Johnson County elected officials are being asked to consider another public transportation option along the existing Cedar Rapids and Iowa City railway corridor.
Next month, about two dozen civic leaders and elected officials from greater Iowa City and the county will travel to Rock Hill Furnace, Pennsylvania -- about an hour south of State College -- to view battery powered passenger trains from Pop-Up Metro.
The visit comes as a feasibility study for a Bus Rapid Transit system along the CRANDIC railway is ongoing and expected to be completed in early September.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County will review the BRT feasibility study and a budget or proposal from Pop-Up Metro in the fall.
The regional train system would be part of a three-year pilot program, where Pop-Up Metro would lease the trains and equipment to regional entities.
The projected cost of the leasing period is expected to be finalized within the next few weeks.
The rail cars would run on an 8.2-mile segment of the existing CRANDIC light rail connecting Penn Street in North Liberty to Dubuque Street in Iowa City.
The leasing period would serve as a live study to measure ridership and community interest before investing in a permanent transit system.
“We would be able to see some trends over time and if it worked for our region, we could think about more permanent solutions....or we could decide that the demand isn’t there and shift our priorities,” Mackenzie DeRoo, senior director of advocacy for Greater Iowa City Inc., said at the Join Entities meeting July 15.
The Class 230 Battery Electric Multiple Unit train set operates on a set of rechargeable Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.
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The trains have been remanufactured from Metro Cammell D78 cars that ran on the London Underground District Line. The rail cars have been rebuilt with modern safety and braking equipment as well as a modernized interior.
Each two car train set has capacity for 194 passengers and can reach speeds up to 60 mph. The trains also have Wi-Fi and HVAC systems.
The full leasing kit from Pop-Up Metro would include the trains, charging infrastructure, temporary ADA compliant platforms, training and other maintenance. Local entities would need to employ drivers.
Since 2015 the region has completed four studies surrounding the potential for a regional public transit along the 27-mile CRANDIC freight line. There has not been passenger service on the railroad since 1953.
Pop-Up Metro’s parent company, Railroad Development Corporation, also owns the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
A team from Better Together 2030 -- a regional collaboration that works to better Johnson County -- explored the opportunity with Pop-Up Metro initially.
Cady Gerlach, executive director of Better Together 2030, said the conversation with Pop-Up Metro still is exploratory in nature.
Because of that, some of the finer details, such as fares, platform placement, routes and timing, have yet to be ironed out.
“We just thought it was a great opportunity to connect a unique existing asset with climate action goals...while we’re looking at changes in commuting patterns, ” Gerlach said at the Joint Entities meeting.
Since then various elected officials, business leaders and University of Iowa leadership have been briefed on the potential for Pop-Up Metro trains along the CRANDIC.
After Pop-Up Metro finalizes an estimated cost for the leasing period, the expectation is that a more formal proposal or agreement can be established.
Once the BRT study is completed, the MPO can begin conversations on how, or if, it wants to move forward with a form of regional transit.
“It seems like you've sort of got to make a decision on if you're going the bus route or the train route. Then if you're going the train route, you can use Pop-Up Metro as a proof of concept, or you can go completely into a permanent solution,” Kent Ralston, executive director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County, said at the Joint Entities meeting.
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Next month, about two dozen civic leaders and elected officials from greater Iowa City and the county will travel to Rock Hill Furnace, Pennsylvania -- about an hour south of State College -- to view battery powered passenger trains from Pop-Up Metro.
The visit comes as a feasibility study for a Bus Rapid Transit system along the CRANDIC railway is ongoing and expected to be completed in early September.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County will review the BRT feasibility study and a budget or proposal from Pop-Up Metro in the fall.
Three-year trial would precede permanent train system
The regional train system would be part of a three-year pilot program, where Pop-Up Metro would lease the trains and equipment to regional entities.
The projected cost of the leasing period is expected to be finalized within the next few weeks.
The rail cars would run on an 8.2-mile segment of the existing CRANDIC light rail connecting Penn Street in North Liberty to Dubuque Street in Iowa City.
The leasing period would serve as a live study to measure ridership and community interest before investing in a permanent transit system.
“We would be able to see some trends over time and if it worked for our region, we could think about more permanent solutions....or we could decide that the demand isn’t there and shift our priorities,” Mackenzie DeRoo, senior director of advocacy for Greater Iowa City Inc., said at the Join Entities meeting July 15.
The Class 230 Battery Electric Multiple Unit train set operates on a set of rechargeable Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.
ADVERTISING
The trains have been remanufactured from Metro Cammell D78 cars that ran on the London Underground District Line. The rail cars have been rebuilt with modern safety and braking equipment as well as a modernized interior.
Each two car train set has capacity for 194 passengers and can reach speeds up to 60 mph. The trains also have Wi-Fi and HVAC systems.
The full leasing kit from Pop-Up Metro would include the trains, charging infrastructure, temporary ADA compliant platforms, training and other maintenance. Local entities would need to employ drivers.
Fares, platform placements, schedule still unclear
Since 2015 the region has completed four studies surrounding the potential for a regional public transit along the 27-mile CRANDIC freight line. There has not been passenger service on the railroad since 1953.
Pop-Up Metro’s parent company, Railroad Development Corporation, also owns the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
A team from Better Together 2030 -- a regional collaboration that works to better Johnson County -- explored the opportunity with Pop-Up Metro initially.
Cady Gerlach, executive director of Better Together 2030, said the conversation with Pop-Up Metro still is exploratory in nature.
Because of that, some of the finer details, such as fares, platform placement, routes and timing, have yet to be ironed out.
“We just thought it was a great opportunity to connect a unique existing asset with climate action goals...while we’re looking at changes in commuting patterns, ” Gerlach said at the Joint Entities meeting.
Since then various elected officials, business leaders and University of Iowa leadership have been briefed on the potential for Pop-Up Metro trains along the CRANDIC.
After Pop-Up Metro finalizes an estimated cost for the leasing period, the expectation is that a more formal proposal or agreement can be established.
Once the BRT study is completed, the MPO can begin conversations on how, or if, it wants to move forward with a form of regional transit.
“It seems like you've sort of got to make a decision on if you're going the bus route or the train route. Then if you're going the train route, you can use Pop-Up Metro as a proof of concept, or you can go completely into a permanent solution,” Kent Ralston, executive director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County, said at the Joint Entities meeting.
Johnson County officials exploring potential for battery powered trains
Under a proposal presented at a Joint Entities meeting this week, the trains would connect North Liberty to Iowa City using the existing CRANDIC line.
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