Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority are partners in bringing Amtrak Northeast Regional daily service to Ashland Station, which has been upgraded for accessibility. (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, APTA, HART, TransLink

Amtrak’s accessibility-improvement project at Ashland (Va.) Station is complete. Also, four transit agencies have earned 2022 rail safety and security awards from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) on June 3 submitted its 2022 Recovery Plan to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); and TransLink’s Brentwood Town Center Station upgrade in metro Vancouver will start later this month.

Commentary

APTA HSR Conference Focuses on Recurring Themes

There is nothing operating in the United States or Canada that meets the standard of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) lines that run in Europe, Japan and China today. Still, there are many planners, managers, transportation officials, and rider-advocates who want to remedy that situation.

An ACS64-led Amtrak Northeast Regional train prepares to depart Penn Station New York, bound for Washington, D.C. William C. Vantuono photo

Biden FY23 Budget Request: $105B for USDOT

President Joe Biden on March 28 submitted to Congress a $5.79 trillion budget plan for fiscal year 2023 that calls for $105 billion to be distributed to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). With an additional $37 billion in guaranteed advance appropriations provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL; also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA), the USDOT’s total budget would be $142 billion. Included in the budget for USDOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is funding for four new rail-related projects; the Gateway Program’s Hudson Tunnel project in New York and New Jersey, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II rail project in California are among them.

In January 2021, the Federal Transit Administration signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement for Valley Metro’s South Central Light Rail Extension/Downtown Hub Project in Phoenix; the funding is part of the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.

APTA to Congress: ‘Fully Fund IIJA’

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on Feb. 11 submitted a letter to Congress urging members to “fully fund the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).”

Transit Briefs: Metro-North, Santa Clara VTA, APTA/WSP USA

MTA Metro-North Railroad has expanded its rider seat availability tracker to Google Maps. In addition, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has scheduled pilot testing of autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle routes in 2022 and 2023; and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has selected WSP USA’s Jannet Walker-Ford to serve on its Executive Committee.

TriMet Appoints Bonnie Todd COO

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has named Bonnie Todd COO; she is the first woman to hold the agency’s top operating job.

APTA Recognizes Safety Excellence, Releases Post-Pandemic Travel Report

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced the honorees of its 2021 Bus and Rail Safety, Security and COVID Response Excellence Awards, and published a new transit agency report on pandemic response, trends and the path forward.

APTA to FTA: ‘Undertake a Zero-Based Review of All CIG Requirements’

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has responded to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) call for Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program feedback, and has updated its dashboard of CIG projects in the pipeline.

RPA: Amtrak Previews Plans for Infrastructure Bill Funding

Amtrak executives—including newly appointed Executive Vice President-Major Program Delivery Laura Mason—addressed plans for potential infrastructure bill funding and pandemic recovery during the Rail Passengers Association’s virtual conference this week.

APTA Publishes 2021 Fact Book

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has released its annual Public Transportation Fact Book, which covers transit finances and operating statistics by modes of travel; transit vehicle characteristics and deliveries; federal grants and the Federal Transit Act; and statistical trends for Canadian transit operations.

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