LIRR

On March 16, PEB 254, the second POTUS 47-appointed board assigned to the long-running contract dispute between a coalition of five unions and LIRR, “like an earlier appointed board of experts, recommended raises and retroactive pay for rail workers,” reported the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which is part of the coalition. (LIRR Photograph)

Labor Updates: LIRR, TTC

The second Presidential Advisory Board (PEB) to help settle a years-long contract dispute at MTA Long Island Rail Road in New York issues recommendations. Also, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) formally files for conciliation with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2, a bargaining unit representing some 700 electrical, signal and cable technicians.

(Photograph Courtesy of MTA Long Island Rail Road)

Transit Briefs: LIRR, CTA, Trinity Metro

POTUS 47 appoints a second Presidential Advisory Board (PEB) to help settle an ongoing contract dispute at MTA Long Island Rail Road in New York. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) advances an Innovation Studio pilot project; and Trinity Metro’s TEXRail breaks a ridership record in December.

The new Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn (R-TRIP), housed in the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Urban Research, will be co-led by Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Leslie Richards, who is the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and CEO of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. She received a Railway Age Women in Rail Award in 2020. (Photograph Courtesy of SEPTA)

Transit Briefs: R-TRIP, MTA LIRR, Metra, REM

The University of Pennsylvania launches the Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn (R-TRIP), “a new hub for research, innovation, and real-world solutions in transportation.” Also, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ridership surpasses 300,000 in one day for the first time since the pandemic; Chicago’s Metra commuter railroad will put into service this fall a prototype café car; and the opening of two Réseau express métropolitain (REM) branches in Montreal is delayed again.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced that the Interborough Express (IBX) project is moving from the planning to active phase during a press conference at 61st St. & 14th Av. on Aug 1. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, FTA

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) begins the engineering and design phase for Interborough Express (IBX) and awards an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Implementation System contract for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Also, South Florida’s Tri-Rail achieves a new all-time fiscal year ridership record; and the Federal Transit Administration rolls out guidance for host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

MTA’s July Financial Plan forecasts approximately $50 million less in deficits for Fiscal Year 2027 and 2028, totaling $98 million. This is in addition to the $100 million announced in November, totaling $198 million less in deficits than this time last year, according to MTA. The projected deficit for Fiscal Year 2029 is $428 million. These funding shortfalls, MTA said, are in large part due trip growth in Paratransit. (Courtesy of MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Denver RTD

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases its July Financial Plan, showing balanced operating budgets for 2025 and 2026 and narrowed deficits in 2027 and 2028, and announces a TOD (transit-oriented development) project near Metro-North’s Beacon, N.Y., station. Also, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District (RTD) authorizes a successor contract for two-thirds of its workforce.

A map of the proposed route for Northlander passenger rail service showing stops at Union Station (Toronto), Langstaff, Gormley, Washago, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville, South River, North Bay, Temagami, Timiskaming Shores, Englehart, Kirkland Lake, Matheson, and Timmins (South Porcupine), with a rail connection to Cochrane. (Courtesy of Ontario Government)

Transit Briefs: Northlander, NYMTA, APTA

Construction is under way at the Timmins-Porcupine Station in Ontario, Canada, part of the Northlander passenger-rail revival project. Also, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) posts ridership, performance and safety improvements in first-half 2025; and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recognizes two members’ outstanding sustainability achievements.

the Canadian government late last year “requested an extension on bids” to construct a dedicated HFR corridor between Toronto and Quebec, according to The Canadian Press.

Transit Briefs: HFR Corridor, SacRT, Brightline, LIRR, TTL

Will the High Frequency Rail (HFR) in Canada be delayed? Also, Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) receives the final funding needed to construct the Dos Rios Station; Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, will boost capacity between Miami and West Palm Beach; MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) reports the strongest year in its nearly 200-year history; and applications are now being accepted for Transit Tech Lab’s challenges with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ), New Jersey Transit (NJT), and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT).

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