[PRCo] Transnet EXPRESS #1 (note Overbrook news item)

[Harold Geissenheimer]

WELCOME TO
              Transnet EXPRESS #1
(Distributed at the 3/22/02 meeting of the Central Electric Railfans
Association)

RIDE THE NEXT LIGHT RAIL LINE TO OPEN:  In Denver, RTD will open
a 1.8 mile Central Platte Valley line on 4/5/02.  Free rides 4/6/02.
Two car
trains B'way-Union Station 4/7/02.  Regular service 4/8/02.  This is
Colorado
Rockies Baseball opening day at Coors Fld.  Still time to buy a low fare
ticket.

LRT WORKED AT THE SALT LAKE OLYMPICS:  What more can be said?
32 TRAX Siemens cars and 29 borrowed DART cars handled 30% of the
overall crowd and most to the downtown venues.  The 2.5 mile University
Line
opened on 12/15/01 serving the UofU Rice-Eccles stadium.  Four car
trains were
operated on the Sandy Line.  Service was cut back 2 stations to Main
Street to
allow construction of various Olympic areas downtown.  Fly out this
summer
and see what you missed.  Paul O'Brien, ex CTA, is in charge of LRT.
The next
Winter Olympics is in Torino, Italy.  LRT is the primary transit network
here.

DALLAS DART LRT EXTENSION TO OPEN 5/6/02:  3.5 mile Blue Line to
LBJ/Skillman in next phased extension.  Also ride TRE commuter train
from
DFW airport Mon-Sat and McKinney Ave trolley.   While in Texas, take a
last ride on the Tandy Subway in Fort Worth.  This line using rebuilt
PCC cars
will be abandoned after almost 40 years of service when Tandy builds a
new Hq.

NO DATES:  Opening of Newark City Subway extension to Bloomfield, NJ.
Postponed to Fall 2002: NJT M&E electrified Montclair Connection.

WORK UNDERWAY:  NJT Southern NJ DMU line from Camden to Trenton.
San Juan 10.6 mile, 16 station "Tren Urbano".  Minneapolis 11.6 mile, 15

station "Hiawatha" LRT.  Pittsburgh 5.5 mile "Overbrook" line.

           GOING TO NYC FOR THE CERA MAY 24/27 CONVENTION?
Lots to see and do.  Five Trips.  Low cost $450 Hotel/Trip package.  And
here
is an extra suggestion.  Visit Staten Island and ride the 14 mile 23
station rapid
transit.  The ferry is free and your Metro card is valid.

Check out "Open Jaw" tickets.  Include Boston or Baltimore/Washington
with
your CERA convention trip.  In Washington, attend "On Track-Transit and
the
America City" exhibit at the National Bldg Museum.  Ride the new Green
line.

KENOSHA ELECTRIC STREETCAR BACK IN SERVICE:  Following a short
shutdown due to statewide budget proposals, the PCC cars returned to
service
on 2/16/02.  Service will be operated weekends until Memorial Day, then
daily
until Labor Day.  July 4 will see fireworks and several cars in
operation.

SKOKIE SWIFT TO EXTEND THIRD RAIL:  CTA is considering elimination
of overhead trolley wire.  This is the last section of CTA using trolley
wire.  Work
on CTA Douglas Blue line underway.  Planning continues for Brown line.

THIS SPRING VISIT A CHICAGO AREA TROLLEY MUSEUM:  Have you
been to IRM, Fox River or East Troy recently?

NICTD $160 MILLION CIP PROGRAM UNDERWAY:  New track, bridges,
stations, power and other improvements.  First major projects since the
1920's.

CANADIAN NEWS:  Vancouver Skytrain Millennium line opened 2 stations on
1/02/02.  Calgary opened 2.2 mile LRT extension to Fish Creek on
10/3/01.
Ottawa opened  5 mile, 5 station DMU line on 10/5/01 using 3 "Talent"
units.
Toronto to open 4 mile, 5 station Sheppard this September.  Montreal has

started construction of 3.2 mile, 3 station extension of Metro (Orange)
line #2
from Henri-Bourassa.

DOWNEAST TO MAINE VIA AMTRAK:  116 mile, 7 station line from
Boston North Station to Portland opened on 12/15/01.  Seasonal station
at
Old Orchard Beach to open this summer.  Four round trips daily.  Lv.
Boston
at 945 AM, return from Portland at 420 PM.  Running time 2 hours 45
minutes.

BART TO SFO AIRPORT:  8.7 mile extension to open later this year.  SF
MUNI's Third Street LRT under construction.  CALTRAIN to San Jose may
shut down on weekends this summer to allow shorter construction period.

TONIGHTS CERA SPEAKER:  Ray DeGroote: "Kiev and Ukraine streetcars".
Jane's 1993 states there are 3 metro lines on 39.7 km of track with 507
Metro
cars.  Also Metro in Kharkov.   The tramway is listed with 24 lines on
273 km of
route with 1121 cars.  Jane's also reports 25 other tramway systems and
46 ETB
systems.

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HAROLD H GEISSENHEIMER  (973) 292 2916