Special Report: Passenger Rail Trends

[marmar]

Special Report: Passenger Rail Trends
May 31, 2022

Increasing ridership, new service frequency and significant new investment is ensuring rail modes remain a relevant part of the mobility mix.
Mischa Wanek-Libman


Rail modes have typically accounted for half of all transit rides taken in the U.S. However, year-end ridership information collected by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows rail modes accounted for approximately 42 percent of all transit rides in 2021. Year-end 2021 versus 2020 overall transit ridership shows a 3.6 percent increase. This is supported by a 9.7 percent increase in ridership from rail modes, which was driven by an increase on heavy rail.

This rebound of rail use isn’t unexpected as rail modes suffered the most significant decreases in ridership during 2020. As workers’ schedules fluctuate and continue to move toward more hybrid plans, the focus for rail service providers, particularly commuter rail, will be on frequency of service. In Ontario, Canada, Metrolinx’s multi-project GO Rail Expansion program aims to provide two-way all-day service on five core lines. The largest element of the program, the On-Corridor Works project, entered the development phase in April. The project will add more than 124 miles of track, electrify more than 372 miles of track and the route will be served with a new electric train fleet. Metrolinx described the contract as a “single, innovative, fully-integrated contract” with construction anticipated to begin in 2023.

Additional rail projects to mark recent milestones include the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Regional Connector project, which saw the completion of construction of all track work and guideway systems in April 2022 and the Crenshaw/LAX Line, which reached substantial completion of the first two construction segments of the 8.5-mile line. On the East Coast, the Portal North Bridge project, a critical component of the Gateway Program, received a Notice to Proceed in early April, which will allow heavy construction to begin. In the Midwest, construction started in early April on the 3.5-mile KC Streetcar Main Street Extension.

In 2021, rail projects opened in Seattle with the start of service on the 4.3-mile Northgate Light Rail Extension, the Charlotte Area Transit CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar opened for passenger service Aug. 30 and the Mid-Coast Extension of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley opened in November (story on page 12). ...............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/article/21267119/special-report-passenger-rail-trends