New APTA Officers: Castillo, Varga, Barnes

APTA welcomed its 2012-2013 slate of officers at the Annual Meeting in Seattle. [More]

Rogoff, McMillan Discuss FTA Priorities
BY NOLAN HESTER, Special to Passenger Transport

In the wake of passage of a new federal surface transportation law. top FTA officials fielded numerous questions at an Oct. 2 General Forum during APTA's Annual Meeting in Seattle. [More]

 

Portland Streetcar Introduces ‘Central Loop’ Service

The city of Portland. OR, introduced service on its newest streetcar line—the Central Loop—on Sept. 22. “Get in the loop” was the day’s theme. [More]

Rogoff Attends Cleveland Ground Breaking

With FTA Administrator Peter M. Rogoff in attendance, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) broke ground Sept. 19 for reconstruction of the Cedar-University Rapid Transit Station on the Red Line. The $18.5 million project will take two years, and the station will remain open to the public during construction. [More]

MARTA's Scott to Head MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston has named Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D., general manager/chief executive officer, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), and APTA chair in 2008-2009, as its next general manager. She joins MBTA on Dec. 15. [More]

Capital Metro Breaks Ground on MetroRapid Station

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, TX, recently broke ground for the Chinatown Station on its MetroRapid Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. [More]

KCATA Breaks Ground in Kansas City, KS

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) in Kansas City, MO, joined the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS, (UG) to break ground Sept. 19 on the Midtown KCK MetroCenter in Kansas City, KS. KCATA provides service to both cities. [More]

OCTA Breaks Ground for Anaheim Intermodal Center

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Orange, CA, and the city of Anaheim broke ground Sept. 18 for the $184 million Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center or ARTIC. [More]

COVERAGE OF THE 2012 APTA ANNUAL MEETING

Host Session: ‘This Region Really Loves Transit’
BY NOLAN HESTER, Special to Passenger Transport

“This region really loves transit,” said Kevin Desmond, general manager of King County Metro Transit, chair of the APTA Sustainability Committee, and a member of the APTA Board of Directors, in describing the public transportation mix in Washington State’s Puget Sound region. “Partnership Strategy Moves Puget Sound Region Toward Its Vision,” the Oct. 1 Host Session at the APTA Annual Meeting in Seattle, highlighted the region’s embrace of public transportation and the mesh of jurisdictions, funding, and operations required to deliver those services. [More]

Moosajee: Creating Harmony Among Modes; Organizer of First BRT System in Africa
BY NOLAN HESTER, Special to Passenger Transport

Many public transportation officials learn to coexist with private taxi systems, which can view public systems as an economic threat. But few face the challenges laid out by Rehana Moosajee of Johannesburg, South Africa, who led the successful effort to build Africa’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. [More]

Scenes from the 2012 Annual Meeting

Here are more scenes from the 2012 APTA Annual Meeting in Seattle. [More]

Pike Place Fishmongers Share Keys to Successful Workplaces

Seattle’s world famous Pike Place Fishmongers closed APTA’s Annual Meeting Oct. 3 with an interactive and inspiring presentation that included, among other things, some fish tossing! [More]

2012 AdWheel First-Place and Grand Award Winners

Following is the complete list of first-place winners in the 2012 AdWheel Awards competition. Grand Award winners are listed in bold italic. [More]

APTA NEWS

2013 APTA Photo Invitational Theme: ‘It’s All About the People’

Are your transit photos so good you think they should be on display somewhere important? Then enter the 2013 APTA Photo Invitational by Oct. 29. [More]

Comments Sought on Standards Documents

The APTA Standards Development Program has nine documents posted for public comment. The public comment period ends Oct. 31. [More]

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Phillip A. Washington!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Phillip A. Washington, general manager, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO, and member, APTA Executive Committee. [More]

MEET THE APTA STAFF

Meet Adam Martin!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing members of the APTA staff. The subject of this profile is Adam Martin, meeting planner, Member Services Department. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

New York MTA Connects Manhattan, Queens Tunnels

On Sept. 20, sandhogs working on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access megaproject broke through the final piece of reinforced concrete separating newly built tunnels in Queens from newly built tunnels in Manhattan. In so doing, they created a continuous tunnel running more than three and a half miles from a cavern 12 stories underneath Grand Central Terminal to four concrete-lined, 22-foot-diameter tunnels just feet below the Sunnyside rail yard in Queens that will soon be connected to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) main line. [More]

Jacksonville Implements STAR Fare Payment Technology

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in Jacksonville, FL, reports success in its introduction of the Simply Tap And Ride (STAR) electronic payment fare collection system earlier this year. The system went live after only six months of implementation, compared to a usual 12-18 months. [More]

COMMENTARY

What we can learn from Denver’s Mile High vision
BY STUART LEAVENWORTH, Editorial Page Editor, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, CA

The future of the capital region is inextricably tied to the health of its largest city, as well as Sacramento’s relationship with the rest of the region. Both the health of this city and its outward relationships should be cause for concern. [More]