Commuter Regional

LIRR, NYCT boost service for All-Star Game

Two Metropolitan Transportation Authority properties, the Long Island Rail Road and MTA New York City Transit, are offering more train service to and from Citi Field in Queens, N.Y., as Major League Baseball’s New York Mets host the 2013 All-Star Game Tuesday, July 16.

Deal frees Metrolink Perris Valley Line

A Riverside County, Calif.-based environmental group has dropped its lawsuit against a proposed 24-mile Metrolink rail extension, the Perris Valley Line, citing concessions being offered that are amenable to its concerns.

Stamford, Conn., station area plan unveiled

Stamford, Conn., interests unveiled a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan Thursday, July 11, 2013, designed in part to better tap passenger flows generated by the city’s train station, served by both Metro-North and Amtrak.

Transit vehicle design: Comfortable, profitable

Until recently, the goal of most public transit advocates, pushing suppliers and agencies alike, was to simply get vehicles, preferably (but not even always) with adequate seating capacity. Sure, some minimal creature comforts were considered essential for Amtrak and/or VIA Rail Canada intercity service, even in their darkest days. But for mislabeled “commuter” operations, be they regional rail, heavy rail, or (more recently) light rail, the style, design, and even comfort were often, at best, secondary considerations for almost everyone involved.

Foxx confirmed as new DOT Secretary

The Senate unanimously confirmed former Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx as the new Secretary of Transportation Thursday, June 27, 2013, succeeding Ray LaHood.