Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Starting May 21, a second daily Amtrak train will be offered between St. Paul and Chicago, via Milwaukee, the state-sponsored Borealis, whose name “was determined in a collaborative process,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Railway Age. “It is a reference to the north direction, in Latin.” (Amtrak Map)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, SMART, WMATA

A second daily Amtrak train is launching between St. Paul, Minn., and Chicago, via Milwaukee, Wis., the state-supported Borealis. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) unveil the Fair Fares pilot program; Northern California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) logs record commuter rail ridership; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announce a transit planning initiative for the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

WMATA Proposes ‘Severe Cuts’ in FY2025 Budget (UPDATED, 2/2)

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has released its proposed operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2025 (FY2025), which calls for “severe cuts” to address the agency’s $750 structural funding shortfall—a deficit equal to more than 25% of the operating budget—despite “proactive management actions” taken by WMATA to control expenses.