In his remarks at the March 15 Opening General Session of the APTA Legislative Conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood spoke proudly of the funding support provided to public transportation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in its first year, but in response to hard-hitting questions from the audience, he acknowledged that many funding challenges remain for the industry. [More]

During a two-day summit in Washington for small disadvantaged and minority-owned (DBE/MBE) businesses, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that, under the Obama administration, DBEs and MBEs have received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contracts totaling more than $1.3 billion. [More]

In testimony March 26 before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Brad Miller, general manager of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) in Des Moines, IA, representing APTA, reported on the positive results to his agency of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. [More]

In testimony March 23 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Administrator Peter M. Rogoff of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) stressed the economic and environmental importance of public transportation as he explained the administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 FTA request for $10.8 billion--$67 million more than the FY 2010 enacted level. [More]

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, TX, entered a new era March 22 with the introduction of service on Capital MetroRail, described as the first modern passenger rail system in central Texas. [More]

Jeffrey A. Parker & Associates (JPA) of Chilmark, MA, recently received the 2009 Transport Financial Adviser of the Year award from Infrastructure Journal, a publication in the United Kingdom, at the annual award ceremony in London. IJ provides news stories, project databases, and analysis dealing with topics of key importance to the infrastructure market. [More]

On March 15—the same day he addressed the APTA Legislative Conference (see related story)—Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thanked the members of the National League of Cities (NLC) for their support of federal livability and infrastructure measures at the organization’s annual Congressional City Conference in Washington. [More]

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) in Fort Wright, KY, has promoted Deputy General Manager Andrew Aiello to the general manager position, effective March 15. He is the first general manager employed directly by the agency; in the past, the position has been administered through a contract with a transit management company. [More]

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Massachusetts DOT Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Mullan nominated Richard A. Davey as the department’s new rail and transit administrator on March 22. In this position, Davey will oversee the commonwealth’s 15 regional transit authorities and Massachusetts DOT’s freight and passenger rail program.

Patrick and Mullan have recommended that Davey also serve as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston as part of his responsibilities as administrator. [More]

Bruce P. DeVito, 61, vice president, rail and transit systems, with Gannett Fleming in New York, died March 2 after a lengthy illness. He oversaw the firm’s efforts at several rail and transit agencies in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. [More]

More than 700 people participated in APTA’s 35th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, on March 14-16, many of whom urged Congress to increase investment in public transit and approve a multi-year authorization bill. [More]

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), longtime transit supporter and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, credited APTA members for “the work you have done to lay the foundation for livable communities” when he addressed the APTA Legislative Conference the morning of March 16. He added: “People need to hear what you have to say. What we need is a plan for civic engagement—to muster support from the community in a bad economic situation.” [More]

A March 15 General Session featured Administrators Joseph C. Szabo of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Peter M. Rogoff of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). APTA President William Millar presided over the session. [More]

“The year 2009 was a whirlwind of activity for high-speed rail, with ARRA [the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] providing $8 billion for this program. A few years ago it was nothing, so to go from zero to $8 billion was a rather rapid transformation.”

With those words, moderator Stanley G. Feinsod, chair of the APTA High-Speed & Intercity Rail Legislative Subcommittee; co-chair, Commuter and Intercity Rail Joint Legislative Subcommittee; and passenger rail consultant, Ratp Dev, San Francisco, opened the March 15 APTA Legislative Conference session titled “High-Speed and Commuter Rail.” [More]

Emil H. Frankel, director of transportation policy for the National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), called on U.S. transportation policy to become more performance-driven when he addressed a March 15 session. APTA’s business members sponsored the breakfast session for the eighth year. [More]

A panel representing the full diversity of the American transportation industry discussed the pressing need for greater federal investment in public transportation at the 2010 APTA Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. [More]

APTA Legislative Conference participants got the inside word from Congressional committee staffers from both sides of the aisle during a March 15 “View from the Hill” session. J. Barry Barker, APTA vice chair-government affairs, served as moderator. [More]

APTA members took time during the Legislative Conference in Washington to visit their members of Congress on Capitol Hill. [More]

The livability partnership among three federal agencies—DOT, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—was the focus of a March 15 panel discussion at the APTA Legislative Conference titled “Sustainability and Livability in Transportation: Opportunities for Public Transportation.” [More]

WASHINGTON -- Nicknaming a federal grant-in-aid program TIGER may seem an anomaly: Federal disbursements, normally loaded with rules, regulations and complexity, rarely get called bold or ferocious.

But the government’s historic knee-jerk preference for roads gets a nip—maybe a deep bite—in the Transportation Department’s just-announced $1.5 billion in grants to states and cities under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, or TIGER. [More]

On Dec. 18, 2009, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) recognized its 30th anniversary of providing bus and rail service to the region by hosting a Transportation Summit with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) serving as honorary event chair. The event offered MARTA board members the opportunity to honor and thank the visionary leaders, loyal customers, and dedicated employees who have made the system successful for three decades. [More]

The context: A dramatically changing landscape for public transportation. [More]

On March 14, APTA Chair M.P. Carter announced the completion of the voting process for major changes in APTA’s governance and committee structure. APTA’s membership overwhelmingly approved the changes to the bylaws, with nearly 99 percent of the votes received in favor. [More]

Among the highlights of this year’s APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference and International Bus Roadeo, May 2-5 in Cleveland, are the first-ever “Walk and Roll” event and the Host Forum being presented by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. [More]

APTA has received a Silver ADDY award for its “Shaving” radio public service announcement (PSA), part of a campaign produced with PlowShare Group Inc. to raise awareness of the positive impact of public transportation on the environment. [More]

The American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) selected Kris Gandham, associate director of transportation of the East Texas Council of Governments (COG), to receive the Frank J. Lichtanski Scholarship at its meeting during APTA's recent Legislative Conference. [More]

The National Transit Institute (NTI) will conduct a free webinar based on Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 137, Improving Pedestrian and Motorist Safety Along Light Rail Alignments, April 15 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. This is part of a series of webinars being presented by NTI, in cooperation with TCRP and APTA, highlighting specific reports on current topics and trends in the transit industry. [More]

APTA is partnering with the Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Efficiency Global Forum & Exposition (EE Global), May 10-12 in Washington, DC—both the event program and the “Solutions Showcase” exposition. [More]