LACMTA

Transit Briefs: Brightline; LACMTA; NYCT

Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, will introduce Brightline+ “door-to-door service.” In addition, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board has approved a fareless plan for K-14 students; and MTA New York City Transit recently celebrated a newly trained class of subway conductors as part of a push to rebuild its frontline workforce.

LACMTA Issues Draft EIS/EIR for West Santa Ana Project

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a planned light rail line linking southeast LA County and downtown LA.

Transit Briefs: Edmonton, LACMTA, San Diego MTS, Santa Clara VTA, TriMet

The Edmonton (Alberta) City Council approved municipal funding for the 2.8-mile (4.5-kilometer) Capital Line South LRT Extension. In addition, LACMTA finalized its 2021-24 Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan; SANDAG and MTS unveiled the VA Medical Center Trolley Station; VTA is slated to receive $20 million from the state of California to help with recovery from the May 26 mass shooting; and TriMet was forced to suspend MAX service due to record-setting temperatures.

Transit Briefs: MBTA, Metrolinx, LACMTA, CTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has earned the New England Environmental Business Council Award for Climate Change Project of the Year; Metrolinx, the Toronto-area regional transit agency, has installed roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels at four stations, saving almost C$1.8 million in energy costs to date; the CRRC Massachusetts plant recently celebrated the arrival of the first of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) new subway cars on order; and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has launched a Transit Ambassador program.

Commentary

High-Speed Debate Continues—in Congress

The long-simmering controversy over high-speed rail (HSR) continued during a May 6 hearing before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Its theme: “When Unlimited Potential Meets Limited Resources: The Benefits and Challenges of High-Speed Rail and Emerging Rail Technologies.”

FTA awards grants for urban rail projects

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that it has allocated $281 million in Capital Investment Grants to five rail projects in Arizona, California, and Texas.