NJ Transit aims to keep citizens off the tracks

Led by duo public service announcements spotlighting the deadly consequences resulting from poor choices made at railroad crossings, NJ Transit Board Chairman and New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson, NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein and members of the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee unveiled a new series of safety initiatives at separate events in Camden and Bergen counties.

FASTRACK returns to the NYCT’s Lexington Avenue Line

Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit is bringing FASTRACK back to the Lexington Avenue Line.

CTA Purple Line viaduct project progresses

Crews are continuing work on the Chicago Transit Authority Purple Line viaduct at Greenleaf Street in Evanston. Rail service along the Purple Line will be temporarily suspended from the Howard Terminal to the Davis Street station Friday, June 8 until 4 a.m. Monday, June 11.

SFMTA readies for Central Subway tunnel construction, names new director of capital programs and con

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in California is ramping up construction of the Central Subway with major work to prepare for tunneling, including excavation of almost an entire city block.

Chicago’s RTA releases Green Transit Plan

Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority and several of its transportation partners have released the Chicago Regional Green Transit Plan, which quantifies the environmental benefits of the region’s public transit system and will serve as the roadmap for how transit can help the Chicago region become more sustainable.

Additional funding safeguard approved for HART rail project

A bill establishing a method for short-term borrowing as a safeguard for Honolulu’s rail project was approved Wednesday, clearing the way for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to secure $1.55 billion in federal funding.

LACMTA to open Culver City and Farmdale stations along Expo Line

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will officially open to the public both the Culver City Station and the Farmdale Station along the recently-opened Expo Line on Wednesday, June 20 at 12 noon.

CTA to rebuild 10-mile stretch of Red Line

The Chicago Transit Authority plans to take on one of the biggest CTA construction projects in CTA history: the complete reconstruction of the South Red Line from Cermak-Chinatown to 95th Street.

APTA: Public transportation ridership surged in first quarter

Public transportation ridership surged in the first quarter of 2012, as Americans took nearly 2.7 billion trips, an increase of five percent over the first quarter of last year, according to a report released by the American Public Transportation Association. This was the fifth consecutive quarter of U.S. public transit ridership increase, as 125.7 million more trips were taken than the first quarter of 2011.

LACMTA begins advanced utility relocation work for Crenshaw/LAX light-rail

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the advanced utility relocation work for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor construction project, which is the first contract awarded under LACMTA’s new Project Labor Agreement, a pact between LACMTA and the building trades to implement a targeted hiring program that will help provide jobs to economically disadvantaged workers.

WMATA’s GM and CEO responds to NTSB report

On May 17, the National Transportation Safety Board issued three reports involving a derailment, rear-end collision and an incident where a hi-rail maintenance vehicle struck two wayside workers on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority property.

Caltrans awards funds for California transit projects

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded approximately $350 million in grants to improve public transit across California. An estimated 80 projects will upgrade transit service, purchase eco-friendly buses, modernize transit stations and create jobs throughout the state. The grants are funded through Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, which is providing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period to improve public transit in California.

AECOM to design Toronto’s Air Rail Link spur

AECOM was named lead design subconsultant to a joint venture contracted to design, build and finance a spur line and passenger station as part of Ontario’s Air Rail Link (ARL). The ARL will connect the existing Georgetown GO transit line and link the city’s two busiest transportation hubs – Union Station downtown and Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Ottawa Transportation Committee to review interim report on Western LRT environmental assessment

The Transportation Committee in Ottawa, ON, Canada, will consider an interim report of the environmental assessment on the western light-rail expansion at its meeting on June 6, 2012.

East Side Access third tunnel bore complete

On the night of May 29, crews working on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access project brought a 642-ton tunnel boring machine to a halt underneath Sunnyside Yard in Queens seven weeks ahead of schedule, completing the third of four tunnels the MTA is building in Queens.

CTA offers exclusive naming rights to 11 rail stations

The Chicago Transit Authority, in partnership with IMG Worldwide, issued Requests for Proposals, seeking naming rights and sponsorships for 11 ‘L’ stations. O’Hare, Fullerton, Belmont, Addison, Chicago, Grand/State, 95th, North/Clybourn, Midway, Ashland 63rd and 79th stations could become the new location for businesses to showcase their brands.

WMATA completes Guarded #8 switch installation along mainline

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority safely completed a key National Transportation Safety Board recommendation, the Guarded #8 project, late Monday, May 28, with the installation of the 178th mainline guarded rail switch on the Metrorail system.

CTA’s Red Line station improvement project set to begin

Chicago Transportation Authority’s Red North Interim Station Improvement project will begin Friday, June 1, resulting in the temporary closure of the Granville station for up to six weeks.

LACMTA adopts FY13 budget, approves remaining phases of Westside Subway Extension

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors adopted a $4.5 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012. LACMTA’s FY 2013 budget does not propose raising fares, which already rank among the lowest in the nation; its farebox recovery will stay at 28 percent.

WMATA Board approves FY13 budget

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors approved WMATA’s $2.5 billion operating and capital budgets for fiscal 2013, which fund critical projects to enhance safety and reliability, as well as customer service. WMTA’s fiscal year begins July 1.

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