DCTA

Pictured (left to right): Dottie Watkins, CapMetro; Andrew Barr, Hitachi Europe Ltd.; and Giuseppe Marino, Hitachi Rail.
  • News

People News: CapMetro, DCTA, Hitachi Rail

Capital Metro (CapMetro) of Austin, Tex., names Dottie Watkins President and CEO. Also, Denton County (Tex.) Transportation Authority (DCTA) appoints four new executives, Maurice Bell, Sherrelle Evans-Jones, Bracey Goodwin IV and David Magaña; and Hitachi, Ltd. elevates Andrew Barr to Vice President and Executive Officer in charge of Regional Strategies (EMEA), and President of Hitachi Europe Ltd., and Giuseppe Marino to Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, a global supplier of rolling stock, signaling, service and maintenance, digital technology and turnkey systems.

SacRT has teamed with the Sacramento Public Library to launch the area’s first library train. (Photograph Courtesy of SacRT)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/VPRA, DART/DCTA, Metrolinx, SacRT, Sound Transit

Amtrak’s Virginia route ridership hit record highs last month. Also, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) in Texas are launching a joint rail operations facility; Metrolinx is employing Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design on its Finch West light rail transit (LRT) project in northwest Toronto; Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) riders can sit back and read on the new Library Train in California; and the Fare Ambassador program at Sound Transit in Seattle, Wash., is now permanent.

Suarez Stepping Down as DCTA CEO

The Board of Directors for Denton County (Tex.) Transportation Authority reported on March 7 that it had accepted the resignation of CEO Raymond Suarez. When Suarez steps down on March 31, DCTA Deputy Paul Cristina will serve as interim CEO.

DCTA Appoints Deputy CEO, Directors

The Denton County Transportation Authority in Texas has tapped Paul Cristina as Deputy CEO, and Brittney M. Farr and Pamela Burns as Director of Government Relations and Director of Public Involvement and Communications, respectively.

Through the new Vax Express program, CIC Health established a rolling vaccination site on board an MBTA Commuter Rail train, making stops at seven stations earlier this month. The public could walk-up without an appointment or book an appointment in advance. A second round of vaccinations on the Vax Express will take place July 7-11.

Transit Briefs: MBTA, SFMTA, Sound Transit, DCTA

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Area Transportation Authority (MBTA), Keolis and CIC Health have teamed on the Commuter Rail Vax Express to boost access to the COVID-19 vaccine; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will begin restoring cable car service by early September; Amazon is committing $100 million in below-market funding for affordable housing units on Sound Transit surplus properties; and Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) A-train commuter rail turns 10.

Greater Cleveland RTA recently canceled a new railcar RFP when the only bidder whose proposal was considered did not respond to technical requirements.

Transit Briefs: Greater Cleveland RTA, Denton County TA, WMATA

Greater Cleveland (Ohio) Regional Transit Authority (RTA) canceled its railcar procurement Request for Proposal (RFP); Denton County (Texas) Transportation Authority (DCTA) received four first-place honors in the 2021 AdWheel Awards, presented by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Amazon are partnering on a transit-oriented development (TOD) program to create 1,000 affordable housing units.

Under the Denton County Transportation Authority (Texas) agreement, partners Rio Grande Pacific Corp. and Stadler U.S., Inc. are taking over the remaining five years of a nine-year fixed-price contract, with a five-year extension option.

For DCTA, New Commuter Rail Operations, DMU Maintenance Contracts

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) Board has approved the assignment of an operations and maintenance management contract to Rio Grande Pacific Corp. (RGPC) for its 21-mile A-Train commuter rail service connecting the Texas counties of Denton and Dallas. RGPC has selected Stadler U.S., Inc. to maintain the 11 GTW 2/6 diesel multiple-units (DMU), which the railcar manufacturer supplied for the A-Train’s 2011 launch.

Texas transit trio sets GoPass mobile app

Starting Sept. 16, 2012, public transit riders in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex can use their smartphones “to buy, store and activate passes for DART, The T and DCTA,” the three area transit entities jointly announced Monday, Sept. 9.