Transit Briefs: Amtrak, TTC, WMATA
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
By spring 2026, Amtrak and CSX, in partnership with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, will install a PTC system on more than 100 miles of track to support Downeaster service. (Amtrak Photograph)
Amtrak and CSX team on a Positive Train Control (PTC) installation between Haverhill, Mass., and Brunswick, Maine. Also, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) addresses “systemic racism within the transit system”; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Takoma Station is reopening early with new amenities and a rebuilt interlocking.
Amtrak
Amtrak and CSX, in partnership with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), will install a PTC system on more than 100 miles of track between Haverhill, Mass. and Brunswick, Maine (see maps below), Amtrak reported June 26. “America’s Railroad” said it is investing more than $50 million for the project and CSX is performing the work. Scheduled for completion in spring 2026, PTC will support Amtrak Downeaster service, as well as freight trains traveling on the route that was previously hosted by Pan Am Railways, which in 2022 merged with CSX.
The project will add signals, wayside units, and other safety improvements to the track—all of which will be tied into CSX’s existing PTC system, according to Amtrak. The Design Phase wrapped up in March 2023, and the construction agreement between Amtrak and CSX was fully executed in November 2023. Amtrak reported that it is also funding the renewal of the entire signal system for this stretch of track, which is more than 70 years old in some locations.
“Having our trains use PTC is one of the most significant things we can do to advance improvements related to our never-ending commitment to safety,” Amtrak Vice President State Supported Services Ray Lang said.
“We are proud to join our partners at Amtrak and NNEPRA by enhancing safety for passenger and freight trains through the installation of PTC,” said Andy Daly, CSX Senior Director of Passenger Operations. “Our crews are eager to complete the installation of this essential safety technology and conduct modernization upgrades in Northern New England.”
Added NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn: “In addition to the significant safety improvements, the installation of PTC creates opportunities for potential increases in Downeaster frequencies in the future. This is an important investment and we are grateful to Amtrak and CSX for their partnership.”
In other news, Amtrak recently broke ground on new Brattleboro, Vt., station and platform upgrades, and completed accessibility improvements worth $20.8 million at four Bay Area, Calif., stations.
TTC
The TTC Board earlier this month adopted the TTC Anti-Racism Strategy (see above), “demonstrating a commitment to dismantling barriers and promoting inclusivity,” according to the transit agency, which carries riders through a network of subways, streetcars, buses and Wheel-Trans vehicles (see map below).
TTC said its first system-wide strategy was “[s]haped by feedback and guidance of members of Black, Indigenous and racialized communities,” and “aims to eradicate systemic barriers faced by customers and the broader community that stem from racism and racial discrimination.” The strategy also aims to prevent racial bias and racial profiling, and enhance the TTC’s system-wide anti-racism approach, according to the agency.
The strategy has seven objectives and actions:
- “Adopt and implement a new Anti-Racism Policy across the TTC.
- “Review and develop TTC policies through anti-racism analysis.
- “Expand collaborative opportunities for anti-racism engagement and consultation.
- “Build anti-racism accountability and transparency.
- “Use disaggregated race-based data to inform decision-making.
- “Embed anti-racism into people management.
- “Build anti-racism awareness, understanding, and competencies through knowledge-sharing and training.”
TTC said it will also publish an annual “measurement report” to track progress on the strategy’s objectives and outcomes, and review the strategy every five years, “informed by recommendations from an Anti-Racism Strategy Review Task Force.” This iterative process, TTC added, will ensure that it “remains responsive to the evolving needs and challenges related to racism and discrimination within the transit system.”
“The TTC’s commitment to anti-racism is not just a symbolic gesture but a concrete plan of action to create a more just and inclusive transit system,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “By centering the voices and experiences of marginalized communities, the TTC is taking proactive steps to dismantle systemic racism and build a more equitable future for all riders, and fostering a transit system that is safe, welcoming, and accessible to everyone.”
“There are very few organizations that touch the lives of as many people in Toronto as the TTC does—this is why it is so important to adopt this action-oriented approach that will steer the TTC along a path of anti-racism, belonging and inclusion,” TTC Chair Jamaal Myers said. “Everyone, in all of their unique diversity, belongs on TTC vehicles, on TTC property, and in TTC workplaces. The Anti-Racism Strategy is a blueprint to create these welcoming spaces by taking action to eradicate racial discrimination and systemic barriers faced by customers, prospective riders, and the broader community.”
“Since the introduction of the TTC’s 10-Point Action Plan on Diversity and Inclusion in 2020, we have made great progress in creating a TTC that is more welcoming and inclusive for our customers and employees,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary, who recently announced that he will step down from his post Aug. 30. “With tremendous support from the TTC Board, we are now moving forward with our Anti-Racism Strategy which is a critical step toward ensuring everyone who works at or rides the TTC can do so without fear of racist, discriminatory, or hateful acts. This is something we are all firmly committed to.”
WMATA
WMATA’s Takoma Metrorail Station bordering the District of Columbia and Maryland on the Red Line will reopen June 28, two days ahead of schedule, according to the transit agency, which started work June 1. Crews rebuilt an interlocking between Fort Totten and Takoma (see photograph above). “The switch area had long-standing drainage issues, so the team removed the existing track, fixed the problem, rebuilt the track bed, and replaced the ballast and ties,” WMATA reported.
WMATA’s new in-house aerial drone program captured images of the construction and completion of the project (WMATA Photographs):
The Takoma Station now offers “brighter, more efficient” platform-edge lighting, new communication cabling, and new crossties, and overgrown vegetation was removed along the track area. Additionally, the station was updated with fresh paint and new signage and sidewalks were repaired. According to WMATA, new, easier-to-read digital Passenger Information Displays that show real-time train arrival and other service information are in progress.
The Red Line from Glenmont to Takoma (see map above) will remain under construction through Aug. 31 due to the Maryland Transit Administration building the Purple Line light rail connection to the Red Line at Silver Spring and other Metro track work, WMATA said. Shuttle buses replace train service; shuttles will still serve Takoma for riders who need to access the station from the north.
Additionally, WMATA reported that it completed replacing a bank of escalators between the Fort Totten station entrance mezzanine and the Red Line platform (see photograph, right). The escalators were scheduled for rehabilitation, but after examination, crews decided a full replacement was needed, according to the agency, which said it finished the work six weeks ahead of schedule to relieve station congestion.
