New York MTA

Phillip Eng, incoming General Manager, MBTA

Phillip Eng to Lead MBTA

Former MTA Long Island Rail Road President Phillip Eng is heading to Boston. On April 10, he will become the next General Manager of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Massachusetts Gov. Maura T. Healey, Lt. Gov. Kimberley Driscoll and Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca reported March 27.

Brightline has expanded its first and last mile service, offering riders new bi-directional fixed-route shuttles between its passenger rail stations and Miami International Airport (MIA), Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Miami Beach. (Brightline Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, PANY/NJ

Brightline is now offering shuttle service to South Florida airports and Miami Beach. Also, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) will go forward with bus service, not rail, to link LaGuardia Airport with New York City subways and commuter railroads; has approved an AirTrain Newark (N.J.) access improvement project; and selects Alstom for an AirTrain Newark operations and maintenance services contract.

BART will increase police patrols on trains and in stations, increase the frequency of “deep cleaning” of train cars and add more “scrub crew” cleaning at stations this spring. (BART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: BART, LIRR, MBTA

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is boosting police presence and cleaning in response to rider concerns. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and federal, state and local officials celebrate the start of full-scale Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) service to Grand Central Madison; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) launches a safety dashboard for riders and pushes back implementation of its new automated fare collection system.

As MARTA’s streetcar vehicle wheels are being replaced due to degradation, shuttle vans wrapped to look like streetcars are servicing the Atlanta, Ga., route. (MARTA Photographs)

Transit Briefs: MARTA, NYMTA, WMATA

Streetcar service is returning to downtown Atlanta, Ga., reports Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will upgrade accessibility at 17 subway stations across all five boroughs; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is eyeing design changes for its new 8000-series rapid transit cars.

Massachusetts State Rep. William Straus (10th Bristol) has filed two bills that, if approved, would leave MBTA charged with subway and bus services only.

Transit Briefs: MBTA; Miami-Dade, Fla.; NYMTA

A Massachusetts lawmaker eyes structural changes at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Also, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust (CITT) in Miami-Dade, Fla., launches an ambassador program; and MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) unveils its first dedicated customer service centers.

To provide new revenue to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is eying a payroll tax increase on businesses in New York City and its surrounding counties that are served by MTA’s subways, commuter railroads and buses.

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, WMATA

New York Gov. Kathy Hochel addresses the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s “fiscal cliff” in her state budget proposal; MTA signs a program management and design services contract to support capital program infrastructure work. Also, south Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter railroad homes in on a 2023 start date for downtown Miami service; and Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority mourns the loss of employee Robert Cunningham, who intervened on behalf of a customer at Potomac Avenue rapid transit station and was a victim of gun violence.

New York MTA’s Metro-North Penn Station Access Project would bring MTA Metro-North commuter rail service to Penn Station and Manhattan’s west side, along Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line on the Northeast Corridor (artist’s rendering shown).

Transit Briefs: Brightline, NYMTA, OCTA, SacRT, SCVTA

Ahead of service to Orlando, train testing of up to 110 mph continues for Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad. Also, New York MTA’s Metro-North Penn Station Access Project faces delays; Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Metrolink unveil track and station improvements in Anaheim, Calif.; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) in California begins station modifications to accommodate new LRVs from Siemens Mobility; and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) offers limited-edition trading cards.

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.

Grand Central Madison Open for Business

Originally planned for completion in 2009, the Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access Project is finally finished and in service. On Jan. 25, revenue trains ran from the LIRR’s Jamaica station to a new terminal facility 14 stories beneath Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The new terminal is slightly northwest of Metro North’s historic Grand Central Terminal. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has named the new facility “Grand Central Madison.”