NEWS HEADLINES

San Diego MTS Extends Green Line Through Downtown

The San Diego Trolley introduced Green Line service through downtown San Diego—past the San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park to the 12th and Imperial Transit Center—on Sept. 2. The Green Line previously terminated at the Old Town Transit Center. [More]

 

Public Transit Joins Discussion on Public Safety Broadband Network

Barry Einsig, chair of the Joint Council on Transit Wireless Communications, represented APTA at an Aug. 30 meeting of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network Subcommittee of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). Einsig presented the public transit perspective, related to agencies’ unique needs for an enhanced communications system, potential assets for building a new network, and role as regional first responders. [More]

Counting Down to the 2012 APTA Annual Meeting

The 2012 APTA Annual Meeting in Seattle is only 20 days away! Plan to join your colleagues in Seattle for a full schedule of educational sessions, networking opportunities, and technical tours. [More]

CUTA Leaders Visit APTA Counterparts

Senior leaders of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) recently came to Washington to meet with their APTA counterparts on major issues facing their associations and the public transportation industry in North America. [More]

St. Louis Metro Marks Opening of Bridge, Public Transit Plaza

St. Louis Metro marked the opening of the Grand Bridge, replacing the former Grand Avenue Viaduct, and of the Metro Scott Avenue Transit Plaza at ceremonies Aug. 25. Both projects received federal funding to cover 80 percent of their costs—$22 million for the bridge, $7 million for the public transit plaza—with a local match covering the balance. [More]

Mattei Acquires Transit Engineering Services

Mattei Compressors Inc., Randallstown, MD, has acquired 100 percent of the stock of Transit Engineering Services (TES), a packager of onboard air compressors for metro, subway, light rail, and people mover applications for more than 15 years. The company will now operate as Mattei Transit Engineering (MTE) and has relocated into Mattei’s facilities. [More]

Ecosystem Management & Associates Now Part of HDR

HDR Engineering Inc. has purchased the assets of Ecosystem Management & Associates Inc. (EM&A), a woman-owned firm based in Lusby, MD. Going forward, EM&A staff will do business as part of HDR Engineering Inc. and HDR Environmental, Operations, and Construction Inc. [More]

HART Carries GOP Delegates

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa, FL, provided additional service during the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa. [More]

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Jennifer Mitchell!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Jennifer Mitchell, principal consultant, strategic consulting, for Parsons Brinckerhoff, Washington, DC, a member of the Leadership APTA Class of 2012. [More]

MEET THE APTA STAFF

Meet Helene Brett!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of stories showcasing members of the APTA staff. The subject of this profile is Helene Brett, director-membership, in the Member Services Department. [More]

APTA NEWS

Melaniphy Addresses Volpe Center

APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy recently made a presentation on the state of the public transportation industry at DOT’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, MA. [More]

APTF Scholarship Awards Program: Harness the Change

In today’s ever-changing economy, the task of growing a talented and dedicated workforce is more challenging than ever in the public transit industry. The American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) is working to meet that challenge in part by bringing together the industry’s emerging leaders—its 2012 scholarship recipients. [More]

New TCRP Publications Out Now

The Transportation Research Board recently released several Transit Cooperative Research Program publications. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Sound Transit Wins State Award from Department of Ecology

The Washington State Department of Ecology has presented Sound Transit in Seattle with its highest honor—the Environmental Excellence Award—for the agency’s role in a unique estuary-restoration project near Marysville. [More]

Metro Transit Introduces Next-Generation Hybrid Buses

Metro Transit in Minneapolis/St. Paul unveiled its two newest hybrid-electric buses Aug. 24 at the Minnesota State Fair. The buses have strong Minnesota connections: they were built at the New Flyer plant in St. Cloud and will operate in the fleet of the state’s largest public transit provider. After the fair, the buses will operate on routes serving downtown Minneapolis and surrounding communities. [More]

New York MTA Bus Time Reaches One Million Text Requests

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently achieved a major milestone with its Bus Time™ initiative. Riders have sent one million text messages requesting public transit information since the service launched its first borough-wide expansion in January 2012. [More]

Renovation Scheduled for Montebello/Commerce Metrolink Station

Montebello Bus Lines (MBL) in Montebello, CA, received approval for a $537,000 proposal to revitalize the Montebello/Commerce Metrolink Station with new landscaping. The station is the fifth of six stops on Metrolink’s Riverside commuter rail line, which originates in downtown Riverside and terminates at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. [More]

BART Employee Foils Credit Card Thief

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) announced that the swift actions of an agency employee led to the arrest of a credit card thief who had two outstanding warrants for his arrest. In accordance with BART policy, the agency has not identified the employee. [More]

Partnership Leads to Extended GCRTA Service

Thanks to the financial support of numerous partners including the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has expanded its popular, “free with a smile” trolley service in downtown Cleveland to evenings and weekends, effective Sept. 10. [More]

COMMENTARY

America needs to invest more into its infrastructure to compete on a global level
BY BOB VAN DEVENTER, President and CEO, Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, and ED RENDELL, Former Governor, Pennsylvania, and Co-Chair, Building America’s Future Educational Fund

Infrastructure may be one of the least sexy words in the English language, but it is one of the most important.

Infrastructure is really about the quality of life we want for ourselves, our families and our communities. It’s the roads and bridges we drive on, the schools our children learn in, the trains we ride on, the water we drink. It’s the energy grid that powers our homes and offices and also the dams and levees that protect us from flooding. Like the skeleton in our bodies, infrastructure is the framework on which every other important thing in a modern society is built. It affects our lives each and every day. It is the foundation of our health, security and prosperity. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and business members. Items appear in People on the Move in the order in which they are received. [More]