Over the next 12 months, Siemens will add a new bearings monitoring system to all light rail vehicle trucks in the CATS Blue Line fleet, according to WCNC, an NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C.

Transit Briefs: CATS, LACMTA, MTA Metro-North, SacRT, TriMet

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina will add a new bearing monitoring system to its LYNX Blue Line light rail fleet. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) ridership is up 10%, setting a post-pandemic record; service cuts could be coming to MTA Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven (Conn.) Line; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) in California extends its fare-free rides for youth program; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) adopts the coming year’s budget and announces a four-month disruption of the MAX Red Line.

No BART rider will wait more than 20 minutes for a scheduled train no matter what hour of the day or day of the week starting Sept. 11.

Transit Briefs: BART, DART, LACMTA, NYMTA, SEPTA

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will roll out a new service schedule this fall that reflects post-pandemic commute patterns. Also, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) upgrades its rail and bus seating; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) extends its free-fare pilot for K-14 students; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) receives a bailout package under a tentative New York State budget agreement, suspends Twitter use for service updates, and celebrates an internship program partnership; and Southeastern Pennsylvania Rapid Transit Authority (SEPTA) awards a design contract for ADA improvements on the Board Street Line.

The BART Board officially approved the contract to STraffic America for new fare gates systemwide. While the new design has not yet been finalized, the gates are slated to have clear swing barriers that will be difficult to be pushed through, jumped over or maneuvered under. (Rendering Courtesy of BART)

Transit Briefs: BART, Brightline, CTA, LACMTA

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) advances its systemwide fare gates project. Also, Brightline begins bridge rehab work in Stuart, Fla., ahead of its service launch to Orlando; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announces community improvements as part of its $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project; and LA SkyRail Express boosts its monorail team for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project.

An 18-month pilot could launch in summer 2024 “with the intention of eventually making free and reduced transfers a permanent policy across the Bay Area,” according to a Bay City News Foundation report.

Transit Briefs: BART, LACMTA, Metra

San Francisco Bay Area public transit officials consider a “free transfer” pilot. Also, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) drug-free campaign on three light rail lines is showing promise; and Union Pacific (UP) is transferring its Chicago commuter rail services to Metra.

LACMTA’s ambassadors support and connect riders to resources and report maintenance and safety concerns. (LACMTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, Valley Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) officially launches its ambassador pilot program. Also, Valley Metro begins a west Phoenix transit study.

The Honolulu Civil Beat on Feb. 27 reported that the Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee approved Senate Bill 176, extending “the excise tax surcharge for rail to raise more money for the cash-strapped” and much-delayed HART Honolulu Rail System project.

Transit Briefs: HART, LACMTA, NHDOT, NYMTA, SEPTA

A Hawaii Senate Committee mistakenly passes a rail tax extension that would raise funding for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART). Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) ridership is up 12% compared with a year ago; a draft study for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) finds that commuter rail service between Boston and Manchester, N.H., would cost $782 million to build; Transit Wireless expands its partnership with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (USDOT OIG) will audit Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) compliance with Buy America requirements for rolling stock.

LACMTA’s Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project schedule.

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, Metra, Valley Metro

Work is advancing on the rail proposal for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project. Also, Metra is installing new grade crossing monitoring across its commuter rail system in Chicago; and Arizona’s Valley Metro is teaming with a professional soccer franchise to boost light rail ridership.

CalSTA awarded Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) $375 million for the six-mile, four-station BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project that will bring BART service to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara. Project completion is scheduled for 2033.

CalSTA Awards $2.5B for Rail Transit Projects

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) are among the 14 California agencies that will share $2.515 billion in TIRCP (Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program) grants from CalSTA (California State Transportation Agency) for rail-related projects.

The Calgary Green Line LRT project’s first phase is slated to connect southeast Calgary to downtown—11.18 miles from Shepard to Eau Claire—and link to the existing Red and Blue lines and four MAX BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) routes. (Calgary Transit Rendering)

Transit Briefs: Calgary Transit, LACMTA, NYMTA, SMART, Irwin/GMI

An SNC-Lavalin-led consortium lands a contract for the Calgary Green Line LRT project. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) releases its Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the C Line (Green) Extension to Torrance Project; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) debuts accessibility and circulation improvements at Penn Station in Manhattan; Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) reports that a recent California Supreme Court ruling will help advance plans to construct its northern extensions; and Irwin Transportation Products acquires Hornell, N.Y.-based Gray Manufacturing Industries (GMI), a railcar component supplier and technical consultant for the transit industry.

KC Streetcar operates a 2.2-mile route along Main Street in downtown Kansas City, Mo., with 16 stops served by six streetcars. Due to increased ridership, weeknight service hours will be extended starting Jan. 21. (Photograph: William C. Vantuono)

Transit Briefs: KC Streetcar, LACMTA, Metra, NCDOT, WMATA

Responding to increased ridership, KC Streetcar in Missouri extends weeknight service hours. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) holds community open houses for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project; North Carolina’s intercity passenger rail service breaks annual ridership record; Chicago’s Metra highlights record-breaking year for competitive federal grant funding; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) offers college students a new mobile fare collection option, U-Pass SmarTrip®.

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