After two embarrassing defeats, the SunRail commuter train could be on the verge of winning approval in the Florida state Legislature, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Supporters are lining up votes and drafting a bill for a special session that could be held in Tallahassee during the week of Dec. 7.

The battle of the borough train station continues as historians voiced concerns that the Victorian-style NJ Transit station will go through the winter with peeling paint and rotting holes in the wooden walls and window sills, the Asbury Park Press reports. NJ Transit officials confirmed there are no plans for work on the station until after next summer when contracts are scheduled to be awarded for repairs and painting. However, they insist the station is structurally sound.

It's a project that could improve public transportation in Northeast Florida while also helping to bring back the historic LaVilla section of downtown Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union reports. For almost 20 years, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and the Florida Department of Transportation have been working on a plan to create a regional transportation center that would house Amtrak, Greyhound, bus rapid transit and, possibly, commuter rail -- all at the existing Prime Osborn Convention Center.

The state of New Mexico and Union Pacific Railroad agreed on a land swap that will enable Santa Teresa, N.N., to become a major commercial and industrial hub, officials said Nov. 10, according to the El Paso, Texas, Times. Under the agreement, Union Pacific is trading a large ranch property in exchange for land near the Santa Teresa industrial park for its intermodal facility.

A plan is in the works to eliminate some of the lengthy stoppages on Glenview Road caused by train traffic at the downtown Glenview, Ill., train station, the Sun-Times reports. If the General Assembly, Glenview and Metra make good on their funding pieces, Amtrak officials have agreed to move the stops for the Hiawatha and Empire Builder routes from the downtown Glenview Metra station to The Glen of North Glenview station.

The Lake Zurich, Ill., Village Board gave its preliminary consensus for a property swap with Canadian National Railway at the board's meeting last week, which would result in CN building a 250-foot-tall communication tower in the village's industrial park rather than near downtown, according to local newspapers.

South Los Angeles has won a significant victory as transportation officials recommended this week that a proposed transit corridor along Crenshaw Boulevard be a light-rail line rather than a less expensive dedicated busway, the Times reports.

Washington, D.C., Metro Board Chairman Jim Graham and Metro General Manager John Catoe issued the following joint statement: "The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and its Board of Directors are committed to working with all safety oversight agencies that have jurisdiction over Metro and its operations. Regionally, that oversight comes from the Tri-State Oversight Committee, which was created by Congress and then implemented through an agreement among the District of Columbia, State of Maryland and Commonwealth of Virginia. 



MBTA officials laid out a four-step plan Nov. 9 to address last week's critical third-party review of the system's safety and finances, The Raynham Call reports. Transportation officials also reiterated that the agency is not backing away from the proposed expansion of transit service to the South Coast cities of Fall River and New Bedford, Mass.

Los Angeles Metro Blue Line passengers will experience travel delays of up to 40 minutes between Washington Station and 7th/Metro Center from Nov. 20 after 9 p.m. until Nov. 22 at the close of service due to construction work to allow the installation of rail track coming from the Expo Line and merging with the Metro Blue Line.