The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dan Grabauskas, recommended reducing the agency’s budget for next year by $1.57 million. He suggested lowering HART’s fiscal year 2013 operating budget by nearly sevent percent to $21.3 million.
The Utah Transit Authority will close a section of its TRAX light-rail system for construction from Saturday, May 5 through Wednesday, May 23. Stations affected by the closure will include Planetarium, Old Greek Town and Salt Lake Central Station, all in the downtown Salt Lake City area.
HDR, Inc., has acquired the business of Stetson Engineering, Inc., a Wyoming-based firm with offices in Gillette and Riverton. Stetson Engineering, Inc., specializes in design, engineering and consulting services related to water, sewer, storm sewer, hydrology and transportation.
Lilee Systems, provider of communication systems designed exclusively for the railroad industry, has achieved Red Hat Hardware Certification for the company’s WMS-2000 wayside messaging server, making it the first wayside messaging server with internal 3G, GPS and IP KVM options to achieve Red Hat certification. Now, Lilee says customers deploying WMS-2000 with embedded Red Hat Enterprise Linux are offered proven performance and reliability.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a new mobile “Go Metro Los Angeles” smartphone app that will make it easier for the public to navigate L.A. County’s extensive and growing bus and rail system utilizing their mobile devices.
Southern California’s Metrolink Board of Directors us initiating a public outreach process for a potential system-wide fare increase to help close an existing $13 million funding gap for Fiscal Year 12-13 budget and Metrolink’s proposed Title VI Service Delivery Policy. The public will be asked to give feedback regarding an average system-wide fare increase between five and nine percent to go into effect on or after July 1, 2012.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit named Jesse Oliver as deputy executive director and Carol Wise as executive vice president, chief operating officer. DART Senior Vice Presidents David Leininger and Timothy McKay were promoted to executive vice president.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Expo light-rail line officially opened to the public on April 28.
The Chicago Transit Authority along with the Village of Skokie opened the Oakton Station, the first new ‘L’ station to open in 18 years.
“This joint effort resulted in a state-of-the art station and an additional, accessible station option for the expanding business and transportation needs of Skokie residents,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool.
An $86 million Chicago Transit Authority Red Line renovation project will involve seven stations: Jarvis, Morse, Granville, Thorndale, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence. The funding comes from a mix of federal and local resources and will generate approximately 250 full-time equivalent jobs.
Seattle’s Sound Transit Board of Directors identified potential station locations for staff to study as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for light rail between Northgate and the Lynnwood Transit Center. The DEIS will also look more closely at impacts associated with the alignment running along the I-5 corridor.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics added a new safety section to the Multimodal Transportation Indicators that will track seasonal and long-term rail fatality trends. The latest monthly rail data comes from the Federal Railroad Administration. The rail data exclude public grade-crossing accidents, eliminating double-counting that would occur with highway fatalities.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report for the $1.37 billion Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project, a priority transit project that will connect light-rail lines through downtown L.A. and greatly improve connectivity for the entire L.A. County transportation network.
Officials from the Chicago Transit Authority and the Village of Wilmette will celebrate the 100th anniversary of ‘L’ service to the North Shore community on Saturday, April 28.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority Board of Directors approved an updated expenditure plan for the Foothill Extension light-rail project from Pasadena to Claremont. The expenditure plan includes an estimated cost to complete the 23-mile light-rail extension and a timeline for needing funding.
The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance to create the Chicago Infrastructure Trust, a way to leverage private investment for transformative infrastructure projects and guide the city’s renewal of these elements in the 21st century.
“Chicago will be a city that shapes its own destiny,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Nowhere is this more important than with our critical infrastructure needs. The Chicago Infrastructure Trust will allow us to consider transformative infrastructure projects and build a world-class infrastructure for our city.”
Mayor Emanuel announced the Trust on March 1, in an event in which he was joined by former President Bill Clinton.
The trust will provide advantaged financing, enabling each project to customize a financing structure using taxable or tax-exempt debt, equity investments and other forms of support. Each project will be coordinated with the city and its sister agencies’ long-term plan for transformational infrastructure investments.
The Chicago Infrastructure Trust was created with the private sector, non-profit organizations and union leaders. An amended ordinance was submitted this week, which calls for one Alderman to be on the trust’s board and clarifies that the trust will be completely subject to FOIA, Open Meetings laws and the city’s ethics ordinance.
The trust will require City Council approval for all projects and will operate as a non-profit organization as it seeks projects.
The trust passed by a vote of 41-7.
The city of Seattle, Wash., and Sound Transit broke ground on Seattle’s newest streetcar line, the First Hill Streetcar.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is building a 21st century system linking all of L.A. with mass transit.
Denver’s Regional Transportation District Board of Directors indicated that they will not pursue a 2012 sales and use tax election for the FasTracks transit expansion program. The board also gave staff direction to submit a revised plan with alternate assumptions. Over the past several months, RTD has evaluated technical, financial and economic information and input from regional stakeholders and the general public.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York hired Stephen Morello as counselor to the chairman and CEO. In that role, Morello will direct the communications, government relations and community affairs divisions of the MTA and its agencies.