New Buses and Newer Trolleys Are Heading For Metropolis.

Metropolis, BR. March 26th, 2015.

First of New 60 Foot Buses for Metropolis Transit

Metropolis Transit accepted a new bus into it's fleet on Tuesday after completing a mandatory 200 Mile test run to see if any engine or door defects are detected. When the demo arrived last fast, it suffered from a brake defect that sent it back to Solaris/New Flyer's Portland Plant. Now ready for service, the bus was transferred from Justin Slaven Depot to Ran Mourie Depot and will go into service along the 74 Ocean Avenue Line. As more units are delivered they will go into testing for their 200 miles joyrides until they're ready for service as well. 

DashTransit's new trolleys will look similar to one's they're borrowing from Metropolis Transit. 

As Metropolis Transit's order for brand new Siemens S70 trolley cars come to end, there's now time to work on the 20 newer S70 trolley cars that were purchased by Metropolis Transit as an option. These trolleys however are not going on Metropolis Transit's rails. They will however serve DashTransit's Metropolis Connector. The Blue & Light Blue Loop will move their trolley operations away from Ran Mourie Depot in Bay of Silence to the rebuilt House Park Depot that DashTransit now owns. The vintage trolleys being used on the Red Loop will go back to their respective museums. DashTransit is also study bringing light rail service along the south shore of the Byberry River to Sydney from Portland. This however is a few years in making and will probably not have the same trolley cars as the Connector.

Metropolis Connector's First Week Is A Success. Ridership Levels High.

Metropolis, BR. July 13th 2014.

Metropolis Connector Trumps Ridership Levels.

Metropolis is feeling blue but not the blue you'd expect. The Light Blue & Blue Loops of the Metropolis Connector who replaced the less frequent 61 trolley opened to record ridership levels. Metropolis Connector was not expecting the record surge of passengers on the line but the dollar fares seem to attract riders and tourist alike. There also no such thing as the last Connector of the night, the bat service the line receives is staggering as well. "It actually took people off the the 61 for once" said Metropolis Transit G.M. Nicholette Casey, "I'm more surprised people are getting out at night. This city is full of bats who come out at night and need to get around." She also thanked the president of DashTransit Service, DaShawn J. Collins for joining forces to make it happen.

The Red Loop, a line that will run from Downtown Square to House Park via the former 47 tracks will go into service on July 20th, 2014. The same day as the new DashTransit BRT Line to South Portland Airport opens. Crews are prepping the line for the trolley revival including installing new "island" on Ballerman Bl for passengers to safely wait for trolleys. The current fleet of long Siemens cars will continue to service the Blue Loops while the Red will use the vintage-bodied PCC Cars that were rebuilt just a few years ago. Metropolis Connector is branded as the first Trolley Rapid Transit line in America with headway of every 7 Minutes during rush hour, every 10 during midday and evening, and every 20 during the late night hours. The Red Loop will have round the clock 15 minute service.

Bus Rapid Transit? Try Trolley Rapid Transit for Metropolis Connector

Metropolis, BR. June 27th 204

Metropolis Connector will be the US's first ever Trolley Rapid Transit Line (TRT)

The 61's haphazard path around Metropolis Island has always seem to be a faster way to tour the city then taking normal trolley lines or even just the 65 elevated who just about covers most of the island but at the same time it needs improvement. Metropolis Transit and DashTransit Service as well as The State of Bridgerissa are coming together this summer to bring faster and more reliable service to the 61 Line in the form of Metropolis Connector.

It has been outline headways will increase as well service hours and branch to House Park. That's only the surface. Among bringing 15 Min service to off-peak hours, and increasing rush hour service to every 6 minutes, there are also more changes to come.

Rebuilt as of 2010-2011, PCC Trolley will run on the Metropolis Connector.

• Renaming both directions of the 61 to recognizable colors. 61 Blue Loop runs Counter-Clockwise, 61 Light Blue Loop will run Clockwise. 61 Red Loop will run to House Park via Ballerman Blvd.
• 61 Red Loop will run only Fridays,Saturdays,Sundays & Major Holidays Only. 15 minute headways all times. 
• New Automatic Announcements that will call out sights instead of street corners. Transfers will still be announced. 
• All new equipment. Either a brand new Siemens S70 Trolley or a 2011 Rebuilt PCC Trolley. 
• Cleaner environment that will be maintained by DashTransit Service

Metropolis Transit proudly calls it a Trolley Rapid Transit Line. Why? It stops farther apart the normal trolleys and will only stop near landmarks. It will bring people off the crowded 65 elevated which is running full trains almost at all times. It will run like water during rush hour. It will move and attract more tourist to ditch cabs and ride the trolley. Furthermore, it will connect all of the attractions Metropolis has to offer in one convenient ride.

Route 61 To Be Renamed, The Metropolis Connector.

Route 61 Trolley at Sandbar Street

Metropolis, BR. May 19th 2014.

DashTransit Service and Metropolis Transit has announced the official name of the upgraded Route 61 to "The Metropolis Connector" which will bring 15 minute headways to all trolleys. Also in a curve ball move, Metropolis Transit announced there will be a branch line that will go to House Park using the former 47 tracks on Ballerman Blvd. This will bring back trolley service to Ballerman Bl during Fridays, Saturdays & Sunday to serve the Berkey Kola Museum, Museum of Metropolis Art, and Stallion Park.

The service will be split into 3. Inner Loop 61 trolleys will be renamed Blue Loop, Outer 61s the Light Blue Loop and the reactivated 47 trolley line the Red Loop. The Blue & Light Blue Loops will run 7 days a week stating 6 AM to 11:30 PM at 15 Minute intervals all day while the Red Loop will run only Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9 AM to 6:30 PM also at 15 minute intervals. During rush hour and peak-Saturday hours, some Blue Loop trolleys can short-turn and become Light Blue Loop Trolleys at Waves-Bl of Bays if bunching occurs.

More Details To Come...

Metropolis Transit & DTS Talk Changes To 61 Trolley

Metropolis, BR. May 1st 2014.

One of Metropolis Transit's newest trolley cars on the 61 City Circle Line

Joint contracts with Metropolis Transit never seem to work out in their favor. Since the joint Boga IBOA contract in the 70s to the DeMott Tower Shuttle (since been discontinued) of the late 90s, most joint contract operations came to abrupt and disappointing ends but it is stopping the company to try again. Last year the 61 trolley returned to service after being shut down for a year during the repaving and rebuilding of Sandbar & Central Aves that the 61 trolley runs on. Metropolis Transit currently runs the 61 line with 30 minute headways outside of rush hour which are frankly ticking off the tourist who rely on the trolley to sight-see since the Deck Bus Company and Purple Lines went out of business in 2009. Today Metropolis Transit announced upgrades to both the 61 schedule and branding which will include splicing ownership of the line with DashTransit Service (DTS).

Siemens trolley passing FOSAL Park. 

Preliminary named "The Downtowner" the 61 trolley could either lose it's 61 name completely or be known as two separate loops that will operate just as the 61 does today but running on it's own fare system, rules, and appearance. The 61 trolley's headways will be improved as the service will no longer be operated by TWU 269 but instead will use contracted operators from DTS who will be thoroughly trained on the trolleys. Metropolis Transit said, it will be painted differently then a normal trolley, possibly using a combination of Metropolis's and DTS's schemes or an all-together new one. Fare will begin at a dollar, with transfer to other lines being charged a full $2 with the $1 fare. Service is set to begin Memorial Day. The Downtower name is subject to change.

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.