Houston Metro

than $20 million through the 1-395/95 Commuter Choice program. (VDOT photo)

Transit Briefs: Northern Lights Express, VRE, Houston Metro, TTC

Legislature dedicates $195 million for Northern Lights Express (NLX). Also, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will receive more than $20 million for two projects; the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston, Tex., Metro) partners with on-demand childcare platform TOOTRis; and the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) resumes data collection activities.

Pictured (left to right): Tom Lambert, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Tex. (Metro); Zandra Ford, HNTB; Diane Pena, WAGO; Bill Prevo, WAGO.
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People News: Houston Metro, HNTB, WAGO

Tom Lambert, President and CEO of Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston, Tex., Metro), will retire at the end of the year. Also, HNTB appoints Zandra Ford as Director of Rail Operations for the Capital Region; and WAGO, an electrical interconnection and automation product supplier, tabs Diane Pena as Electrical Contractor and Wholesale Sales Manager and Bill Prevo as Regional Sales Manager for southeastern Michigan.

SMART lounge inside the new Aventura Station . Courtesy of Brightline, via Twitter.

Transit Briefs: Brightline, MDOT MTA, Houston Metro

Brightline opens two new stations in South Florida. Also, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) celebrates completion of new MARC Riverside Heavy Maintenance Facility; and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) in Houston debuts new generation of more accessible railcars.

MBTA will receive $859.6 million in ARP grants for COVID-19 response from the FTA.

MBTA, OCTA: $1B in ARP Grants for COVID-19 Response

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 grants for COVID-19 response to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, $859.6 million) and Orange County (Calif.) Transportation Authority (OCTA, $163.9 million).

Houston Metro will receive $298.6 million in ARP grants for COVID-19 response from the FTA. (Houston Metro photo)

Pandemic-Response Grants Awarded to SFMTA, Houston Metro

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 grants for COVID-19 response to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA, $288.2 million) and Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro, $298.6 million).

Metro’s new fare collection system from INIT will allow riders to manage their accounts via web portal or smartphone app. (Metro)

For Houston’s Metro, New Fare Collection System

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) has selected INIT Innovations in Transportation, Inc., to supply a new contactless, account-based fare collection system (FCS) for the MetroRail light rail and bus system in Houston, Tex.

Texas Transit: Once Frozen, Starts to Thaw (UPDATE)

Most of the rail transit in Texas fell under Old Man Winter’s one-two punch of snow and bitter cold over most of the state, as it was gripped by historically low temperatures. As temperatures warmed up (into the 60s during the week of Feb. 21) and the snow melted, rail transit has returned to full service in Texas and as far north as St. Louis.

AGC honors Parsons for work on Houston Metro LRT

Parsons announced on April 14, 2016 that the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) recently honored the corporation with the Alliant Build America Award in the civil construction management category for its work on the Houston Metro Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The design-build project—the largest public works program in the city’s history—extended Metro’s 7.5-mile rail service by 15 miles with the addition of three new rail lines through downtown Houston, Tex.