Several notable public transit-related events took place in Dallas recently, from the launch of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail Blue Line Extension to an increase in the frequency of the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) (co-operated by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority and DART) and the 100th anniversary of the city’s Union Station. A summary follows. [More]

RTC Completes Flamingo Corridor Improvements; New Dedicated Bus Lanes, Shelters

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) marked the completion of the $46.4 million Flamingo Corridor improvement project along RTC’s busiest route at a community celebration Oct. 28 attended by FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers and two members of Congress. [More]

Downstate Illinois Agencies Grapple with State Funding Impasse; Agencies Close as Funding Remains Unpaid

Many public transit agencies in downstate Illinois are facing the prospect of shutting down or scaling back operations as legally mandated state funding for Fiscal Year 2017 remains unpaid dating to July 1, when the fiscal year started. [More]

VRT in Boise Opens Downtown Station; Part of Mixed-Use Project

Valley Regional Transit, Meridian, ID, recently opened Main Street Station in downtown Boise, part of a new mixed-use development that also includes commercial and university space. [More]

SEPTA Employees Strike in Philadelphia; Authority Reopens Major Artery

More than 4,700 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 employed in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s City Transit Division went on strike at midnight Nov. 1 in Philadelphia, affecting about 400,000 daily riders. [More]

CATA's 'Multimodal Gateway' Fulfills a Regional Vision

The Capital Area Multimodal Gateway in East Lansing, MI, recently opened by the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) marks the culmination of a regional partnership among the agency, the city and Michigan State University, along with funding support from FTA and Michigan DOT, according to CATA Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director Sandy Draggoo. [More]

SANDAG Breaks Ground for $2 B Mid-Coast Trolley

The San Diego Association of Governments launched construction of the $2.1 billion Mid-Coast Trolley—the culmination of more than two decades of work to expand regional light rail service in the area—with a recent event attended by local and federal officials and several thousand guests. [More]

WMATA Proposes 'Reality Check' FY18 Budget

Officials of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority recently proposed an austere operating budget that calls for downsizing the workforce by 1,000 positions, cutting some employee healthcare costs, outsourcing some functions, raising fares and scaling back service to align with current ridership in an attempt to control the agency’s major expenses while it continues its SafeTrack program to improve rail safety and reliability. [More]

VTA Tunnel Will Connect with Caltrain Station

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA, broke ground Nov. 1 for a $14 million tunnel extension project that will connect the Santa Clara VTA station to a Caltrain platform. [More]

Remembering John Neff, Longtime APTA Colleague

CTA and Cubs Score!

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the Cubs scored big time in recent days as the Cubs won its first World Series in 108 years and CTA carried thousands of enthusiastic fans to and from Wrigley Field. [More]

New CEOs, Interim Named

New Jersey Transit Corporation and King County Metro Transit have named new chief executives, while the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation announced an interim chief executive. [More]

APTA Hosts Azerbaijani Professional

As part of the U.S. Department of State Professional Fellows Program (PFP) APTA is hosting for four weeks a professional from Azerbaijan, Emil Ahmadov, who serves as the leading advisor at the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan. [More]

Peak Experience: Riding the Rails in Autumn

Amtrak's Capitol Limited, operating between Washington, DC, and Chicago, offers a panoramic view of the fall foliage. [More]

APTA COMMITTEE PROFILE

High-Speed and Intercity Rail Committee

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Florida DOT to Fund HART's Autonomous Circulator

Florida DOT is providing the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa with up to $1 million in state funding for one of the first U.S. projects involving an autonomous vehicle—a circulator service that would connect a public transit center with downtown, operating on a low-speed, controlled-access transitway and complementing local bus service. [More]

Siemens to Provide LRVs for Twin Cities Extension

The Metropolitan Council, which oversees Metro Transit in Minneapolis/St. Paul, recently entered into a $118 million contract with Siemens to provide 27 new light rail vehicles that will operate on the planned Southwest Light Rail Transit Project from downtown Minneapolis through neighboring communities when the line enters service in 2021. [More]

NC Members of Congress Tour CATS

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) recently invited her colleague Rep. David Price (D-NC), ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies, on a tour of the Charlotte Area Transit System. [More]

Foothill Expands Fleet with CCW Buses

Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA, has received the first of 30 articulated buses following their rehabilitation by Complete Coach Works, Riverside, CA. [More]

GoTriangle's Hurricane Relief Efforts

GoTriangle in Research Triangle Park, NC, recently reached out to families affected by Hurricane Matthew and the subsequent flooding in four North Carolina counties, delivering food and other supplies donated by the community. [More]

Celebrating More Service in Phoenix

Officials and community members gathered Oct. 24 at Central Station in Phoenix for a public event to commemorate the launch of the city’s historic bus service improvements. [More]

CFTE Post-Election Webinar: Nov. 15

With this year’s historic number of public transit-related measures and level of financial investment on the Nov. 8 ballot, the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) has scheduled an hour-long webinar, 2016 Transit Election Trends, Nov. 15, 2-3 p.m. Eastern time. [More]

FTA Schedules Triennial Review Workshops

FTA has scheduled a series of Triennial Review workshops through December to help grantees prepare for reviews by looking at statutory and program requirements and providing procedural guides and other supporting materials. [More]

FTA Plans State Management Review Workshops

COMMENTARY

How Corporate Cash Can Save America's Infrastructure: Rebuilding Through Repatriation

With an onerous and outdated U.S. tax code keeping American corporations from repatriating the more than $2 trillion they hold overseas, S&P Global is proposing a deal in which companies can take advantage of a limited tax holiday in return for investing a percentage of the earnings they bring home in U.S. infrastructure. [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 as space permits. [More]