Luke Bridle has been named Director of Transportation for HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. In addition, Transit Wireless has elevated Anthony Mazzarella to Vice President of Analytics and Advertising.
New York MTA acting CEO and Board Chair Janno Lieber has been officially nominated by Gov. Kathy Hochul to serve in those roles; also nominated, Elizabeth Velez to serve on the MTA Board.
Phase 2 of MTA New York City Transit’s Second Avenue Subway project is moving ahead, the agency reported on Jan. 6.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to identify the best transit mode for a proposed Interborough Express service running from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Jackson Heights, Queens.
The year was 1964. Lyndon Johnson was campaigning for re-election as President, hoping his “Great Society” and “War on Poverty” programs would help the country, although the nation’s involvement in the Vietnam War was escalating and would later trigger his downfall. “Beatlemania” swept the country, as the “Fab Four” from Liverpool dominated the charts, with only the emerging Motown Sound from Detroit giving them any competition. The nation’s passenger train network was still gigantic compared to what we have on Amtrak today, but it was shrinking fast. Rail transit in the cities that still had it was shrinking, too. In New York, though, the second World’s Fair in 25 years was taking place in Flushing, Queens, and the “Brightliner” subway cars made their first appearance.
MTA New York City Transit’s Budd-built R-32s—dubbed the Brightliners for their gleaming stainless steel bodies—will retire after 58 years of service.
Four MTA New York City Transit R110A New Technology Train subway cars, originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1992 and retired in 1998, are finding new life as two-car pump trains to be used for flooding mitigation in NYCT’s subway system, through a contract awarded to Brookville Equipment Corporation.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has installed earthquake early warning systems at 26 rail and bus division facilities. In addition, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is forming a subsidiary to oversee the new East Side Access project terminal; South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s (SFRTA) Tri-Rail is resuming full service; Thales has delivered interlocking systems for three Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) rapid transit stations; and Wabtec will provide doors, brakes, HVAC systems and event recorders for Metra’s new multilevels.
At New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, subway ridership is steadily climbing post-pandemic and two former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointees are being forced out. In addition, behavioral health providers will ride St. Louis (Mo.) Metro Transit vehicles as part of a one-year pilot project.
New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Scott M. Stringer has released a report, “Beyond Rush Hour: COVID-19 and The Future of Public Transit,” calling for adjustments to subway and bus schedules and a major change in how New York State’s gas tax is allocated, among other measures. The report contains ridership variations found by borough, time of day and transit mode “underscoring the need to better align public transit with today’s economy.”
