GO Transit

“We are honored that VRE has once again placed its trust in Keolis,” Keolis President and CEO Brad Thomas said. “This [contract] renewal underscores the operational excellence our teams deliver each day, and we remain committed to the highest standards of safety, reliability, and customer service as we support the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia] region’s mobility needs.” (VRE Photograph)

Transit Briefs: VRE, Metrolinx

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) renews its contract with Keolis North America (Keolis). Also, construction is under way on Metrolinx’s Bowmanville Extension project that will bring the Lakeshore East GO line into the Durham Region of Southern Ontario, Canada.

“The opening of Confederation GO Station marks an important milestone—it’s the first new GO station to open in four years, with more stations soon to follow,” Metrolinx President and CEO Michael Lindsay said on Sept. 29. (Photograph Courtesy of Premier Doug Ford via social media platform X)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, BART, NYCT

Metrolinx next month will add a new GO Transit station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Also, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is running longer trains in response to increasing ridership; and MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) in December will implement a route swap to improve train service between Manhattan and Queens.

Grand Central Madison (pictured) was selected for the World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Stations 2024 List, along with Schafbergbahn Station in St. Wolfgang, Austria; Bell Station in Melbourne, Australia; Beijing Station in Beijing, China Toulouse; Matabiau Station in Toulouse, France; and Chiaia Metro Station in Naples, Italy. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: UNESCO Award; Canadian Transit Hub, TOD Projects

UNESCO recognizes New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Grand Central Madison with a “World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Station” interior award. Also, the Kitchener Central Transit Hub and Toronto’s 50 Wilson Heights TOD (transit-oriented development) advance in Ontario, Canada.

Breanne Oliver, CN (left) and Mark Bienstock, STV. (Photographs courtesy of the respective companies.)
  • News

People News: CN, TTC, STV

CN names Breanne Oliver AVP, Communications and Public Affairs. Also, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) appoints Gregory W. Percy as interim CEO; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) veteran Mark Bienstock joins STV’s Transportation Northeast Operating Group.

High school students this summer will shadow CTA’s construction management team and document the 5.6-mile Red Line Extension project. (Project Rendering Courtesy of CTA)

Transit Briefs: CTA, Minn. Met Council, NJT, SEPTA, Metrolinx

This summer, Chicago will see CTA’s Red Line Extension project through the eyes of three high school students. Also, Minnesota’s Metropolitan (Met) Council and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) prepare an environmental report for the Metro Blue Line extension project; New Jersey Transit (NJT) hosts a workshop on transportation and security planning ahead of large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup 2026; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in May exceeds 70% of pre-COVID ridership for the first time; and Ontario’s Metrolinx awards a rail program advisory contract to Jacobs.

Metrolinx’s East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto will be located on the Lakeshore East and Stouffville GO Transit rail lines. The station will provide connections to the Ontario Line subway and future Toronto Transit Commission services. (Rendering Courtesy of Metrolinx)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, Transit Tech Lab, WMATA

The Rail Connect Partners joint venture has entered into an alliance development agreement with Toronto’s Metrolinx for the East Harbour Transit Hub. Also, New York regional transportation agencies launch their sixth-annual tech competition; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) celebrates a transit-oriented development project at the North Bethesda Metro Station in Maryland.

From May through October, the number of trains negatively impacted by BART Police Department incidents fell by more than 60%. (BART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: BART, GO Transit, Metrolink

The number of police incidents impacting San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) service is declining. Also, rail planning and operations software has been selected for Metrolinx’s GO Rail Expansion–On-Corridor Works program; and Southern California’s Metrolink schedules a temporary service outage to complete a three-year modernization project.