MTA Metro North Railroad

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (right), MTA Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek (center), and Mayor of Beacon Lee Kyriacou (far left) at the Biltmore Room of Grand Central Terminal on Sept. 23, announcing enhanced railroad service including the MNR Super Express to Poughkeepsie. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: Metra, MTA Metro-North, PANY/NJ

The 87th St./Woodruff Station on the Metra Electric commuter rail line in Chicago opens next month after a two-year rehab. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad is launching “super-express” trains on Oct. 6; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) marks the 10th anniversary of its climate resilience design guidelines.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber (second from right) and Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek (center) were joined by CTDOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto (far left) at Grand Central Terminal to announce new schedules due to signal and infrastructure improvements on the New Haven Branch. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: Metro-North, Sound Transit, SMART

Justin Vonashek kicks off his first day as MTA Metro-North Railroad President by greeting riders of the newly announced “Super Express” trains. Also, Seattle’s Sound Transit readies for the Downtown Redmond Link Extension opening next month; and California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) will launch service to Windsor in late spring.

NYMTA photo

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, NJ Transit, Amtrak

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) launches OMNY on Hudson Rail Link, releases the results of the Fall 2023 Customers Count Survey, and receives approval to time delay emergency exits to fight fare evasion. Also, New Jersey state lawmakers advance a bill to establish an office representing customers’ interest following a proposed 15% fare hike by NJ Transit; and a new study predicts the significant economic impact of passenger rail in Ohio.

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Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Metrolinx, MBTA, MTC/BART

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) celebrates the upcoming one-year anniversary of the agency’s opening of Grand Central Madison. Also, Metrolinx partners with AccessNow to provide detailed accessibility information; the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) begins running a second set of new Red Line train cars; and Phase II of the Clipper® BayPass Program, jointly managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), is now under way.

Transit Tech Lab Releases Results for Human Capital, Operational Efficiency Challenges

The New York MTA/Partnership for New York City Transit Tech Lab on Jan. 22 released the results of its 2023 human capital and operational efficiency challenges. The 13 winners, including Humatics, TekTracking and Wi-Tronix, each completed proof-of-concept collaborations with area transit agencies, which aim to use their LiDAR (light detection and ranging), AI (artificial intelligence), and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies “to mitigate service disruptions, automate operations, and combat workforce shortages,” Transit Tech Lab reported.

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Transit Briefs: MTA Metro-North, VRE, Metrolinx, Amtrak

Metro-North’s Scarsdale Station becomes the second station to be made fully accessible this year. Also, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget receives approval; Metrolinx’s GO Expansion—On-Corridor Works project is ranked second on ReNew Canada’s Top100Projects report; and construction on a new Brattleboro Amtrak station is set to begin in March.

(Amtrak Photograph)

Watch: Amtrak Releases FY23 Preliminary Results

Amtrak on Nov. 30 reported continued “strong growth” in Fiscal Year 2023 with nationwide ridership up 24.6%, as it resumed service on all routes and advanced infrastructure projects that it said will support plans to double ridership by 2040.