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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Industry Briefs

Additional Funding for Metrolink Fare Enforcement — The Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors recently allocated an additional $1.7 million to help ensure 100 percent fare enforcement on all Metrolink Antelope Valley Line commuter trains through June 30. These funds will expand a Metrolink pilot program that began last year.

Riverside Installs Kiel North America Seating — The Riverside (CA) Transit Agency is installing lightweight, ergonomically designed seats from Kiel North America in 107 new buses in its fleet. Ninety of the buses have stainless steel seats, while the rest are equipped with fully padded seats.

Keeping the Cold Out — Amtrak, owner of Chicago Union Station, has rerouted foot traffic at the station to minimize exposure to outside air and improve temperature conditions for passengers, other station users, vendors and railroad workers. Limiting the use of some doors also will help control the influx of winter air into the station, which is expected to reduce incidents such as sprinkler pipe breaks caused by extreme cold.

VTA Joins Neighborhood Social Network — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA, recently became the first public transit agency to join Nextdoor, a private social network for neighborhoods across the U.S. VTA’s participation will allow the agency to better connect with its neighbors and provide information about countywide mobility planning, highways, bicycling, walking and local roads.

C-TRAN to Introduce INIT Fare Technology — The Clark County Public Transportation Benefit Area (C-TRAN), Vancouver, WA, has contracted with INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc. for delivery of an updated electronic fare collection system. C-TRAN will install fare validators on the more than 100 vehicles in its fleet, allowing integration with the regional e-fare system operated by Portland’s Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon.

St. Louis Agency to Relocate Headquarters — The Bi-State Development Agency, operator of Metro ­public transit in St. Louis, has announced plans to move its headquarters to a new location this summer. Unlike its current space, where the agency has been based since 1982, the new location is served by MetroBus and Madison County Transit (Granite City, IL) as well as by MetroLink light rail.

IndyGo Partners with Pacers — IndyGo in Indianapolis and the Indiana Pacers pro basketball team teamed up Feb. 4 for a cross-promotion that included free rides throughout the system. The event featured 60-foot articulated buses wrapped in Pacers artwork, giveaways by team representatives and an opportunity to win free game tickets.

VRE Names Locomotives After Board Members — The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Operations Board, Alexandria, VA, recently introduced a program that recognizes especially noteworthy board members, placing their names on the front of VRE locomotives. The first to be honored include original board members Edwin King, Bernard Cohen, Sally H. Cooper and Sharon Bulova; James Hugh Payne Sr. and Bob Gibbons, the first members elected from their jurisdictions; and long-serving members John Jenkins, Hilda Barg and Elaine McConnell.

PB Extends Light Rail Contract in Ontario — Parsons Brinckerhoff and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, ON, have agreed to exercise a three-year option to extend their existing light rail transit contract. The $1 billion, two-stage project will bring light rail to the Waterloo Region, which includes the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener. Construction began last year on the first 11.8 miles of light rail between the urban cores of Kitchener and Waterloo.

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