Former FTA Deputy Joins WSP USA
Kenneth Feldman has been hired to lead WSP USA Advisory’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Grant Practice for major transit projects, following 19 years of FTA service.
Rapid Transit
Transit Briefs: Brightline, MBTA, OC Transpo, TransLink, WMATA
Brightline is bringing BrightBikes to West Palm Beach, Fla. In addition, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is providing commuter railcar-seat availability data online; OC Transpo in Ottawa, Ontario, is offering “unlimited no-charge transit” in December; riders of metro Vancouver’s TransLink will be able to pay with Interac Debit by year-end 2022; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will maintain reduced rail service levels through the end of 2021.
For Tom Prendergast, a New AECOM Role
AECOM has given Tom Prendergast a new role: New York Metro Executive, Design & Consulting Services business. Prendergast will be responsible for delivering projects across business lines and leading more than 3,000 staff within the states of New York and New Jersey.
GoRail: What IIJA Means for Railroads
On Nov. 15, President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), described by rail advocacy organization GoRail as “a momentous, bipartisan bill for fixing and improving U.S. roads, bridges, waterways, airports and other infrastructure systems, and reauthorizing surface transportation programs for the next five years.”
Long Appointed RSI Head
The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) has appointed Patricia Long as its new President. She assumes her role effective Nov. 29. Long and her family reside in the greater Washington D.C. area; she will operate out of RSI headquarters there.
Brookville ‘Pumping Up’ Retired Subway Cars
Four MTA New York City Transit R110A New Technology Train subway cars, originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1992 and retired in 1998, are finding new life as two-car pump trains to be used for flooding mitigation in NYCT’s subway system, through a contract awarded to Brookville Equipment Corporation.
Transit Briefs: MARTA, MBTA, Metra
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will kick off its system-wide Rail Station Rehabilitation Program on Nov. 22. In addition, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) on Nov. 16 marked the completion of the B Branch Station Consolidation project, and the Board of Directors for Chicago’s Metra has approved renovations to an Electric Line station and the purchase of 650 new ticket vending machines.
Arnold Elevated to MDOT MTA Administrator
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has elevated Holly Arnold to Administrator of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), following five months of service as acting agency leader.
Calling All ‘Fast Trackers’ Nominations!
Railway Age is now accepting entries for our 2022 “Fast Trackers” 20 Under 40 awards, in which we will profile 20 individuals under the age of 40 who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company. The deadline is Jan. 7, 2022.
What’s in the Infrastructure Package for Passenger Rail? (Updated)
It’s the big news in Washington and everywhere else in the country. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for which the Biden Administration had fought so hard and made so many deals finally made it through Congress on Nov. 5, and President Joe Biden signed it into law on Nov. 15.