Passenger Transport Express - 10/29/2010 (Plain Text Version)

News Headlines

High-Speed Rail Grants Announced by DOT

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Oct. 28 announced $2.4 billion in grants to 54 high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects in 23 states. “These projects are indispensable multistate efforts, which is why they were selected from more than 132 applications requesting almost $9 billion," LaHood said in a conference call with reporters.

Of the total funds, approximately $1.5 billion will go to high-speed rail exclusively, while the remainder will be invested in shared-use freight rail/high-speed rail.

"Each grant represents a building block as the outlines of a national high-speed rail network take place," said LaHood. "High-speed rail will spur economic development, job creation, and a powerful ripple effect that helps local businesses.” It will also help address climate change and dependency on foreign oil, he noted.

DOT, EPA Propose GHG, Fuel Economy Standards for Buses, Vans, Other Vehicles

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the Department of Transportation on Oct. 25 proposed national standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency that would include most public transit buses and vans.

The standards would apply to all vehicles with a gross weight of 8,500 pounds or greater and their engines, (except for medium-duty passenger vehicles already covered by the greenhouse gas standards and corporate average fuel economy standards issued for light-duty model year 2012-2016 vehicles).

The standards would also create new categories for heavy-duty vehicles: combination tractors, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and vocational vehicles (including public transit buses). Each type would have its own fuel-consumption and carbon-emissions reduction target to achieve by the 2018 model year, with reductions beginning in the 2014 model year.

For heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans (including paratransit vans), the agencies propose separate gasoline and diesel truck standards: up to a 10 percent reduction for gasoline vehicles and up to a 15 percent reduction for diesel vehicles.

For vocational vehicles, the proposed standards would bring up to a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by the 2018 model year. [return to top]

November Ballot Measures Could Bring Record Support for Public Transit

More than 30 ballot measures supporting public transportation will be decided by voters across the nation in the November elections next week. Measures are pending in Florida, California, Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Look to the Nov. 8 issue of Passenger Transport for detailed election results. For a description of each ballot measure, see the Center for Transportation Excellence. [return to top]

Save the Date

Register now for the 2011 APTA Transit CEOs Seminar in San Diego, bringing together public transportation chief executives and their deputies in a forum for professional development and open dialogue on leadership and management topics. [return to top]

In the Media

The chairman and CEO of New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Jay Walder, was profiled in The New York Times.

Smashing pumpkin: The blog Greater Greater Washington featured a jack-o'-lantern with the rail map of Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority carved into it.

Actor Vincent Kartheiser is "mad" about the benefits of public transportation in Los Angeles, The New York Times reported.
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