Proposal For Trees Avenue Subway Met With Criticism

Metropolis, BR. April 30th 2013.

Current Terminal For El Routes 22 & 26 in Blue Beach.

Metropolis Transit has express the need to build a subway tunnel under Trees Avenue to bring the 22 & 26 "Elevated" Railway lines in Downtown Metropolis. Currently, both train lines end at the makeshift Blue Beach Terminal. Built in 1983 and renovated in 2009, the terminal sit on what use to be the westbound lanes of Waves Avenue. The traffic current only goes east and north up what it now called Lover's Circle. Residents from Boga Island & visitors of Lover's Lookout current have to transfer to either a 65 el train or a 36 bus if they want to go into the city. The proposed tunnel to Metropolis Central would eliminate the need to transfer and walk up stairs and gives passengers a one-seat ride into Downtown.

67 Trolley Service maybe disrupted if tunnels are built.

Midtown Realtors and residents are voicing their concerns about potential tunnel building being a problem. If anybody remembers the Broadway Trolley Subway, many businesses closed due to lack to access to stores from Cut & Cover construction.  There is worry that property value would also shoot down during the construction.  The tunnel would have a station at Sandbar Street, an area of high density buildings. This would bring construction to the delay prone Central Station where the terminal of tunnel will be until a terminal outside of Isle Glass Tower will be built for the 22 & 26.
This battle might delay construction that is set to being later this year.  

This Upcoming Weekend's Trolley Service Changes, Old Garden Curve Construction

Metropolis, BR. April 28th.

A Messy Commute Is Ahead For Next Weekend

The curve outside of Old Gardens-Eastwick Station on the Trees Avenue Trolley Elevated has been prompting a slow zone along the 7,16 & 56 trolley lines. The construction planned for this weekend will hell "ease" the curve and allow a fast swing around. This will bring the speeds up from 10 to 15 miles-per-hour. Though a slight jump in the speed, it still enough to help ease faster operation. This work will continue each weekend until June when the new curve is expected to open. The 67 is not affect this week by the service change but will be during the follow weeks.

The service changes are:
Route 7- Rerouted via Corlesen Avenue to Waves-Meadow Loop stopping at all 67 stops after the trolley subway.

Route 16- All trolleys will be cut at Broadway-Parkside Stn on the Upper Level. Passengers will have to go to the Lower Level to catch the 7 or 56 trolleys to Exhibition Hall.

Route 56- Rerouted via Central Avenue and Metropolis Central Stn. to Broadway Stn. Trolleys will end at normal end points. All Isle Glass Tower Loop cutbacks will be extended to Verizon Tower Loop for the weekend.

Be alert to where your trolley is going this weekend!

MPO Shuttle Lines Not Happy With The 67A Proposal.

Airport Ridge, BR. April 28th 2014.

Buses chosen for the 67A Shuttle Bus Line.

A proposal to run a free connection shuttle bus from the 67 trolley's end point on 49th Street to the Airport Terminals came to screeching halt today. Metropolis International Airport Shuttle Lines or MPO Shuttle for short has threaten to sue Metropolis Transit if the service begins to run. The lawsuit threat was not to be taken lightly, the 67A's route basically overlaps MPO Shuttle's L2 Line which also connects to the 67 at 49th Street but requires a paid transfer. The 67A bus is suppose to run along the path of the 67 Trolley extension into Metropolis International Airport stopping at the entrance of each under construction station. The MPO Shuttle makes stop only within the airport skipping 3 new light rail station sites meaning there is an area of now bus or trolley service at all. Metropolis Transit is trying to fix this gap while serving the Airport at the same time.

Metropolis Transit has stated it will continue all efforts to instate the 67A Connection Bus no matter at what costs and that MPO is "delaying in enviable" with the 67 trolley extension going live sometime within 2016. Currently 7 other Metropolis Transit bus lines that serves the Airport, the only reason why this one is a problem is because of the service area being shared with MPO Shuttle. MPO is currently under fire with the state due to failure to pay taxes. The company is current is debt and is surviving off the L1, L2 & P3 Line. All others have been discontinued due to low ridership.

DashTransit's Christine-SPL Airport BRT To Start In Late July

Alexandra, BR. April 27th 2014.

DashTrasnit To Start BRT Service Using These Buses.

DashTransit and the State of Bridgerissa has been in talks for the longest for a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) line utilizing the Christine Bay Bridge to connect Downtown Metropolis to South Portland International Airport. The BRT Line will run from the brand new Bay of Silence Bus Terminal through Downtown Metropolis then using Ballerman Blvd and Lindsay Avenue to reach the Christine Expressway where it use it private lane at each major exit to stop right on the off-ramp. In Port County, there is space to add a two new private bus lanes to run BRT down the median of the highway where buses will have their own dedicate stations that passenger can walk up and wait for the bus.

There is no talk of how the line is going to be named, what the finally paint job would look like or where the buses will even stop, but it's clear what buses are going to use the line. DashTransit ordered 50 New Flyer Industries Xselsior Buses that run on both electric and diesel power. 40 of these buses will be dedicated to the service with the last 10 being use for the branch-line service that will connect Hook Beach and Pier Village to the BRT Line in Port County. 

Drawings of the Xselsior Buses being use for SPL BRT.

Currently only Metropolis Buses 17 & E buses connect to the Airport and both do not touch Downtown Metropolis forcing passengers to transfer to either the 47 Elevated or Woodland Subway with heavy loads of luggage. The transfer between the Rt 17 bus and the Woodland Subway requires a block long walk to the 36th Street subway station that is NOT wheelchair accessible nor has an elevator. When the SPL BRT opens, passengers can have a one seat right to Downtown & Midtown Metropolis without the need to lug heavy belongings down or up long flights of stairs. The service is expected to go live late July-early August. No word on how fares will be collected but we can expect something similar to the DARK Busway in Glittertown.

Brand New Trolleys Are Now "Subway" Certified.

Metropolis, BR. April 24th 2014.

A Newly "Subway Certified" Trolley Passes FOSAL Park On A Test Run.

It's been over a year since the first three section low floor trolley cars from Siemens came and now their are 17 of them in service for the 21, 56, 61 & 67 Lines. All of those lines are slow running surface line who doesn't need to see hi-speeds due to their openness to traffic, but Metropolis Transit General Manager, Nicholette Casey says the cars cost way too much to stay confined to the slow moving Westside and Downtown routes. The biggest problem was the face that they could not exceed 32 MPH because of the small wheels and weak motors the trolleys were delivered with cannot handle higher speed. A similar problem also hit the Siemens built P2000 cars that current run on the S2 Westside Line.

The fleet was recently taken out of service completely over the weekend to be retrofitted with a brand new T-3 traction motor and larger 24 inch wheel as opposed to the 21 inch wheels the trolleys carry now. The larger motor and wheels does not affect the ride height so the wheelchair ramp can pop out in the same record-breaking 33 seconds as before. The passengers push-to-open door control have also been fixed so that during high-volume periods the operator can open all doors. Originally the only way the door opened were by passenger pressing the button even in high-volume periods. Being the first trolley in the fleet that can do that, alot of passengers and tourist were unaware of how the trolley works. Metropolis in the future is looking to completely phase out the push-to-open concept citing the experiment is failing miserably.

"Subway Certified" Siemens Trolley enter the Trolley Subway. 

These cars are now certified to run at speeds of 55 MPH, which keeps to current code of all other trolleys in the system. They also now have chopper control on the engines to allow smoother stopping and less wear on the brakes. This means trolley will be able to stop from 55 MPH to 0 in a space of only 100 feet! The new certified trolley will soon be reassigned to other routes around the city and once the entire order in completed in 2015, the German Duwag trolleys will retired completely.

More Weekend Work To Come Following Last Weekend's Mess

Metropolis, BR. April 22 2014.

Instead of shuttle bussing, a trolley was used.

Last weekend, Metropolis Transit's Route 39 & 47 elevated lines were affected by overhead wire work in the area of Sunflower Park. When this happen twice in 2013, the 39 was completely suspended and shuttle bused.  However this time around, the 39 was kept running in a continuous clockwise loop around downtown with a shuttle trolley picking up passengers at Isle Glass Tower and taking them to Exhibition Hall via Rt 66 and Rt 21 tracks. The shuttles were never scheduled properly and missed connections ticked off riders and operators of the 39 line. Meanwhile, the 47 was rerouted to Exhibition Hall without a hitch. Passengers were upset that they had to board another bus and trolley to get to FOSAL Park but the connections seemed to be better timed then the fiasco on the 39.

Reliving 2011-2012 in elevated form, the 47 was rerouted to Exhibition Hall.

 Unlike the crazy experiment performed on the 39, the 47 going to Exhibition Hall isn't new. During the elevated railway construction that converted the 47 trolley to the elevated line, trolleys were rerouted to Exhibition Hall because FOSAL Park elevated station's construction destroyed the loop that was there for Rts 43 & 47 and a station house was built in the right-of-way at Waves Avenue.  Of course this time around it's an elevated running on Rt 39 tracks and stopping at it's stations.

A Rt 47 Train at the recently rebuilt Freed Springs station. A 39 Line station. 

More weekend work is expected later on as the warmer months come and the system recovers from a rather brutal winter. May 3-4th will see closures of the Woodland Subway's Express Service, and the Route 26 Line from Boga Bay to Boga Island prompting a Ferry shuttle. May 10-11th will spell week 1 of the Old Gardens curve reconstruction. Many trolley lines will be affected. May 17-18th will see the same trolley closures.  The construction of the curve is expected to completely suspend service for the Memorial Day weekend. 

Residents Favor 13/37 Merger. Propose Bus Changes Discussed

Metropolis, BR. April 18th, 2014.

Recently purchased bus from Gerardo Transit for 67A Service.

Last night, residents got a chance to voice their concerns at a meeting with Metropolis Transit officials about certain bus line changes.  The results were largely in favor of Metropolis Transit's changes instead of the opposite way around it's been following previous meetings. Metropolis Transit's changes were short but important improvements to the current bus system. Residents were also urged to suggest further improvement to the current bus & trackless trolley system.

The 13 Trackless Line along Bridget Avenue may go further then 38th Street.

Of one of the proposed changes was to merge the 13 & 37 Lines as one line that will extend both lines and eliminate the need for a transfer. The proposal is to extend the current 13 trackless along existing wire up 38th-39th Streets to Corlesen Ave, then turning right onto the eastern R wires to a new trackless loop at 30th-Corlesen Ave. There would be rush hour trip to both 40th-Woodland and 53rd-Bayshore. Residents favored the changed since there was no new trackless construction involved. The current western terminal at City Line Bl and Bridget Ave will remain unchanged which was happy news to western Bridget Avenue residents.

18 Trackless Trolley Entering Bay Of Silence Terminal.

 Another much like proposal was the 67A Shuttle bus that would provide FREE transfers between the 67 trolley at 49th-Corlesen to Metropolis International Airport stopping at the propose stop of the 67 Airport Extension. 5 buses from Gerardo Transit were purchased specifically to run this service as well as few of the New Flyer Industries hybrid-clean diesel buses.  There also favortisim toward the Route 87 and the Route 42 extensions. Both replacing in street terminals that are deem too crowded and robbing the city of parking space. Metropolis Transit will take the opinion to consideration before authorizing any changes to the bus system.

Ridership Boom May Bring 8-Car Trains and more to the 65

Metropolis, BR. April 16th 2014

Some 65 Elevated stations have space for 8 car trains.

The 65 Elevated Railway line is a short but busy reminder that Metropolis is a busheling city that needs to transport people around. The train tackles the core of the Midtown and Downtown districts of Metropolis Island as well a being a vital link for Boga Island residents who have to transfer at Blue Beach from 26 trains. Recently, ridership number have been soaring. So much so, the Night Bat shuttle buses that replaces service at night runs two articulated or "bendy" buses back to back to transport the night club crowds. The city is making a proposal to Metropolis Transit to run 8 car trains at all times, and even considering overnight "Bat" service. 

65 Train as seen from the Consedux Bridge. 

The 65 currently runs 6 cars like most Metropolis Elevated Railway trains but unlike the other lines, even the much longer and far reaching 47 Line, the 65 is becoming crowed. Many passengers let the train go during rush hour or take the 43 or 61 trolleys to avoid the crowed rush hour trains. The problem is a few of the station including the major Isle Glass Tower station in the Downtown Loop do not have long enough platforms to hold 8 car train citing the 6 car limit on all lines. Metropolis Transit says if they are properly funded they will be happy to make the necessary changes to make the 65 an 8 car Line. The city of Metropolis agrees, while they are in talks with the state Treasury department to secure funding for upgrades.

Overnight Busing may come to an end. 

Another push for the 65 is the extension of overnight rail service instead of busing the line every night. This comes as ridership on Night Bat buses skyrocketed when a new condo complex along Waves Avenue opened. The night club scene in Metropolis is also ever expanding especially in Midtown. The 65 recently has been using 6 cars at all times to hold ridership. TWU269 and Metropolis Transit will meet about it in the coming days. For one thing though, overnight service on the 65 is more possible the 8 car service since it boils down to union talks at that point. 

Metropolis Transit Seeks SEPTA's Help for TideCard Upgrades.

Philadelphia, PA. April 15th 2014.

Metropolis Transit and the tapcard company TideCard by Xerox is reaching out to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to assist with both upgrades to TideCard Ultra, and the upcoming SEPTA NPT system tentatively called "The Key". SEPTA's NPT system is looking to go live Mid 2015 with the use of TideCard-like tap system or a contact-less bank card and the current TideCard might be integrated with the system. Currently, TideCard Ultra users must show or present pass to the operator, token booth clerk or faregate officer to enter the SEPTA system. SEPTA current do NOT use a contactless tap system even for TideCard.

SEPTA Representative demonstrating the NPT on a new turnstile. 

Despite TideCard being a Metropolis area card, the card is suppose to connect the tri-state area, intergrating the system into the SEPTA NPT might prove a cost saving measure. It is not known when the joint SEPTA NPT/TideCard agreement will go through (assuming it would be after SEPTA goes live with "The Key") but when it does. You will be able to travel from the edge of  Boga Island to the western edge of Philadelphia at 63rd Street all for one low price.












-NOTE: This is satire, TideCard and SEPTA NPT does not have a connection nor is TideCard real.

A PCC Where It's Not Suppose To Be.

Metropolis, BR. April 12th 2014

Route 67, based out 49th Street Depot does not have any PCC assigned to it yet one ran on April 11th.

Either a new trolley was down or 49th Street Depot lost their minds. A Gretalinn Depot assigned PCC-II made an unexpected appearance on Friday afternoon along the 67 Line. It ran round trip from the cutback loop at 38th Street and then returned to the (rightful) 7 Line for a trip to the City Line. Normally this isn't a big deal but the last PCC assigned to the 67 was in 2011. Seeing PCCs of any sort probably shocked alot of the older riders.

The PCC-II car on the 67 line caught the attention of Greg Hayes who took this shot from his 4th story window. Greg is not a rail buff of any sort but was even caught off guard by this sight. 

Upcoming Vote On Changes To Bus Service In Metropolis

Metropolis, BR. April 9th 2014

On Saturday, April 26th 2014, Metropolis Transit is going to vote on changes to the bus system that would be implanted as early as July of this year. The vote is for better bus service to serve certain areas not normally served by bus. Most service was cut down or elimiated and merged many bus and trolley lines in the city plus spelt the end for trolley service along Ballerman Blvd for elevated railway service (later opened in 2012) so the city is hard at work trying to tie those ends.

List of Proposed Changes:

Route 10: Reroute the trunk from Greta Way to Wenzel Avenue instead but retain the same terminals. New cutback at 67th-Wenzel to supplement the overcrowded 23 bus.

Route 13/37 Merger: Merge the 13 and 37 trackless trolleys into a single line that will run from City Line-Bridget to a new trackless loop at 30th-Corlesen (already under construction). This will also include rush hour cutbacks to 40th-Woodland Subway Station which is currently the end of the 37 Trackless Line. 

Route 35: Rush Hour Extension to Eastwick-Lindsay to supplement the crowded 3 trolley line. 

Route 42: Moving the east terminal from Broadway-Parkside to Metropolis Central Station to better facilitate a layover. Current layover is robbing the city of parking space. 

Route 48: Moving the south terminal from Christine Mallplex to Beach Manor for select trips in order to better serve the Christine Beach area.

Route 58: Moving the north terminal from Old Gardens Loop to Metropolis Central Station to better facilitate a layover. Currently layover is too time consuming.

Route 67A: New bus line that will cover the future 67 extension route from 49th-Corlesen to Metropolis Int'l Airport. The bus line will have free transfers to the 67 trolley at 49th-Corlesen. 

Route 87: Moving the south terminal from Greta-Broadway to Morrisville Loop via Ballerman Blvd. Area lost trolley service in 2012 and  has not has an adequate replacement for service.

There will be a public hearing at 1101 Interfair Avenue, Metropolis Transit Headquarters's Hearing Room 1, on Friday April 17th 2014 at 7 PM. This hearing will discuss concerns with proposed bus changes before the vote.

Metropolis Transit To Accept Bus From Geraldo Transit

Metropolis, BR. April 9th 2014,

"The dogs are in the house!" say a bus depot mechanic when 5 1997 North American Bus Industries buses from Geraldo Transit were delivered to Corlesen Avenue Depot this evening. The buses are now part of Metropolis Transit's fleet and were purchased specifically to reach Metropolis International Airport from the 49th & Corlesen Loop where the current 67 trolley ends. These buses will be refurbished with new paint and seating to last for the nest year and a half while buses from New Flyer are delivered.

A Painter's Drawing Of A Retrofitted "Brick" Bus.

These buses, nicknamed "The Bricks" by shop personnel, already have a history here in Metropolis. The trackless trolley line operate an all-eletric version of this bus that soon due for retirement and newer diesel variations that are currently being retrofitted with new amenities like faster wheelchair lifts, and white LED signs. Unfortatly for the GT "Bricks" they will not be seeing new lifts or signs but rather just a fresh coat of paint to match the retorfitted diesel "Brick" buses Metropolis Transit currently own. When finished, these former Geraldo "Bricks" will mainly serve the brand new 67 Airport Shuttle when it opens in June 2014. They will be expected to last until 2015 when Corlesen Depot receives their 2015 order of New Flyer XD40s.