The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will repair 28 stations this year as part of its “Refresh & Renew” program. Also, Chicago’s Metra has broken ground on an Electric Line commuter rail station rehab project; and Metrolinx, the Toronto-area regional transit agency, has awarded an approximately C$62 million Railway Track, Signal and Station Works contract for the Kitchener GO Corridor Expansion project.
Metrolinx is advancing construction of the first of five new SmartTrack GO stations in Toronto. Also, Trinity Metro’s TEXRail promoted its second female engineer; TransLink unveiled the first 10 years of “Transport 2050” priorities for metro Vancouver; VIA Rail Canada released a five-year sustainability plan; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) installed its first solar canopy as part of a four-station project expected to provide nearly 10 megawatts of renewable energy to the local grid.
Ontario Northland on May 30 will begin upgrading 56 GO Transit bilevels for Metrolinx at its remanufacturing and repair center in North Bay.
ONxpress Transportation Partners (ONTP) has been identified by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx as the First Negotiations Proponent to design, build, operate and maintain GO Transit’s 25-year Rail Expansion Program in the Greater Toronto Area. The project would involve transforming much of GO’s network into a system that will ultimately offer bidirectional all-day service.
Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger rail operator, has ordered revenue management software from Accelya. Also, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Affirmed Housing have broken ground on a new transit-oriented housing development located at the Grantville Trolley Station; and Metrolinx is naming the 11-mile, 19-station Hurontario Light Rail Transit project as the Hazel McCallion Line.
Metrolinx has awarded Alstom a $133.45 million (C$171 million) contract to overhaul 94 bilevels for GO Transit regional commuter rail service in Ontario.
New Jersey Transit has awarded a $45.5 million contract for Perth Amboy commuter rail station renovations, and installed 558 new ticket vending machines. In addition, passengers can now ride the WAVE (Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric) shuttle to Metrolinx’s GO Train; and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has provided an update on the recent cybersecurity attack that impacted a number of its internal and customer-facing functions.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in Texas has been named a Forbes “Best in State Employer.” In addition, Metrolinx’s recent pilot in Ontario that tested transit surfaces for the SARS-CoV-2 virus has received an “all clear” from experts; the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has earned an award from the Canadian Urban Transit Association; and Vancouver’s TransLink is beginning a system-wide rollout of free Wi-Fi for customers.
Canada’s Metrolinx is working to change the way transit planning is conducted—with an eye on equity, diversity and inclusion.
Successful completion of an autonomous technology trial at GO Transit could herald the next step in semi-autonomous engineer-assist—or even autonomous—operation in Canada’s typically cold winters.