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| December 7, 2012 |
| NEWS HEADLINES |
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NY MTA, NJ Transit Testify on Hurricane Sandy
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The chief executives of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New Jersey Transit Corporation testified about the impact of Hurricane Sandy at a Dec. 6 hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security. MTA Chairman of the Board and CEO Joseph Lhota stated that most service resumed
within a week after the “unprecedented” event, but that “we are nowhere close to normal operations and won’t be for quite some time. It’s important to remember that hundreds of millions of gallons of salt water completely inundated a system that’s over 100 years old.” NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein
called Sandy “a massive and merciless storm…[that] dealt crushing blows to New Jersey’s transit and transportation network.” He added that NJ Transit will feel the effects of the hurricane for months to come. |
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LaHood Testifies on High-Speed Rail
On Thursday, Dec. 6, DOT Sec. Ray LaHood testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to discuss the Administration’s high-speed rail program. The hearing considered the FRA’s management of the program, the status of rail projects, and improvements that are being considered.
LaHood said, “We’re not giving up on high-speed rail. The president will include funding in his budget. I think we’ll get there with public money, but in the absence of that we’ll get there with private money.”
APTA Members Convene in DC
APTA’s Board of Directors, Legislative Committee, Bus and Paratransit, and Rail Conference planning committees were in DC for various meetings this week, as well as the holiday reception on Capitol Hill. As Passenger Transport Express went to press, the first meeting of the Authorization Task Force was convening at the APTA offices.
SAVE THE DATE
APTA’s Transit CEOs Seminar will be held Feb 9-12, 2013 in Palm Springs, CA. This is your chance to meet with ceos and deputies from around the country and discuss issues from authorization to labor trends.
IN THE MEDIA
Metro Transit is improving transit service in the East Metro area by assigning 33 new low-emission hybrid-electric buses to routes throughout St. Paul and its suburbs.
Are you “stroller savvy”? Chicago Transit Authority has started a new informational campaign to remind riders with strollers to be considerate of the other passengers.
The Maryland Transit Administration has dusted off the Holiday Bus and is joining with Santa and two of his elves to bring a little holiday cheer to some of its daily commuters.
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