Breaking News

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer (pictured, left) on April 25 announced the agency’s Climate Resilience Roadmap at the Metro-North Railroad Mott Haven Yard. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Sound Transit, TransLink, Tren Maya

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA) unveils its Climate Resiliency Roadmap. Also, Washington’s Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) earns a sustainability award for its Federal Way Link light rail extension; metro-Vancouver’s TransLink approves a 2024 investment plan to address overcrowding; and the final sections of Mexico’s Tren Maya project are expected to be completed in August.

WMATA photo

WMATA Approves $4.8B Budget, Avoids ‘Drastic Cuts’

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Board of Directors on April 25 approved a $4.8 billion capital budget, allowing the agency to avoid “drastic cuts” due to investments from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and largely maintain rail and bus service levels when the new budget year begins on July 1.

(MBTA Photograph)

MBTA Issues Proposed $9.6B CIP, Extends Keolis Contract

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) on April 25 released its proposed $9.6 billion FY 2025-29 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) and agreed to extend Keolis’ operations contract for its Commuter Rail network, which runs from Boston to Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

HART on April 24 announced the arrival of its final trainset from Hitachi Rail at Honolulu Harbor. (HART Photograph)

HART Takes Delivery of Final Trainset, $125MM in Federal Funding

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) on April 24 received $125 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under an amended Full Funding Grant Agreement, plus its final four-car trainset from Hitachi Rail for Skyline, the first urban rail transit GoA4 (Grade of Automation) system in operation in the United States.

(WMATA OIG image)
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Zamarin Named WMATA Inspector General

With unanimous Board support, Michelle A. Zamarin has been formally appointed as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) new Inspector General, effective June 17. She succeeds Kevin Muhlendorf, who will remain in the role until June.

“BNSF is committed to improving safety on our railroad and is proud to have reached an agreement to voluntarily participate with ATDA in C3RS,” BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer said April 25. (BNSF Photograph)

BNSF: Second Class I to Participate in FRA C3RS

BNSF and the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) will partner with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to join a one-year pilot program of the FRA-sponsored Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). Their decision to

Union Pacific Photograph

UP 1Q24: ‘Strong’ Financial Results Despite ‘Challenging’ Freight Market (Updated, Interview with Jim Vena and TD Cowen Insight)

“Our team delivered strong financial results in the first quarter as we navigated a challenging freight market and normal winter conditions,” Union Pacific (UP) CEO Jim Vena said during the Class I’s financial report on April 25. “These results build on the momentum we established as we exited 2023 and provide further proof of what’s possible as we strive to be the best in safety, service and operational excellence. This is a great start to the year, but we understand there’s work to be done to achieve our goals and meet our stakeholders’ expectations.”

(Innovative Construction Group, LLC Photograph)
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NCRR Injecting $200K in Innovative Construction Group Plant

Innovative Construction Group, LLC is receiving a $250,000 grant from NCRR Invests, the North Carolina Railroad Company’s (NCRR) economic development arm, to help develop a new manufacturing facility in Siler City, N.C., to be served by Norfolk Southern (NS).