Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon

Work is under way to extend central Florida’s SunRail commuter rail service 12.2 miles north. (SunRail)

Transit Briefs: SunRail, Amtrak, Brightline, CTA, LACMTA, TriMet

STV is providing engineering design services for the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) SunRail extension project. Also, Amtrak continues work on station accessibility improvements; Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, will sell up to $1 billion of tax-free debt to cover its extension to Orlando; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is working on an equitable transit-oriented development plan for the 95th Street corridor; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) is studying three light rail options for the 4.5-mile C Line extension; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has extended its contract with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 757.

The TriMet Board has approved a $1.93 billion FY 2023 budget.

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, SEPTA, Shore Line East, TriMet, Valley Metro

Metrolinx selected Ricardo Certification to perform safety assessments for the GO Expansion project in Toronto; SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) released three options for its Reimagining Regional Rail project; Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter rail is now operating M8 Electric Multiple Units (EMU); the Board of Directors for Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) approved the FY 2023 budget; and Valley Metro launched its Tempe (Ariz.) Streetcar system.

It took more than 35 years, but TriMet’s MAX Train 120 has traveled the equivalent of the world’s entire rail network—twice.

Watch: TriMet MAX Train Marks 2MM Miles

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon’s (TriMet) MAX Train 120 surpassed 2 million miles of service this month—the equivalent of traveling the world’s entire rail network, twice—the agency reported.

For TriMet, $289.1MM ARP Grant

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) a $289.1 million grant for COVID-19 response under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.

TriMet Appoints Bonnie Todd COO

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has named Bonnie Todd COO; she is the first woman to hold the agency’s top operating job.

Transit Briefs: BART, SEPTA, TriMet

Bay Area Rapid Transit is initiating a “Free BART Rides for School Field Trips” pilot program. In addition, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is launching a Transit Supportive Community Development program along corridors with frequent transit service, not just near stations; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has maintained a top bond rating and rolled out new sustainability bonds.

USDOT: $250MM to Advance Transit Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported on June 11 that 22 transit projects in the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program will receive a total of $250 million in American Rescue Plan funding allocations; four are rail-related and will receive a total of $64.9 million.