SARTA Studying Light Rail Line

The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority has hired a consultant to study the prospects of building a light rail line in Canton.

The proposed line would link downtown Canton with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The transit cars would use track owned by Akron Metro Regional Transit Authority that was once used by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad when it operated trains between Canton and Akron.

SARTA officials said some new track would need to be constructed into downtown Canton proper.

The study will be conducted by consulting firm WSP USA and cost $100,000. It is expected to take six months to complete.

The 3-mile operation might use transit cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Officials estimate it would cost between $25 million and $50 million to build and hope to cover 80 percent of that with federal grants.

Once construction begins, it would take an estimated two years to complete the line.

Dashing Through Some Snow

The first day of spring is March 20 when the spring equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere at 12:15 p.m. EDT, but this week has felt more like January than the cusp of spring.

At least where I live there is still considerable snow on the ground and snow showers were frequent throughout Northeast Ohio on Tuesday.

Light snow was falling as a Greater Cleveland RTA Green Line car made its way toward downtown Cleveland after making stop at the station on Warrensville Road in Shaker Heights.

It will run parallel to Shaker Boulevard all the way to Shaker Square in Cleveland.

PAT Delays New Ticket System

Implementation of a new fare collection system on the light rail network in Pittsburgh has been delayed.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County had planned to implement a cashless, proof-of-payment system but has put that off because, among reasons, it has not yet received all of its ConnectCard machines that dispense the new fare cards and tickets at stations.

Once the system is operational, PAT trains will no longer accept cash payments. Passengers will instead use pre-purchased ConnectCards that are validated on the platform before boarding.

The transit agency said the new system will speed up boarding by enabling doors to be opened at more locations.

Originally expected to be in place by June, the additional card machines will not arrive until October.

Another factor has been software performance problems on existing ConnectCard machines and issues with the validators that are part of the new system.

“The goal of the policy is to make the customer experience better, but in order to make that happen, all of the equipment must be available, functional and reliable,” said David Donahoe, the Port Authority’s interim chief executive officer, in a statement.

“Because these items will take time to resolve, I’m not prepared to announce a new start date until I see the results of the work now underway, including field testing.”

Light Rail Track Replacement Begins in Pittsburgh

New track is being installed on the light rail system in Pittsburgh this month near the Station Square area.

The construction involves replacing nearly 800 feet track. Between Oct. 3 and 22, service will be restricted in the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel area. The track has reached the end of its useful life.

Inbound trains will detour across Arlington Avenue and outbound trains will continue to use the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel.

A supplemental rail shuttle will operate between Station Square and Steel Plaza stations. It will also serve First Avenue Station.

The work is part of an $8.4 million reconstruction project to replace a mile of track along Broadway Avenue.

The rail line is operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

Station Square is a former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie depot along the Monongahela River that is now a shopping and casino complex.

Ann Arbor Study Favors Light Rail System

A study has recommended building light rail transit for the proposed Ann Arbor Connector, a nearly 5-mile route that will connect the city’s downtown with the central and north campuses of the University of Michigan.

The project is a joint venture of the city, the university, the Ann Arbor Development Authority and the Ann Arbor Area Transit Authority.

Estimated cost of the system is between $560 million and $680 million. The line would be built in two stages with the first stage linking downtown with Plymouth Road/U.S. Route 23. The second stage would involve building south from downtown to the Briarwood Mall near State Street and Interstate 94.

When completed, the light rail line would have nine stations.

Evaluated as part of the study were light rail and bus rapid transit. Light rail was favored because it would provide a better long-term, sustainable solution consistent with project goals.

A bus system would have lower initial capital costs, but substantially higher annual operating costs.

Annual operating costs for light rail were put at $3.4 million and projected weekday ridership at 31,600 by 2040.
The study also concluded that passenger demand would exceed the practical capacity of a bus system.

A rail system could accommodate the forecast level of ridership with one- or two-car configurations.

The next step will be the development of a capital funding plan that will be part of the regional transportation funding process.

Funding is expected to come from federal and local sources, including the University of Michigan. Most of those riding are expected to be UM students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Another study will create a conceptual design and conduct an environmental review.

The Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program can provide up to 80 percent of the capital cost to construct fixed guideway transit systems, although federal funding usually doesn’t exceed 50 percent of the cost.