Austin, Tex.’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) plans to add a second track at three stations on its existing route, as well as upgrade signaling and grade-crossing equipment, in order to improve running time and eventually increase service capacity.
Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff has been appointed Under Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Congress finalized the Fiscal Year 2014 appropriations late Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, and President Obama was expected to sign the bill Saturday, Jan. 18. Rail programs—with a few notable exceptions—have been spared major cuts. In some cases, they have been increased.
New York State’s Court of Appeals on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, upheld the payroll mobility tax used to help fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), denying a repeal of the tax sought mostly by Long Island political officials.
The American Public Transportation Association says Americans continue to turn to public transit in increasing numbers, totaling 2.7 billion trips in the third quarter, up 1.5% from the comparable period in 2012.
Congressional conference committee members cobbling together an actual fiscal year 2014 federal budget have reportedly agreed on budgetary numbers fairly favorable to Amtrak and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) programs. Federal high speed rail funding, however, is omitted entirely.
Two U.S. Senators are urging the Federal Railroad Administration to mandate cameras on board passenger locomotives and operating cab cars in order to provide detailed information on potential derailments.