The Site / The Fight

by Yonah Freemark
yfreemark (at) thetransportpolitic (dot) com

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Planned Commuter Rail Systems

Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Connecticut | Detroit | Fort Worth | Hampton Roads | Harrisburg | Kansas City | Los Angeles | Madison | Miami | Milwaukee | Minneapolis | Monterey Bay | Montréal | New Jersey | New York | Providence | Raleigh | San Antonio | San Bernardino | San Francisco | Tulsa

Note that projects currently under construction are noted on that page. Use the feedback form at the end of the page to suggest updates.

  • Atlanta
    • Atlanta to Lovejoy CR
      • 26-mile new route from Atlanta south to Lovejoy, via Airport and Jonesboro
      • Six future lines would extend from Atlanta in all directions, to Macon, Madison, Athens, Gainesville, Canton, Bremen, and Senoia – these have no funding and little planning
  • Austin
    • Austin-San Antonio CR – 2011-2012
      • 112-mile route from San Antonio from Austin, via San Marcos
      • Construction likely to begin in 2011
  • Charlotte
    • Purple North CR – 2012 (Phase I) / 2019 (Phase II) – Partially Funded
      • 30-mile new line, including new Uptown station, leading north to Huntersville (Phase I), and into Iredell County (Phase II)
      • Projected daily ridership of 4,500
      • Construction likely to begin in 2011
  • Connecticut
    • Danbury Branch Metro-North Extension CR
      • Extension of the existing Danbury Branch of the Metro-North New Haven Line from Danbury north to New Milford, via Brookfield
      • Project, not yet fully designed, may also incorporate partial electrification of the Danbury branch, which would allow Metro-North EMUs running on the main line of the New Haven Line to continue to Danbury
      • Construction could begin at earliest in 2011
      • Relevant article on the Transport Politic: Metro-North Considers CT Branch Upgrades, 3 January 2009.
    • Waterbury and New Canaan Branch Metro-North Improvements CR
      • Currently undergoing study; two lines could benefit from numerous improvements and possible extensions
      • Waterbury Branch of the Metro-North New Haven Line extends from Stratford to Waterbury, via Derby, Ansonia, Seymour, and Beacon Falls; New Canaan Branch extends from Stamford to New Canaan, via Glenbrook and Springdale
    • New Haven-Hartford-Springfield CR – Partially Funded
      • 62-mile upgrading of existing Amtrak line from New Haven (CT) to Springfield (MA), via Meriden, Hartford, and Hartford Airport, and Windsor; connection to Amtrak, Metro-North, and Shore Line East in New Haven; project would involve the building of a second track along much of the line and the development of new stations
      • 1,600 to 3,400 projected daily riders
      • $300 million cost
      • Original plan would have begun construction in 2008 for service in 2011, but lack of dedicated state funding has delayed the project
      • Relevant article on the Transport Politic: Connecticut Opens up to Transit Expansion, 1 March 2009.
  • Fort Worth
    • Southwest to Northeast CR – 2013 – Partially Funded
      • Southwest Fort Worth to DFW Airport, via Downtown Fort Worth, with connection to Trinity Railroad Express downtown and Dallas DART at DFW Airport
      • Construction likely to begin in 2010
  • Hampton Roads
    • Commuter Rail Lines
      • From Downtown Norfolk to Chesapeake, ultimately into North Carolina – 2035
      • From Downtown Norfolk to Downtown Suffolk – 2035
      • From Downtown Newport News to Lightfoot – 2026
  • Harrisburg
    • Capital Red Rose Corridor/Corridor One CR
      • 40-mile line from Harrisburg east to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, via Middletown, Elizabethtown, and Mt. Joy
      • Line will use diesel-locomotive-pulled standard rail cars
      • Project has yet to receive state confirmation of $10 million yearly operating funds, and therefore has yet to submit formal application for federal funding
  • Kansas City
    • Regional Commuter Rail System
      • 144-mile system would include 7 lines extending from Union Station to areas around the region, including Kansas
      • Using existing track and new stations
      • Expected 20,000 to 25,000 users daily
      • Cost would be about $1 billion
      • Relevant article on the Transport Politic: Kansas City Envisions 150-Mile Regional Commuter Rail System, 13 October 2009.
  • Los Angeles
    • Perris Valley CR – 2011
      • 24-mile extension of existing Los Angeles MetroLink System from Riverside to Perris, via I-215 corridor
      • Estimated $169 million cost
      • Predicted 5,700 riders a day
      • Construction likely to begin in 2010
  • Milwaukee
    • Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link
      • 33-mile line extending on existing tracks south of Milwaukee to Kenosha, would include 6 new stations
      • 14 daily planned DMU trains
      • 53-minute travel time, 7,400 daily trips
      • Would be coordinated with existing Chicago-Kenosha Metra commuter rail service to allow connections between the two
      • Around $200 million predicted cost
  • Monterey Bay
    • Caltrain extension from Gilroy to Salinas – 2012 – FUNDED
      • 37-mile extension of existing Caltrain service, with up to 4 daily round trips
      • $101 million cost
      • 2,000 projected daily riders
      • Construction likely to begin in 2011
  • Montréal
    • West Island CR
      • New line would run from Gare Centrale or Gare Lucien-L’Allier along the west side of Montréal Island, with service to the airport, with a final destination of Vaudreuil
  • New Jersey
    • Monmouth Ocean Middlesex CR
      • 28 to 40-mile project would extend either Northeast Corridor or North Jersey Coast CR Lines to Lakehurst, via three alternative routings
      • Project still being studied; financing not yet assured
    • West Trenton CR
      • 27-mile extension of existing NJT Raritan Valley CR, north-south from Bridgewater to West Trenton, via Hillsborough, Belle Mead, and Hopewell; would connect to Newark Penn Station via Raritan Line; connection to SEPTA R3 Line at West Trenton, with direct trains to Philadelphia
      • $219 million cost
      • Project still being studied; financing not yet assured
  • New York
    • Metro-North Penn Station Access CR
      • Project would route Metro-North New Haven Line trains along the Amtrak Hell Gate Corridor into Penn Station via Queens and Metro-North Hudson Line trains along the Amtrak Empire Corridor into Penn Station via Manhattan’s West Side; project may involve construction of new stations or not
      • Routing is made possible only once the LIRR East Side Access project to Grand Central Terminal is completed, freeing up capacity in Penn Station for Metro-North
      • No funding has yet been committed; project is still being studied
      • Relevant article on the Transport Politic: Regional Rail for New York, 17 July 2009.
    • Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement CR and BRT – Partially Funded
      • Project would allow for new transit on the replacement for the existing and degraded Tappan Zee bridge; BRT or CR would connect Westchester and Rockland Counties, mainly in the corridor between Rye and Suffern, via White Plains, Tarrytown, Nyack, and Spring Valley
      • Project would provide connection to Stewart Airport in Orange County, north of New York City but on the west side of the Hudson River
      • Connection could be made with existing Metro-North Port Jervis Line at Campbell Hall Station or Salisbury Mills-Cornwall Station and Metro-North Hudson Line at Beacon Station
      • No funding has yet been committed; project is still being studied
  • Providence
    • MBTA Providence Line Extension to Westerly (South County Commuter Rail)
      • 24-mile extension of commuter rail service from Wickford Junction to Westerly, via East Greenwich and Kingston
      • Extension of currently under construction line from downtown Providence to Wickford Junction
      • Service could eventually extend into Connecticut to New Haven
      • Along existing Northeast Corridor
      • Around 6,000 daily users expected by 2020
  • Raleigh (North Carolina Triangle)
    • North Carolina Railroad CR – 2012
      • 143-mile new line between Greensboro and Goldsboro, via Durham and Raleigh; could jointly operate with LRT/CR system described above
  • San Antonio
    • Austin-San Antonio CR – 2012
      • 112-mile route from San Antonio from Austin, via San Marcos
      • Construction likely to begin in 2011
  • San Bernardino
    • Redlands CR
      • 9-mile route from downtown San Bernardino to the University of Redlands
      • Would connect to proposed Metrolink extension in downtown San Bernardino
      • Could also be LRT or BRT
  • San Francisco
    • Transbay Terminal CR/HSR extension – 2014 (Terminal) / 2019 (Rail Extension) – Partially Funded
      • 1.3-mile tunneled extension of existing Caltrain service from current terminus at 4th and King Streets; California’s High-Speed Rail system would follow a similar path; new terminal would serve as reception area for HSR, CR, and buses
      • $4.2 billion cost (including $1.2 billion for terminal)
      • Construction likely to begin in 2012 for Rail Extension
  • Tulsa
    • Tulsa-Broken Arrow CR or BRT
      • New line from Downtown Tulsa southeast to Downtown Broken Arrow
      • 4,000 to 14,100 projected daily riders
      • $21 to 43 million cost
      • No funding or construction timeline currently available

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