DashTransit Rebuilds House Park Trolley Depot

North Christine, BR. Nov 26th 2014.

Recently rebuilt tracks at House Park Depot

When The Metropolis Connector loops opened in 2014, there was no clear picture where the trolleys would be laid up. The only soultion was share space at Ran Mourie Depot and use the only working two tracks at House Park Depot. HPD was the main depot for the Broadway & Boga IBOA trolleys until the company went under in 1975 and bought out by Metropolis Transit in 1976. Metropolis Transit treated the depot as a paint shop for the Gretalinn trolley routes (Route 3 & 7) until 2004 when Gretalinn was rebuilt with a paint shop. The depot building's tracks remained wired as some 3 & 47 trolleys used the depot as short turn point while the yard tracks were severed and unused.

A 46 bus using the depot as a looping point due to construction at 21st-Lindsay. 

DashTransit Services's Metropolis Connector Trolley was placed into service in the summer of 2014 and the Red Loop (formerly the 47 trolley) used the depot tracks to park PCC trolleys for the service. With a federal grant, DashTransit hired a private contracting firm to rip up the old yard tracks and replace them with brand new ones as well as a new depot building. The yard was expanded to 5 tracks instead of 4 and new electric wires were erected to power trolley cars. When all said and done, the depot will be able to house 45 trolley cars including their upcoming order of Siemens S70s that will replace the vintage PCCs on the Red Loop. Those PCC cars will go back to Geneva Heights Trolley Museum.

Metropolis Transit's President Nikki Casey Talks 47, 22/26 Extension & Other Plans

Metropolis, BR. Nov 14th 2014

Nicholette Casey has been the president of Metropolis Transit since 2008.

In a recent interview with Metropolis Transit's President & General Manager, Nicholette Casey, a lot of light was drawn on the future of the transit system that's currently in the mist of two major expansion project after recently completing another that was called a "boondoggle". The 2012 opening of the 47 elevated was a bittersweet victory for Casey's early career at MT. 

"I got death threats," she said, "as well as lot of insults such as one telling me to go back to the girl's bathroom of the high school I came from."

The hate came from a lot of property owners along Ballerman Blvd's main trunk who felt the elevated tracks over the street would cause a change in how people would see the community. The line, like all other Metropolis Elevated Railway Lines, was originally a streetcar/trolley line that ran from Uptown to Morrisville. 

"One thing I possibly till this day regret is not sending the line to Morrisville like the trolley did," Casey explained. She originally faced a lot of lawsuits for putting the elevated over the Bayway part of the line. "Nobody wanted an el over Bayway. Hell even I didn't want it. I even came up with the compromise for a terminal at Southside & Bayway but the lawsuits kept pouring in. Had one pillar went up in that intersection, I would've still been sitting in court now trying to clear this up."

Casey also went on to describe the current westward leg of the 47 as "The Grand Compromise" since the tracks the elevated was put on were dormant for eight years prior when the N trolley was cutback from 19th Street to Freehold in 2004 due to deteriorating track conditions. Today, this leg of the 47 see the most ridership with Multilevel parking garages at Morganville, 35th-Hamilton & Freehold. 

Currently, Metropolis Transit is working on two major extensions. The first being the long-awaited 22 & 26 extension that will bring the two short elevated lines into Downtown via a new subway tunnel under Trees Avenue. The other is the 67 trolley extension into Metropolis International Airport. Both extensions were mapped out and executed on Casey's order. 

"Randall Mourie for years before he converted the 22 & 26 into Els wanted to build a Rapid Transit link from Boga Island to Downtown, he didn't want to bore through Mount Lover to build a ramp on the 65 line, this is why Blue Beach Transfer exists today. Why he never though of tunneling downtown is beyond me," she explained. "The reason why I wanted to do this was because I personally hear from the Boga Islanders about how annoying the transfer is. Tourist also do not understand or get why the 22 doesn't go into Downtown. Some even feel that 45 second ride is pointless until they walk that mountain by foot then are grateful it's there. Probably why nobody can pull the plug on it, it makes a great funicular railroad. Now think of it like this, unlike a funicular, my trains have the ability to run right to Downtown. Why give them the cake and not let them eat it too?"

When all said and done, the new 22 & 26 extension will run from their respective endpoints to a new terminal downtown near either Colette Street or Downtown Square with stops at Metropolis Central & The Interfair. The first phase to Metropolis Central is fully funded and under construction.

The future of Metropolis Transit is questionable for now according to Casey.  She current has no other long term plans other then expanding the DARK Bus network. There was a lot of mention of further partnerships with DashTransit Service like the current CERT Bus the M30 & M34 line that use to be Metropolis Transit lines. There's a possible expansion in the CERT Network as well but under DashTransit's control.

"I want us to move forward in our city. We have the nation's biggest trolley system, the third biggest elevated subway in the county next to NYC & Chicago and we can have the greatest transit system in the county if we put our minds to it. Certain transit companies rather spend millions abandoning trolley tracks and yanking them out while we're spending millions to keep our running in the grade A shape they are. I'm confident Metropolis Transit will be a remember name in the transit community for being a leader in change," she closes. Nicholette Casey currently is 22 Years Old, unmarried, and plans on staying with the company long term.