Metra

Transit Briefs: MARTA, MBTA, Metra, Muni, NYMTA, TransLink, UTA

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) supports National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 20). Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) issues a Student Edition of its Rider’s Guide; Chicago’s Metra extends its $100 flat-rate monthly pass through year-end; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) remains “optimistic” about Muni’s Central Subway extension opening in 2022; New York MTA trains and buses are now “mask optional” for riders; Metro Vancouver’s TransLink launches “Back-to-School, Back-to-Transit” campaign; and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) provides free transit passes to all K-12 students, faculty and staff in the Salt Lake City School District.

The Trial Running testing phase is the final series of testing before Honolulu's rail system goes into operation.

Transit Briefs: HART, Metra, Oregon Metro, MBTA, Metrolinx, TTC, CTA, MDOT MTA, VTA-BART

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART) announces Trial Running testing phase for the first segment of Honolulu’s rail system. Also, Metra adds service on its Union Pacific Northwest (UP-NW) Line and capacity on Metra Electric for Bike the Drive; Oregon Metro seeks proposals for 2023 Regional Transportation Plan community partnerships; Gov. Charlie Baker says Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line “on track” to finish on time; Metrolinx’s GO Train service to Niagara Falls continues year-round; The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) increases service as more customers return to transit; Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) “Ask CTA” program to foster engagement with customers; The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) brings real-time train arrival information to Light Rail; and innovative design suggestions surface for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Extension Phase II project.

Brightline and contractor Kaufman Lynn on Aug. 16 hosted a “topping off” ceremony for the passenger rail system’s Boca Raton station and parking garage, signifying completion of structural work. (Photograph Courtesy of Brightline)

Transit Briefs: BART, Brightline, Metra, St. Louis Metro Transit

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) shares how it uses earthquake early warning technology. Also, work progresses on Brightline’s Boca Raton, Fla., station, the fourth in the state for the private-sector passenger railroad; elementary and high school students in the Chicago area can ride Metra commuter rail and Pace buses for free on Aug. 22; and Metro Transit in St. Louis, Mo., is reporting that it will be “several months” before light rail service is fully restored due to flash flooding damage last month.

“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during the FY22 RAISE program grant announcement.

First Look: Rail-Related RAISE Grantees for FY22

More than $332 million in FY 2022 RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program grants will be distributed among 23 freight and passenger rail-related projects in 17 states, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) report released Aug. 11.

The Sound Transit Board on July 28 identified the preferred light rail route and station locations for the West Seattle Link Extension after weighing community priorities, regional needs, input from agencies and the city of Seattle, and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analysis. (Photograph Courtesy of Sound Transit)

Transit Briefs: Sound Transit, BART, Brightline, Metra, NYCT

The Sound Transit Board has confirmed the preferred alternative for the West Seattle (Wash.) Link Extension and approved free fares for riders who under 19 years old. Also, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) has reinstituted a face-mask requirement; Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, is testing trains along a portion of its Orlando extension, slated to open in 2023; Chicago’s Metra is upgrading the historic Blue Island Vermont St. Station; and a new cohort of MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) train conductors has graduated.

The Chicago City Council has approved a transit-oriented development measure that will make more South and West side neighborhoods “places where people are more likely to hop a train to get to work or meet up with friends than jump in a car,” according to WTTW/Chicago PBS.

Transit Briefs: CTA/Metra, Metrolink, OCTA

The Chicago City Council has passed a measure allowing transit-oriented development within one-half mile of any Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) or Metra rail station. Also, Metra is seeking rider input to guide future commuter rail schedule changes; Southern California’s Metrolink has rolled out the first of 50 rehabbed railcars on its 538-route-mile commuter network; and Orange County (Calif.) Transportation Authority (OCTA) has awarded a ticket vending machine contract for its streetcar system.

Réseau express métropolitain (REM) has revised its network commissioning schedule due to continued challenges with work on the century-old Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal. (Photograph Courtesy of REM)

Transit Briefs: GCRTA, Metra/CTA/Pace, REM, STM

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has joined the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Racial Equity Commitment Pilot Program. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus have approved a new Regional Connect Pass for area riders; Réseau express métropolitain (REM) has revised its network commissioning schedule due to continued challenges with work on the century-old Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal; and STM’s (Société de transport de Montréal) C$492.3 million Côte-Vertu underground train storage facility has officially opened.

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