Metrolinx

Two additional Amtrak Northeast Regional trains will serve Springfield (Mass.) Union Station starting June 5. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, GO Transit, NNEPRA, VRE, WMATA

Amtrak is expanding Northeast Regional service. Also, GO Transit adds 12 roundtrips per week between Toronto’s Union Station and Niagara Falls, Ontario; Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), which oversees Amtrak Downeaster service, selects an advertising agency of record; Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will offer fare-free Fridays this summer; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is seeking rider feedback on the look, layout and features of its new 8000 series rapid transit cars, to be built by Hitachi Rail.

The new Bramalea GO Station building opened in 2021. (Metrolinx photo)

Transit Briefs: APTA, Amtrak F+B Working Group, Arup, Metrolinx, NJ Transit/UITP/Rutgers CAIT

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) “strongly urges” public transit agencies to obligate remaining COVID-19 funds as soon as possible. Also, the Amtrak Food & Beverage Working Group sends recommendations to Congress after year-long analysis of Amtrak onboard service; Arup supports Metrolinx plans to electrify Canada’s largest commuter rail network; construction is now complete at Metrolinx’s Bramalea GO Station; and registration is now open for first courses at the International Association of Public Transport’s (UITP) North American Regional Training Center hosted by NJ Transit and Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT).

The CTA Board on May 10 signed off on an ordinance that makes permanent recent part-time student and tiered-pricing pilot programs for the agency’s U-Pass Program. (CTA Photograph Courtesy of the Federal Transit Administration)

Transit Briefs: CTA, Metrolinx, Washington Union Station

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) makes permanent two discounted fare-pass programs for students at participating high-education institutions, and releases its monthly service/operations “scorecard.” Also, Ricardo will provide safety assessment support for Metrolinx’s Ontario Line project in Toronto; and Washington, D.C.-area legislators seek federal funding and an expedited timeline for the multi-billion-dollar Washington Union Station Expansion Project.

Metrolinx has released an Initial Business Case on the feasibility of adding a Highway 7/Concord GO Station to the Barrie Line. (Metrolinx Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, NYMTA, St. Louis MetroLink, SMART, STM

Metrolinx considers adding a new GO rail station to the Barrie Line, north of Toronto. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will start boosting subway train frequency this summer as ridership reaches record levels; St. Louis MetroLink will test metal detectors at stations; construction will begin this fall on a new Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter rail station; and Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is deploying safety ambassadors, special constables and custodial employees to improve security and station cleanliness.

Amtrak and the Illinois Department of Transportation have received federal approval to raise speeds from 90 mph to up to 110 mph for most of the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, primarily between the Joliet and Alton stations. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Metrolinx, NYMTA, TransLink

Amtrak can now operate up to 110 mph through most of the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, and awaits approval of a federal grant to plan an Oklahoma City-Newton, Kans., connection. Also, Metrolinx offers a new way to pay for transit fares in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reports nearly $500 million in upgrades to Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction subway station complex, and could consider re-instating Twitter to publish service alerts; and TransLink ridership in Metro Vancouver rebounds in 2022.

View of the station entrance off Royal York Road from street level. Artist’s rendering, subject to change. (Vandyk Properties image)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, PANYNJ, St. Louis MetroLink, Calgary Green Line LRT, SEPTA, BCT

Metrolinx moves forward on transit-oriented community at Mimico GO Station. Also, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) reports that quarterly PATH ridership climbed to 59% of pre-pandemic first-quarter 2019; MetroLink’s Secure Platform Plan progresses; Calgary’s Green Line names Bow Transit Connectors as Development Partner; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) shares progress on strategic plan; and Broward County Transit (BCT) launches multi-billion-dollar Premium Mobility Plan (PREMO).

$5.15 billion in “bridge funding” has been proposed in the California Senate for public transit agencies over the next five years. (InvadingInvader Wikimedia Commons)

Transit Briefs: CA Public Transit, MARTA, MBTA, Metrolinx, Miami-Dade County, San Diego MTS

California transit officials and their state legislative supporters are seeking $5.15 billion to maintain services over the next five years. Also, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) celebrates College Park rail station improvements; a new study finds that flooding costs to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) could more than double by 2030, to $58 million per year; Metrolinx unveils a new website for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s GO Transit; Florida’s Miami-Dade County revives commuter rail plan; and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) approves a $174 million capital improvement program.

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