Marino Appointed Hitachi Rail Group CEO

Giuseppe Marino has returned to Hitachi Rail after a four-year absence. He is based in the company’s London headquarters. Marino is tasked with “guiding expansion in North America, APAC (Asia-Pacific) and EMEA

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and NYCT President Richard Davey on March 10 participated in the inaugural ride of the R211 subway cars on the A line. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

First Look: R211s Roll Into New York Subway Service

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is phasing in new standard closed-end R211s from Kawasaki along New York City Transit’s (NYCT) A Line.

As MARTA’s streetcar vehicle wheels are being replaced due to degradation, shuttle vans wrapped to look like streetcars are servicing the Atlanta, Ga., route. (MARTA Photographs)

Transit Briefs: MARTA, NYMTA, WMATA

Streetcar service is returning to downtown Atlanta, Ga., reports Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will upgrade accessibility at 17 subway stations across all five boroughs; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is eyeing design changes for its new 8000-series rapid transit cars.

Commentary

Real-Time Tracking: What Are We Waiting For?

“AEI (Automatic Equipment Identification) technology is 40 years old and tells us where our shipment was. What we need is a technology that tells us where our shipment is, and a more

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

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.

Brightline train in Orlando. (Photo by David C. Lester)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, Hitachi Rail, MDOT, Omaha Streetcar, SacRT, Seattle Transit

Ahead of service to Orlando, train testing of up to 110 mph continues for Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad. Also, Hitachi Rail publishes a study on attitudes toward public transport across eight global cities; former Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld is tapped as Maryland’s next Transportation Secretary; Warren Buffett speaks out against planned streetcar service in Omaha, Neb.; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) receives the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Gold Standard Award for transit security and emergency preparedness programs; and a new Seattle, Wash., program gives free transit cards to public housing residents.

Connect 6ix rendering showing early-concept designs for the planned 9.7-mile Ontario Line in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto’s Ontario Line Project Advances

Connect 6ix has landed the C$9 billion contract for the Ontario Line Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations and Maintenance (RSSOM) package, Canada’s Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx reported on Nov. 17.

Hitachi Rail earlier this year selected a 41-acre site in Washington County, Md., to house a 307,000-square-foot factory, storage facilities and an 800-yard test track. (Rendering Courtesy of Hitachi Rail)

Watch: Hitachi Unveils North American Railcar Plant, Growth Plans

Hitachi Rail on Oct. 18 released the final designs for its $70 million railcar manufacturing plant and test track in Washington County, Md. First on the production line when complete in early 2024: an 8000-series rapid transit car fleet for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

Union Pacific on June 7 joined the RailPulse coalition, which was formed in late 2020 to “develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies in North America’s freight rail industry.”

RailPulse Outlines Three-Phase Pilot

RailPulse is developing a cloud-based telematics platform in an aim “to accelerate the adoption of GPS and other technologies across the North American railcar network.” Late last month, it outlined a three-phase approach to development, which is slated to be complete in second-quarter 2023.

BART Add Fare Machines inside stations, which also serve as parking payment machines, now accept credit and debit cards.

Transit Briefs: BART, Amtrak, SEPTA, HART, MTC, NJ Transit

Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) Add Fare machines undergo major upgrades to improve customer experience. Also, Amtrak trains could be coming into the Miami Intermodal Center; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) breaks ground on new accessibility project at Tasker-Morris Station; the Honolulu Authority for Rail Transportation (HART) and Hitachi Rail run small-scale exercise drills in partnership with the city’s first responders; the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) adopts a new Transit-Oriented Communities Policy to promote commercial development near transit stations; and NJ Transit rolls out two initiatives as part of its ongoing Safety Education Program.

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