Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) submitted the results of its Federal Year 2014 Audit to the Federal Transit Administration.
Elissa Konove, the chief financial officer at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), has been named the deputy chief executive officer at Metrolink, effective September 14.
Following extensive input from the public and local governments across the region, the Sound Transit Board identified the projects that will be studied as potential candidates for a November 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure.
Results of studies completed during the coming months will help the board decide which of the projects should be included in a draft ballot measure for more public input early next year. The candidate projects are listed here.
Sound Transit 3 will respond to the strong support across the region for additional mass transit expansions as the region’s population grows by an estimated 1 million residents through 2040. The projected growth is equivalent to adding the current combined populations of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.
In June and July, Sound Transit received thousands of written comments and survey responses on which projects from the regional transit Long-Range Plan represent the highest priorities. A total of 1,025 people submitted written comments at meetings across the region and by e-mail and mail and more than 70 local governments and organizations sent comment letters. The nearly 25,000 people who took a non-scientific online survey more than doubled the response to 2014 public involvement that guided board actions to update the Long-Range Plan.
Public input reflected strong continuing support for priorities including but not limited to extensions of light-rail to Everett, Tacoma and downtown Redmond; light-rail extensions to Seattle’s Ballard and West Seattle areas and an array of other potential investments including additional light-rail extensionsand Sounder commuter rail services and facilities.
Each of the identified candidate projects will be studied to generate estimates of ridership, capital operating and maintenance costs; travel times and reliability; potential for transit-oriented development and other factors including benefits, needs and potential risks.
Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) will begin the final stages of its 18-month effort to completely rehabilitate the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Workers began installing the first sections of rail on the $388-million Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Double Track Project, which will build a second track over an 18-mile stretch between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma stations.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $9.5 million in grants to 19 projects in 13 states selected to help train a new generation of skilled workers and support long-term careers in the public transportation industry.
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Board of Governors has appointed Elizabeth Caruso, CAE, as AREMA’s executive director and chief executive officer, effective September 1, 2015.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) located at the Harry Schnabel, Jr., Lab.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) received a formal request from Montgomery County to transfer the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center into the regional transit system.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) will finalize separation of its West Trenton Regional Rail Line from a CSX freight line.
New York Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D – Howard Beach) has called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to apply for funds from a recently-announced New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) infrastructure grant to fund a comprehensive feasibility study into reactivation of the abandoned Rockaway Beach rail spur.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) General Manager Joseph Casey, who has led the authority since 2008 and completed 34 years of service in a number of roles, will retire September 30, 2015.
This week in Washington state, crews will start landslide mitigation work near Mukilteo and Everett to help limit landslides that disrupt passenger train service north of Seattle.
The Fiscal and Management Control Board has endorsed the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) plan to improve service for tens of thousands of commuter rail passengers over the course of the next five months.
Metro-North Railroad is set to receive more than $20 million in federal emergency relief funding for its Power and Signal Resiliency Improvements project. Local match will be provided through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Plan Amendment 2010-2014 in the amount of $6,932,500.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) proposed a rule to establish a Public Transportation Safety Program under FTA’s new safety oversight authority established by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
Utah Transit Authority (UTA) President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Allegra has given notice of his intention to retire and will step down on August 28, 2015. Allegra will remain available as a senior advisor to the chair of the board of trustees through March 2016 and the board will begin a national search for a new transit executive to lead the agency. During this time of transition, Vice President of Operations Jerry Benson will serve as interim general manager.
As part of Metra‘s continued efforts to maintain and improve the quality and reliability of its service, a major tie replacement and track resurfacing project will begin August 17 on the Rock Island Line to Joliet.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for environmental and engineering services for the San Francisco to San Jose Project Section and the San Jose to Merced Project Section of the high-speed rail program.