Rapid Transit

Amtrak has been honored on the Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates 2023 list.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Caltrain, MTA Metro-North, NYMTA

Amtrak is honored on the Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates in 2023 list. Also, renovation work on Amtrak’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is now under way; electric trains operated under power from the overhead contact system (OCS) run on Caltrain’s corridor for the first time; Connecticut’s new budget includes cutting a subsidy to the MTA Metro-North’s New Haven Line; and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) completes renovation at Myrtle Ave-Wyckoff Ave subway station in Brooklyn.

Maryland DOT MTA has reached an agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1300 to decrease the amount of time it takes for rail and bus operators to achieve higher pay rates and ultimately advance to the top rate for their jobs.

Transit Briefs: Maryland DOT MTA, MBTA, NYMTA, OCTA, WMATA

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (Maryland DOT MTA) updates its rail and bus operator pay structure to boost recruitment. Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) submits a revised track worker safety plan to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will test safety doors on subway platforms; Orange County (Calif.) Transportation Authority (OCTA) unveils a $57.3 billion long-range transportation plan; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) launches income-qualified reduced fare program.

than $20 million through the 1-395/95 Commuter Choice program. (VDOT photo)

Transit Briefs: Northern Lights Express, VRE, Houston Metro, TTC

Legislature dedicates $195 million for Northern Lights Express (NLX). Also, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will receive more than $20 million for two projects; the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston, Tex., Metro) partners with on-demand childcare platform TOOTRis; and the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) resumes data collection activities.

Commentary

FTA Rejects MBTA Safety Improvement Plan

Whether actual or fictitious, Bostonians have had problems with their transit, and it appears those will continue, at least for a while longer. The Federal Transit Administration has ordered the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) to revise a safety plan, this time for track workers, which will further delay the repairs that will be needed to return service to normal.

Transit Briefs: BART, OCTA, NJ Transit, NYMTA

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) launches Phase II of its Not One More Girl initiative. Also, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) invites high school students to apply for its Teen Council; NJ Transit begins website ticketing pilot program for Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL); and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reaches a tentative agreement with Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100.

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner earlier this month received the Honorable Ray LaHood Award for 2023 at WTS International’s annual conference in Atlanta, Ga. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, LACMTA, Maryland DOT Maryland MTA, SMART, TTC

WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) International recognizes Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner for his commitment to advancing women in transportation. Also, the TAP fare card program for 26 Los Angeles County transit agencies, including LACMTA, expands its vendor network; Baltimore (Md.) Metropolitan Council issues a long-range regional transportation plan, which includes capital projects for Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration; Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) in California is launching an on-demand microtransit shuttle to the airport; and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Ontario, Canada selects SNC-Lavalin to provide enterprise asset management services.

Leslie S. Richards, SEPTA Manager and CEO

SEPTA’s Richards Reappointed as Manager, CEO

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) on May 24 announced the reappointment of Leslie S. Richards as the agency’s General Manager and CEO. The SEPTA Board and Richards agreed to terms of a four-year contract that runs through January 2027.

STM Releases 2022 Annual Report

Following adoption by its Board of Directors, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) on May 25 released its 2022 Annual Report, under the theme of “shaping sustainable mobility today and tomorrow.”

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