Seeking Public Input on the Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transit Projects: Programmatic Assessment.

The Programmatic Assessment is a streamlining tool that analyzes estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from the construction, operations, and maintenance phases of transit projects. The findings provide a reference for FTA and its project sponsors to use in environmental documents to describe the effects of proposed transit investments on partial lifecycle GHG emissions.

FTA has published a notice summarizing the Draft Programmatic Assessment in the Federal Register. FTA encourages stakeholders to review the notice and provide comments through November 24, 2023.

News from the Membership Working Group

Each month we're going to share with you articles and information that the Membership Working Group thought you should know.

SEPTA’s Classic Trolleys are About to Hit the Streets

SEPTA is delaying the return of it's classic green and cream-colored trolleys to provide operators more time for training. The cars are expected at some point this fall, spokesperson Andrew Busch says. READ MORE

Have You Taken the Legislative Working Group's Survey?

Please take a few minutes to help us develop a useful legislative agenda.

Legislative Survey

STREETCARS IN THE NEWS

South Loop Park Backers Pursue Opening for World Cup

flatlandkc.org

Backers of the proposed South Loop Link are pursuing an aggressive schedule to have the downtown park ready for the World Cup games in 2026 and have arranged $90 million to date for the $200 million-plus endeavor.

At a briefing this week on the latest designs for the four-block park that would cap Interstate 670 and reconnect downtown with the Crossroads, Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council, said momentum is growing.

“I have not been involved in a project in my 20 some years here that has got federal support matched by the state of Missouri in a strong bipartisan fashion,” he said.

“People get the vision of reconnecting neighborhoods and community.”

The same day architects on the South Loop Project design team were laying out the latest option for the park, advocates were in Jefferson City lobbying for $15 million in state tax credits to help with private fundraising.

Valley Metro Taps STV to Plan, Design Streetcar Extension

progressiverailroading.com

Valley Metro in Phoenix and the cities of Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, have selected STV Inc. to serve as the lead planner and designer for the proposed Rio East-Dobson streetcar extension.

The project will evaluate the expansion of the Valley Metro Streetcar by about 4 miles, from downtown Tempe into Mesa.

While previous feasibility studies determined the general route along Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road, STV will conduct an alternative analysis to consider and evaluate the line’s configuration and how it can best connect various regional activity centers, employment centers and residential areas, according to an STV press release. The team will study the potential to integrate the project with planned transit-oriented developments throughout the cities while serving Tempe Marketplace and Sloan Park in Mesa.

Sound Transit Opens Hilltop Tacoma Extension

railjournal.com

CENTRAL Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) opened the 3.9km Hilltop Tacoma light rail extension on September 16. The $US 282.7m extension more than doubles the length of the T Line and runs parallel to former streetcar lines that closed in the 1930s.

Testing of the extension commenced in July. It adds one relocated station at Old City Hall and six new stations: South 4th, Stadium District, Tacoma General, 6th Avenue, Hilltop District and the new terminus, St Joseph.

Sound Transit board chair and King County executive, Mr Dow Constantine, described the Hilltop extension as “a major step toward creating a more connected Tacoma and region as we continue expanding our transit network.”

The project also involved expanding the operations and maintenance facility in Tacoma to accommodate five new LRVs built by Brookville Equipment, doubling the size of the LRV fleet.

Florida DOT Grant Helps Tampa Streetcar Stay Fare-Free

progressiverailroading.com

The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded a $700,000 grant to the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) to permit the TECO Line Streetcar to remain fare-free for an additional year.

The streetcar has routinely logged ridership records since FDOT awarded HART a $2.7 million Innovation Grant in 2018, enabling the streetcar to be fare-free and increase frequency and service hours, HART officials said in a press release.

In addition to FDOT, the streetcar is funded by the city of Tampa, the Downtown Community Redevelopment Areas and the Tampa Downtown Partnership.

HART will work with the partners to identify funding to keep the streetcar fare-free for the foreseeable future, HART officials said in a press release.

Community Streetcar Coalition