Passenger Transport Express - 06/29/2018 (Plain Text Version)

NEWS HEADLINES

$225 Million FFGA Installment for Boston Green Line Extension

U.S. DOT has released $225 million of a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Green Line Extension (GLX) light rail project in Boston. This is the second installment of funding for the project as part of the $996 million FFGA signed in Jan. 2015 by FTA and MBTA for the 4.7-mile line from Cambridge to Medford.

The release of the funds coincided with the project’s groundbreaking, which was attended by the DOT Secretary Elaine L. Chao, FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, U.S. Representatives Michael Capuano and Katherine Clark, MBTA General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez and other Massachusetts state and local officials.

The line, scheduled to open in January 2022, includes seven new light rail stations, replacement or rehabilitation of eight bridges and a new pedestrian/bike path. The GLX is expected to generate approximately 40,000 new transit trips a day, improving access to jobs and opportunities in Boston as well as the communities of Somerville and Medford, home to Tufts University.

Senate Rejects Rescissions Package

The Senate held a vote, June 20, on H.R. 3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act, which would have rescinded $100 million of prior-year appropriations, including public transit formula grants ($46.6 million) and intercity passenger rail competitive grants ($53.4 million). The procedural vote failed by 48-50. It is unlikely that the Senate will further consider the bill.

H.R. 3 is an amended version of the administration’s rescissions proposal that passed the House earlier this month (see APTA’s June 8 Legislative Alert).

“APTA strongly encourages Congress to reinvest this $100 million of prior-year funds to help address the current $90 billion state-of-good-repair backlog for bus and rail systems,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. Read more in APTA’s latest Legislative Update. [return to top]

Senate Banking Committee Introduces Transit Rail Inspection Bill

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH), together with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), introduced a bill, June 26, that makes several changes to transit rail inspection requirements and the State Safety Oversight program.

To view the bill, S. 3139 the Transit Rail Inspection Practices Act, click here. To view the Banking Committee summary, click here. [return to top]

FTA Webinar on Grants for Buses, Bus Facilities Infrastructure

FTA is hosting a webinar, 2 p.m. EDT July 10, regarding FTA’s Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program funding opportunity. Advance registration is required.

The Bus and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program will award funds competitively to assist in the financing of capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and related equipment, and to rehabilitate, purchase, construct or lease bus-related facilities. [return to top]

SAVE THE DATE

Join Your Peers for APTA's Sustainability & Multimodal Planning Workshop

APTA’s Sustainability & Multimodal Planning Workshop, July 29-Aug. 1 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, is the premier forum for advancing cutting-edge practices in sustainability, multimodal planning and scheduling in public transportation with a focus on increasing efficiencies, resiliency and integration. Our host agency, TransLink, is the first Canadian transit organization to achieve Platinum level status from the APTA Sustainability Commitment.

Join your industry peers and learn about livable and sustainable development, new emerging technologies, facilities and service planning, and route design for enhanced mobility. Enjoy multiple opportunities to interact with thought-provoking speakers, engage in peer-to-peer learning and roundtable discussions, and participate in technical tours.

Early-registration deadline is today, June 29! For more information and to register, click here. [return to top]

IN THE MEDIA

The Detroit News: "Transit Key to Job Attraction"—Inadequate public transportation networks are hampering the economic ambitions of dozens of American cities, says APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. Robust funding for public transit can help them get back on track.

The New York Times ran a Letter to the Editor from APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas on a recent exposé—"Thanks for exposing the ulterior motives of the Koch brothers, who oppose public transit projects..."

MCTS Adding Art to Bus Shelters—The Milwaukee County Transit System is beautifying hundreds of shelters with large vinyl stickers, in partnership with Bus Art Project MKE.

SEPTA's New-Look City Hall Transit Center—The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has introduced the first stage of its multiyear, multimillion-dollar project to remake the tunnels beneath Center City into a more attractive pedestrian concourse.

MTA Debuts Transit-Tracking App—A year after the overhaul of Baltimore's bus system, real-time tracking of Maryland Transit Administration buses has arrived. [return to top]