The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is making approximately $3 billion available to strengthen the resiliency of public transportation systems affected by Hurricane Sandy. The funds will be awarded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on a competitive basis for projects that protect critical transit infrastructure from being damaged or destroyed by future natural disasters.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) joined elected officials and representatives from Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) to celebrate the opening of Houston’s North Line light-rail extension, on Dec. 21.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and other local leaders took a ceremonial first ride on the extension of the 7 Subway line, terminating at the new subway station located at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue in Manhattan.
Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario issued a request for proposals for Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown light-rail project to the consortia pre-qualified to deliver the balance of the Crosstown project, an integrated system consisting of stations, trackwork, signaling, communications and other required infrastructure.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) General Manager Grace Crunican says all contract issues have been settled between BART and its two largest labor Unions. She will recommend the ratification of a final collective bargaining agreement with SEIU Local 1021 and ATU Local 1555 to the BART Board of Directors as soon as possible.
The Sound Transit Board approved a $1.1-billion 2014 budget that continues major light-rail expansions, carries more than 31 million riders next year and continues work to update the regional transit Long-Range Plan. The overall budget is relatively unchanged from 2013.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) presented a new capital improvement plan for addressing some of the transit system’s most pressing needs, including critical infrastructure upgrades and equipment replacement.
Newly elected Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board President Joel Keller will seek changes to the agency’s labor negotiations process during his term as board leader. Director Keller was elected board president on Dec. 19 by a unanimous vote, the third time his fellow board members have chosen him to lead the board since he was first elected to represent District 2 in 1994.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has approved $16.7 million in funds to extend Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) passenger rail service to the site of SMART’s Operations & Maintenance Facility near the Sonoma County Airport.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) received five qualified bids for the next 60-mile phase of high-speed rail construction from Fresno south to the Tulare-Kern County line near Bakersfield, a contract worth $1.5 to $2 billion.
Wabtec Corporation signed a $34-million contract with Sound Transit, in the Seattle, Wash., region, to design, install, test and commission a Positive Train Control (PTC) system.
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has made new allocations totaling $152 million to 36 projects statewide. This latest round of funding drives the total amount of transportation funding allocated in 2013 beyond the $3 billion barrier.
Often recognized as one of the “least appealing subway stations in the system,” according to New York City Transit (NYCT), the 149 St – Grand Concourse 2, 4 and 5 station in the Bronx has gone through an aesthetic transformation befitting one of the most heavily used mass transit hubs in the city and the borough’s fourth busiest station.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) launched a 60-day safety assessment of Metro-North Railroad in response a December 1 derailment in the Bronx. Operation Deep Dive, beginning December 16, 2013, will exhaustively review Metro-North’s compliance with federal regulations, its procedures and practices and its safety culture.
TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane has launched an outside review of the Portland, Ore., agency’s light-rail maintenance system, which includes MAX vehicles and trackway. In order to better address both an aging and an expanding rail system, McFarlane wants a more comprehensive look at maintenance needs and to set a course for continuous improvement in the years ahead.
Maryland Department of Transportation/Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT/MTA) received six private-sector responses to a Request for Qualifications to design, build, construct, finance, operate and maintain the Purple Line in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties under Maryland’s newly adopted Public-Private Partnership (P3) law.
The Denver, Colo., Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors approved a $343-million contract award to Graham, Balfour Beatty, Hamon Constructors (GBBH) to design and build the North Metro Rail Line to 124th Avenue.
This year, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority was honored with five industry awards for the Gold Line Bridge, a 584-linear foot structure is says now serves as a gateway to the San Gabriel Valley.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will dole out $75 million in federal grant funds to extend the Metrolink 91 passenger rail line from Riverside to Perris, Calif.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT), Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and MTA Bridges and Tunnels are once again preparing for the arrival of winter weather.