“Metro-North is always looking for opportunities to innovate and be more efficient in how we maintain our systems and equipment and provide service to our customers,” Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi said during the announcement of a federal grant the commuter railroad will use to test an automated railcar inspection system. (Photograph Courtesy of MTA)

Metro-North to Pilot Automated Railcar Inspection

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will use a $2 million federal grant to test an automated railcar inspection system on its commuter railroad in New York and Connecticut, which it said will provide “early detections of existing and future defects, allowing conditions to be addressed immediately, reducing repair and replacement time.”

(Hyundai Rotem Photograph)

Hyundai Rotem Wins $664MM LA Metro Order

A Korean manufacturer will deliver 182 cars to Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) in time for the 2028 LA Olympics.

San Francisco Bay Area transit in California will take on a whole new look later this year. Transit agency and Metropolitan Transportation Commission officials unveiled design prototypes for a common set of signs to be used by all agencies at all locations. (Image Courtesy of BART)

Transit Briefs: Bay Area Transit, LACMTA, CTA, Amtrak Virginia

A project is under way to unify San Francisco Bay Area transit maps and signs. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) renames the West Santa Ana Branch Corridor Project to avoid rider confusion; and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Amtrak Virginia set ridership records in 2023.

The Los Angeles Union Station modernization project’s major components include new lead tracks, elevated rail yard and platforms; new concourse-related improvements, including new escalators, elevators and canopies; new run-through tracks south of the station over U.S.-101; accommodation of the planned California high-speed rail system; new rail communications, signals and safety improvements; and off-site improvements to the BNSF Malabar Yard. (Image Courtesy of LACMTA)

Report: LACMTA Eyes Cutbacks to Union Station Upgrades

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) may be trimming its plans to update the historic Los Angeles Union Station as construction costs have doubled from $950 million to an estimated $1.93 billion, Urbanize LA reported Jan. 10.

(Inglewood Transit Connector Rendering Courtesy of the City of Inglewood)

Inglewood Transit Connector Project Lands $1B Federal Grant

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will invest more than $1 billion in the Inglewood Transit Connector Project, a planned 1.6-mile, three-station automated people mover between Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA)

LACMTA’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 79% of its 2019 pre-pandemic level, with average weekend and average weekday ridership at 92% and 78% and of pre-pandemic (October 2019) levels, respectively. (LACMTA Photograph)

LACMTA Logs 11th Consecutive Month of Ridership Growth

More than 26.5 million riders boarded the Los Angeles County (Calif.) Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) bus and rail services in October 2023—up nearly 12% from October 2022 and marking the 11th straight month of year-over-year ridership growth, the agency reported Nov. 27.

Brightline on Nov. 1 provided a first look at a four-coach Orlando Health-branded train. (Screen Grab from Brightline Video)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, LACMTA, Metrolinx, SEPTA, Sound Transit

Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, unveils an Orlando Health-branded train. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) releases the Measure M five-year comprehensive assessment and equity report; ST Engineering wins platform screen door contract for Metrolinx’s Ontario Line; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will stop accepting fare tokens next year; and Sound Transit’s new fare compliance policy takes effect later this month.

Amtrak this month celebrated completing accessibility improvements at Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station in Wilmington, Del. Pictured, from left to right: Delaware Gov. John Carney, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Amtrak EVP Laura Mason, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), White House Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and FRA Administrator Amit Bose.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Brightline, CDOT, HART, LACMTA, SRPRA

Amtrak completes Wilmington, Del., station renovations. Also, Brightline releases Miami-to-Orlando, Fla., ridership data; Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is exploring northwest passenger rail service; the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) targets late 2023 to sign a new Full Funding Grant Agreement with Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART); Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Ambassador Program may become permanent; and Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) in Pennsylvania renews its contract with consultancy Transportation for America.

Accessibility upgrades were celebrated at Amtrak’s Del Rio station in Texas. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, CTA, LACMTA, NJ Transit

Amtrak completes station accessibility upgrades in Texas and West Virginia. Also, ridership growth at Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) continues into September; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) celebrates a $38.2 million grade separation project grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA); and New Jersey Transit debuts contactless fare payment for light rail and bus riders.

CTA’s “Transit-Supportive Development Plan” for its Red Line Extension Project has been recognized with a 2023 Strategic Plan Award from the American Planning Association-Illinois Chapter (APA-IL). (CTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: CTA, LACMTA, Metro Transit (Minn.)

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) earns a strategic plan award for its $3.6 billion Red Line Extension Project and reports downward trends in crime. Also, more than 250,000 people are now enrolled in Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) low-income fare program; and Metro Transit workers in Minneapolis, Minn., vote to authorize a strike.

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