The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Partnership for New York City announced the second round of the Transit Tech Lab, described as “an accelerator program that allows the MTA and other public transportation agencies to explore innovative, private sector solutions to problems they face in operating the region’s subway, bus and commuter rail services.”
At its annual meeting in New York on Oct. 12, the American Public Transportation Association board of directors appointed HDR Global Transit Director Tom Waldron to a three-year, At-Large Business Member term on the organization’s 25-member Executive Committee.
The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) plans to implement a new Passenger Information Management System (PIMS) with the help of the ARINC rail solutions team at Collins Aerospace Systems, a business unit of United Technologies Corp.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s National Capitol, regained an electric rail transit system when its eight-mile crosstown Confederation Line opened to revenue passengers on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. The line’s name reflected the original hope of opening the service in 2017, the 150th anniversary of Canada becoming a nation. Somewhat ironically, it was 60 years ago, 1959, that the city’s streetcars were abandoned.
RAILWAY AGE, SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE: The passenger rail market in the U.S. is, in a word, “challenging.” Many would say “problematic.” Aside from funding that’s entirely dependent on government, today’s market is deeply affected by partisan politics and stringent manufacturing requirements—who builds what, and where—among other concerns. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono spoke with Siemens Mobility President USA and Canada Marc Buncher about how this Germany-based but undeniably North American supplier views the market.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded a $75 million Capital Investment Grant to Valley Metro for the Tempe Streetcar Project in Tempe, Ariz. The project, FTA said, “will improve mobility and transit service through the historic downtown Tempe area, which is the city’s government and financial center, linking riders to Arizona State University and Valley Metro’s existing light rail system.”
Brian Dwyer has joined WSP USA as Vice President, Northeast Lead Transit and Rail. In his new role, Dwyer will support business development and sales activities and help grow the WSP transit team in the U.S. Northeast.
RAILWAY AGE at RAILWAY INTERCHANGE 2019: Siemens Mobility – Rail Automation has been part of the railway industry for more than 150 years. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono talks with Vice President Sales Mike Nolan and several other company officials as they describe advanced technologies for safer, more-productive railways.
Light rail projects continue to advance in Canada’s Ontario Province, as years of planning, investment and construction gradually come to fruition. And Toronto’s vintage ALRVs have finally been retired.
The latest North American rail transit system to utilize CBTC (Communications Based Train Control), Ottawa’s 13-station O-Train Confederation Line, is now in revenue service, operating with Thales SelTrac™ technology.
