Maryland Department of Transportation

The Federal Railroad Administration has cleared Amtrak’s new Avelia Liberty trainsets to begin testing on the Northeast Corridor, according to The New York Times. (Amtrak Image)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Caltrain, Maryland DOT, Metra, Montreal ARTM, New York State

Amtrak’s “Avelia Liberty” trainsets are cleared for testing on the Northeast Corridor. Also, Caltrain celebrates 160 years of rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, Calif.; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore restores $150 million in transportation funding; Chicago’s Metra is launching a pilot program for reduced fares systemwide; the Montreal region’s transit authority (ARTM) is considering new transit options that would link downtown Montreal with the city’s western boroughs; and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul provides highlights of the proposed FY2025 budget, which includes funding for the planned Interborough Express and the Second Avenue Subway’s westward expansion.

Bruce W. Gartner, Executive Director, MDTA (left); and Goran Sparrman, interim CEO, Sound Transit (right).
  • News

People News: MDTA, Sound Transit

Bruce W. Gartner will serve as the Maryland Transportation Authority’s (MDTA) Executive Director. Also, Sound Transit approves the appointment of Goran Sparrman as interim CEO.

(Maryland DOT Photograph)
  • News

MDOT Tightening Budget Belt

The state of Maryland’s six-year transportation spending plan includes some $3.3 billion in proposed cuts across modal administrations to address “declining revenue projections,” it reported Dec. 5.

AmeriStarRail is proposing a battery electric streetcar system for Wilmington, Del.

Transit Briefs: AmeriStarRail, CTA, MBTA, Gateway Development Commission, MDOT, SEPTA, CHSRA

AmeriStarRail proposes a battery electric streetcar system for Wilmington, Del. Also, CTA President Dorval R. Carter is named Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) Co-Chair; the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) aims to boost officer retention with a new Police Association contract and announces that Commuter Rail ridership has reached a new post-pandemic peak; the Gateway Development Commission can now officially receive checks from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) awards two contracts to study potential transit-oriented development (TOD) at light rail and subway stations; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Board approves a new contract agreement with TWU Local 234; and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) enters into an agreement with 13 rail labor unions.

CN and Crowley are offering a new rail-to-vessel service, Mexico Gulf Express, from Canada to the Port of Tuxpan, Mexico.

Class I Briefs: CN, CSX, NS

CN partners with maritime and logistics company Crowley to offer Mexico Gulf Express service, and celebrates President and CEO Tracy Robinson’s latest achievement. Also, battery-electrics are coming to the CSX terminal at the Port of Baltimore; and Norfolk Southern (NS) launches an API Resource Platform, seeks an “Artist in Residence,” and announces a new video series hosted by Paul Duncan.

Transit Briefs: WMATA, NJ Transit, Minn. Met Council, SEPTA, Maryland DOT, Sound Transit

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) teams up with Virginia Tech on U-Pass program at campuses in National Capital Region. Also, NJ Transit Rail Operations celebrates 40 years of service with historic excursion and display; Minnesota’s Metropolitan Council resolves current funding deficit for Green Line Extension; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) pilots contactless payments; Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) formal Federal grant application to address mobility and access challenges along the I-495 and I-270 corridors includes enhancement to the MARC Brunswick Line and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities; and service on Sound Transit’s Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension will open to passengers on Sept. 16.

TriMet’s “A Better Red” project to completely replace the Portland International Airport MAX station and install a second track along the alignment, between the new station and Air Cargo Road, has hit its halfway mark. (TriMet Photograph)

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, MDOT, Metrolinx, SEPTA, Trillium Line, TriMet

A recent poll finds community support for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) C Line (Green) extension to Torrance, Calif. Also, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) team on a new approach to transit-oriented development; the Ontario, Canada, government is investing in infrastructure upgrades at Metrolinx’s Aurora GO Station; six of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) 1940s-era PCC cars will return to service next month; the DMU Trillium Line’s hand-over to the city of Ottawa, Ontario, has been delayed again; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) is on schedule to reopen the MAX Red Line on Oct. 22.

Amtrak on June 14 will hold hiring events in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pa., and online. More than 4,000 positions are available. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, BART, Maryland DOT, NYMTA, PANY/NJ

Amtrak is hosting in-person and virtual hiring events on June 14, and will temporarily suspend some Michigan-to-Chicago Wolverine service. Also, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) approves a two-year budget, including a fare hike; Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is seeking public input to help shape its long-range transportation plan; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will introduce blue lighting inside select subway stations; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) issues a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the AirTrain Newark replacement program.

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.