Illinois Agencies Receive Partial Payment from Downstate Fund; Comptroller's Office Moves $17.6 Million from General Fund

The Illinois comptroller’s office has transferred $17.6 million to the Downstate Public Transportation Fund from the state’s General Revenue Fund, to cover all remaining pay requests from the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2016.

This action also provides FY 2017 first-quarter payments to some of the downstate public transit agencies suffering from a shortfall. However, the fund still owes an additional $157 million. [More]

JTA to Launch Second First Coast Flyer Line

As Passenger Transport went to press, the Jacksonville (FL) Transportation Authority was preparing for the Dec. 5 launch of the second of five proposed First Coast Flyer BRT lines. [More]

Chicago, San Diego Complete Renovated, New Stations

Officials at the Chicago Transit Authority and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System recently announced that they have completed major renovations at multiple stations on critical transit thoroughfares, making travel experiences better, more efficient and more connected for riders. [More]

Muni Restores Operations After Internal Systems Hack; Service, Safety Uninterrupted

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has restored its computer operations following a malware attack on Friday, Nov. 25 that primarily affected its internal office and other systems, prompting agency officials to temporarily turn off subway ticket machines and fare gates to minimize potential risk and inconvenience to riders during the holiday weekend. [More]

Agencies Take Delivery of Electric Buses; First for Houston; Gillig Enters Market at County Connection

As part of the growing interest in adding zero-emission electric buses to public transit fleets, Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection), Concord, CA, recently introduced the vehicles to service. [More]

A Royal Visit to Bombardier

Prince William visited Bombardier Transportation UK’s manufacturing plant at Derby, U.K., on Nov. 30, where he toured the facility, test drove one of the new trains being delivered for Transport for London’s new Elizabeth Line—named this year in honor of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II—and met with employees. [More]

New Interim, Acting GMs Named

The Cincinnati Bell Connector has named Mark Young its interim general manager and Tonya Dupree has been named acting general manager for GoDurham (NC). [More]

In Memoriam: Madison: 18 Years with Laketran

Dale Madison, 62, of Buffalo, NY, a 40-year public transportation professional who was director of development for Laketran in Painesville, OH, from 1989 until his retirement in 2007, died Nov. 13. [More]

APTA NEWS

APTA Hosts Forum on High-Speed Rail; Experts from Across the Country Attend

As Passenger Transport went to press, more than 150 passenger rail experts convened at the APTA offices for a day-long high-speed rail policy forum Nov. 30, opened by APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes, executive director, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA, who called high-performance passenger rail “one of the most efficient ways to link regions together.” [More]

APTA Names Ford Chief Counsel

APTA has announced that Linda C. Ford, associate administrator of the FTA Office of Civil Rights, will become the association’s chief counsel effective Jan. 9, 2017. [More]

Meeting and Greeting on Capitol Hill

APTA hosted committee meetings and a Capitol Hill reception in Washington, DC, in early December. [More]

APTA COMMITTEE PROFILE

Committee on Public Safety

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

WMATA Proposes 'Back2Good' Plan

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld highlighted several strategies to strengthen Metrorail safety and reliability levels so they are “back to good” in a plan he announced Nov. 30, the first anniversary of his joining the agency. [More]

FDOT, University to Build High-Tech Testing Center

Florida DOT (FDOT) signed a long-term partnership with Florida Polytechnic University to build SunTrax, a new, state-of-the-art transportation technology testing facility and hub for research, development and testing of emerging transportation technologies related to tolling, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and automated and connected vehicles. [More]

BBB's New Funding Strengthens Alternative Fuel Fleet

Big Blue Bus (BBB) in Santa ­Monica, CA, recently received a $870,000 grant from the California Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee’s Near Zero Engine Incentive Program to upgrade the agency’s CNG engines, which will further reduce emissions and extend the lifespan of its vehicles—all of which operate on alternative fuels. [More]

Riders Like Me: CapMetro Showcases Diverse Riders

Building on the concept that ­public transit is for everyone, Capital Metro in Austin has teamed up with some of the city’s ­photographers and filmmakers in a year-long project that brings their ­riders’ stories to life and overcomes the misconception that “people like me don’t ride.” [More]

Agencies Announce TOD Plans, Report Growing ROI: MARTA, St. Louis Metro, Foothill Gold Line Projects Are Building Communities

Three public transportation agencies recently announced plans or studies emphasizing the critical partnership between public transit and community development—the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, St. Louis Metro and the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. [More]

Bombardier Adds Operations to AMT Maintenance Contract

Bombardier Transportation has entered into a $331 million (Cdn.), eight-year contract with Montréal’s Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), with a two-year option, that adds operations to its existing maintenance services for the AMT commuter rail fleet. [More]

Valley Metro Designates Bus Fleet as 'Safe Places'

Valley Metro in Phoenix has added its entire 900-bus fleet to the “Safe Place” program for homeless, runaway and abused teens that previously included its 35 light rail stations. [More]

TriMet Restores Bus Service Over Rebuilt Bridge

With the reconstruction of the Sellwood Bridge over the Willamette River, Portland’s Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) will change a bus route to provide direct service across the bridge—for the first time in 12 years—beginning Dec. 5. [More]

PSTA, HART Partner on 'Flamingo Fares'

Public transit users across the Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL, area now have a new regional fare option: Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay, provided through a partnership of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority in Tampa and St. Petersburg’s Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. [More]

Industry Briefs

Here are some brief items from public transit agencies and businesses. [More]

COMMENTARY

Bending the Bureaucracy Toward Excellence; Transformational Leadership, the 'Right Blueprint' and New 'North Star'

As a leader in your public transit agency, you may have noticed the same thing I did when I arrived as administrator and CEO of Maryland DOT’s Maryland Transit Administration 18 months ago: overlapping layers of bureaucracy choking line managers’ ability to implement changes and improvements. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry