Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) announced Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, that the Federal Transit Administration has accepted SMART’s San Rafael to Larkspur segment into the Project Development phase of its “Small Starts” funding program.
One of two streetcar projects in St. Louis, bolstered by a pledge of $22 million in federal funds, could still fall through if plans aren’t finalized by next month.
Alameda, Calif.-based construction company Stacy and Witbeck Inc. on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, was awarded a contract to oversee implementation of Detroit’s M1 Rail streetcar line, winning out over four competitive bids. The amount of the contract has not yet been disclosed.
By a 7-to-4 vote Tuesday evening, May 28, the Charlotte City Council approved plans to add a 2.5-mile extension to its nascent initial streetcar line.
In Ohio, two Hamilton County commissioners are actively moving to thwart Cincinnati streetcar development, urging the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Regional Council of Governments to withdraw $4 million in funding for the project.
Continuing to back up his political position established in his first term, President Obama Wednesday included considerable funding for rail and rail transit projects in his proposed fiscal year 2014 budget. Longer-term, the President also is advocating investment of $40 billion in passenger rail projects in the next five years. But the proposal, while a good placeholder and a rallying marker for pro-rail forces, is unlikely to survive intact.
Tempe, Ariz., officials are revising plans for a 2.6-mile streetcar, interfacing with the Phoenix area’s Valley Metro light rail transit line, after failing to qualify for “Small Starts” federal funding administered by the Federal Transit Administration.
Operation Lifesaver, Inc., in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), announced Monday that grant funds are available to transit agencies and other governmental entities for rail transit safety education and public awareness initiatives.
OK, one more leap into the briar patch of controversy over light rail transit (LRT) vs. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), with a glance at diesel multiple-unit (DMU) light railway, and some observations about federal New Starts policies.