Federal Transit Administration

FTA Releases Safety Advisory Following WMATA Derailment

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Safety Advisory requiring State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOA) to report “out-of-tolerance wheel gauges” on all rail transit rolling stock in revenue service, and recommending fleet-wide inspections of wheel gauges at public transportation systems in their jurisdictions.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/PennDOT; MTA Metro-North; Metrolinx; UTA

Construction of a new Coatesville, Pa., station, serving Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), will soon be under way. In addition, MTA Metro-North Railroad has launched the TrainTime app for Apple Watch; Toronto-area regional transit agency Metrolinx is running a contactless payment option pilot on UP Express; and Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) TRAX light rail now stops at the Salt Lake City airport.

NJ Transit Approves $1.56B Portal North Bridge Construction Contract

Gov. Phil Murphy has announced that the New Jersey Transit Board of Directors approved a $1.56 billion contract with Skanska/Traylor Bros Joint Venture for the construction of the new Portal North Bridge on the Northeast Corridor, crossing the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

FTA: How Can We Keep Frontline Workers Safe?

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is calling on industry and the public to provide input on potential transit worker safety mitigations, including potential minimum safety standards for Roadway Worker Protection programs as well as operator assault prevention.