BART

BART on April 20 will hold a retirement ceremony and final dispatch of its legacy trains that have been in service for more than half a century. The event, “Riding into History: Final Run of the First Fleet,” will take place at Oakland’s MacArthur Station.

Transit Briefs: BART, Denver RTD, Metra, Sound Transit

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) will fully retire its legacy trains next month and is advancing a systemwide fare gates project. Also, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transit District (RTD) launches an elevator pilot program and joins the White House’s “Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose” initiative; Chicago’s Metra plans a new layover yard near the McHenry County community; and Seattle’s Sound Transit will test new Link LRV (light rail vehicle) seat material.

BART’s overall customer satisfaction rating in the most recent Passenger Experience Survey (PES) reached 81%, which is 7% higher than the previous quarter, according to the transit agency. (BART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: BART, Metro-North, VIA Rail, WMATA

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) reports rider satisfaction gains. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad completes its third station-accessibility project in 2024; VIA Rail Canada calls on Ottawa to replace its long-distance fleet; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) increases police patrols on trains and buses.

NYMTA photo

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Metrolinx, MBTA, MTC/BART

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) celebrates the upcoming one-year anniversary of the agency’s opening of Grand Central Madison. Also, Metrolinx partners with AccessNow to provide detailed accessibility information; the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) begins running a second set of new Red Line train cars; and Phase II of the Clipper® BayPass Program, jointly managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), is now under way.

San Francisco Bay Area transit in California will take on a whole new look later this year. Transit agency and Metropolitan Transportation Commission officials unveiled design prototypes for a common set of signs to be used by all agencies at all locations. (Image Courtesy of BART)

Transit Briefs: Bay Area Transit, LACMTA, CTA, Amtrak Virginia

A project is under way to unify San Francisco Bay Area transit maps and signs. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) renames the West Santa Ana Branch Corridor Project to avoid rider confusion; and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Amtrak Virginia set ridership records in 2023.

Metrolinx’s East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto will be located on the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO Transit rail lines. The station will provide connections to the Ontario Line subway and future Toronto Transit Commission services. (Rendering Courtesy of Metrolinx)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, BART

Hatch is tapped to design the East Harbour Transit Hub for Metrolinx. Also, Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) Fleet of the Future trains are projected to come in hundreds of millions of dollars under budget.

BART crews have installed prototype fare gates at West Oakland Station to “protect against fare evasion, expand access to transit-dependent riders, and reduce system downtime due to maintenance.” (BART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: NJT, BART, SacRT

Buses of migrants bound for New York City have been stopping at New Jersey Transit (NJT) stations to avoid New York rules. Also, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) unveils prototype fare gates and boosts its “Clipper START” means-based fare discount; and Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) eyes a Blue Line light rail and/or bus rapid transit extension from the city of Sacramento to the city of Elk Grove, supports Sacramento’s Truxel Bridge Concept and Feasibility Study, and lands a Caltrans Climate Adaptation Planning grant.

Caltrain on Dec. 7 unveiled its fall 2024 schedule for electrified service, which it said includes faster transit times and more frequent service including during weekends. (Caltrain Photograph)

Transit Briefs: BART, Caltrain, CMAP, CTA, NYMTA

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Board approves a new financial organizational structure. Also, California’s Caltrain releases a service plan for its fall 2024 Electrification Project rollout; Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) delivers to state legislators recommendations for keeping regional transit afloat; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) wraps up this year’s “Refresh & Renew” project work across 29 rapid transit stations; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) competes a subway station-accessibility project in Washington Heights.

SacRT in mid-year 2024 will begin introducing a new fleet of low-floor light rail trains from Siemens Mobility.

Transit Briefs: BART/MTC, East-West Rail, Metrolinx, NYMTA, SacRT, San Diego MTS

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are expanding their unlimited transit pass pilot program. Also, a Massachusetts legislative-panel report finds that MassDOT should run east-west passenger rail; Metrolinx addresses the launch date for Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is considering recommendations for a congestion pricing toll rate schedule; Sacramento (Calif.) Regional Transit District (SacRT) provides a light rail transit-modernization update; and California Transit Association elects San Diego Metropolitan Transit System’s (MTS) Sharon Cooney as Chair.