Amid increased calls for a second federal economic stimulus package, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard Oct. 29 from witnesses advocating for increases in infrastructure funding. The three panels at the packed hearing included representatives of numerous modes of transportation, including public transit, intercity rail, aviation, and water transportation. [More]

More than 31 public transportation agencies across the U.S. are facing the grim consequences of the financial meltdown under assault from the investors in dozens of Lease-in/Lease-out and Sale-in/Lease-out (LILO/SILO) transactions promoted and approved by the Federal Transit Administration—which could lead to severe service cuts and termination costs in excess of $2 billion. [More]

The annual Rail~Volution conference rolled into San Francisco for four days in late October, bringing together a host of land-use and transportation innovators, forward-thinking elected officials, and imaginative developers, all deeply invested in an efficient and sustainable blending of transit development and land use.
Nearly four billion passenger trips were taken on all rail modes in 2007. [More]

America’s public transportation industry will play a critical role in shaping a sustainable world and enhancing the quality of life. This is the focus of APTA’s far reaching, visionary effort, TransitVision 2050, which envisions an efficient, multi-modal transportation system which will be the key to global competitiveness. [More]

The issue of climate change continues to permeate people’s thinking—and actions. Ads stress anything “green”; people are driving less; and the environmental imperatives of reducing greenhouse gases and developing alternative energy sources figure prominently on every political agenda —all trends that bode well for public transportation as the industry looks to the ingenuity of human resources to solve the pressing need for expanded, yet sustainable, system capacity.

Universities across the U.S. are also responding to this environmentally evolutionary way of thinking and acting. Every month, the Association of Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) reports scores of new campus initiatives to promote public transportation, switch to alternative fuel sources, conserve energy, and build greener buildings. For the first time ever, the 2009 edition of the Kaplan College Guide highlights the 10 hottest green careers—including Transportation Systems Planning—to help save the planet. [More]

The Metropolitan Transit Authority in Nashville held grand opening ceremonies Oct. 24 for its new downtown transit station, Music City Central with buses beginning to serve the station two days later. [More]

As guests chanted “Move That Bus,” the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County in Reno, NV, dedicated its Centennial Plaza Transit Center in Sparks on Oct. 21. The new $20 million facility, located four miles from downtown Reno, replaces a closet-sized shelter in the corner of a parking garage. [More]

Not only is being green becoming easier, it’s also becoming a global necessity—and public transportation is one of the keystones of the process.
“Green Community,” the newest exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, focuses on the big picture from two perspectives: what constitutes a green community and how people can make existing communities greener. [More]

“This exciting project is a role model for the rest of the nation.” With those words, Federal Transit Administration Chief Counsel E.S. Severn Miller joined other officials Oct. 24 to launch the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) new HealthLine—the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the nation to be funded with federal New Starts money. [More]

The Utah Transit Authority in Salt Lake City broke ground Oct. 22 for the Airport TRAX light rail line, the fourth of five lines included in UTA’s FrontLines 2015 project. [More]

The American Heart Association has recognized two U.S. public transportation agencies as part of its Start! Fit-Friendly Company effort. The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) earned recognition at the Platinum Level of the program, while the Orange County Transportation Authority in Orange, CA, is participating at the Gold Level. [More]

When it comes to matters of the heart, Toronto’s GO Transit is showing its customers how much it cares. In partnership with The Mikey Network and the Toronto EMS Cardiac Safe City Program, GO Transit launched a vital, life-saving initiative Oct. 21 by introducing public-access defibrillators, called “MIKEYs,” throughout its system. [More]

Maglev 2008, The 20th International Conference on Magnetically Levitated Systems and Linear Drives, will convene Dec. 15 to 18 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. [More]