MTA Metro-North Railroad

Avalon Harrison will include more than 140 affordable housing units, as well as access to shops and retail. (MTA photo)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA/Metro-North, LA Metro, Metrolink, Brightline, OC Transpo, WMATA

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announces the completion of Avalon Harrison, a transit-oriented development at the Harrison Metro-North station. Also, LA Metro reveals new subway cars; Metrolink relaunches low-income discount program as “Mobility-4-All”; Brightline delays inaugural Orlando rail service; partial service on OC Transpo’s O-Train Line 1 returns; and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is paid $100,000 to extend service after Beyoncé concert.

A new Amtrak OIG report finds that Amtrak “faces challenges with the systems and processes it uses to track and manage costs for capital projects, which hinder project teams from identifying emerging cost overruns.” (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak OIG, via Twitter)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak OIG, FTA, NYMTA

“Amtrak is strengthening its project cost management, but can better organize costs and improve guidance,” according to the latest Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG) report. Also, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Cincinnati Connector Streetcar will receive funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty Program; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will increase subway fares and implement recommendations of the Blue-Ribbon Panel Report on Fare and Toll Evasion.

evo-rail, Nomad Digital and Alstom will deliver core rail-5G mmWave radio technology to Caltrain, which provides commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. (Photograph Courtesy of Caltrain via Twitter)

Transit Briefs: Caltrain, Metro-North, SJRRC, VIA Rail

evo-rail teams with Alstom and Nomad Digital to bring rail-5G mmWave radio technology to Caltrain. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad train inspectors could strike this fall; San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) will receive $40 million from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for a double-tracking project that has both freight and passenger rail benefits; and VIA Rail Canada is investing more than C$25 million on London, Ontario, station upgrades.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, Metra, SEPTA, LA Metro, Caltrain

Amtrak leadership signs Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) Safety Pledge. Also, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad set post-pandemic ridership records; Metra seeks public feedback on proposed simplified fare structure; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) receives two sustainability awards for environmental excellence; LA Metro implements fare capping; and Caltrain delays fare increases.

Amtrak has been honored on the Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates 2023 list.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, Caltrain, MTA Metro-North, NYMTA

Amtrak is honored on the Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates in 2023 list. Also, renovation work on Amtrak’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is now under way; electric trains operated under power from the overhead contact system (OCS) run on Caltrain’s corridor for the first time; Connecticut’s new budget includes cutting a subsidy to the MTA Metro-North’s New Haven Line; and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) completes renovation at Myrtle Ave-Wyckoff Ave subway station in Brooklyn.

Over the next 12 months, Siemens will add a new bearings monitoring system to all light rail vehicle trucks in the CATS Blue Line fleet, according to WCNC, an NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C.

Transit Briefs: CATS, LACMTA, MTA Metro-North, SacRT, TriMet

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina will add a new bearing monitoring system to its LYNX Blue Line light rail fleet. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) ridership is up 10%, setting a post-pandemic record; service cuts could be coming to MTA Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven (Conn.) Line; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) in California extends its fare-free rides for youth program; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) adopts the coming year’s budget and announces a four-month disruption of the MAX Red Line.

Metro-North Retro Wrap Marks 40th

MTA Metro-North Railroad is rebranding up to five locomotives in a Heritage Series livery to mark the regional/commuter railroad’s 40 years of service. Craft workers at Metro-North’s Plains Maintenance of Equipment Repair Facility applied

Brightline has teamed with Starlink to provide internet connectivity onboard its five trainsets serving South Florida between Miami and West Palm Beach. It will be added to Brightline’s five newest Siemens Mobility trainsets this summer when service to Orlando is slated to begin. (Brightline Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, Denver RTD, NYMTA, VIA Rail

Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, offers riders high-speed, low-latency broadband service from Starlink. Also, Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) provides real-time train/bus arrival information through a new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) customer service system; New York’s MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and MTA Metro-North Railroad reach record average weekday ridership; and VIA Rail Canada releases 2022 annual report.

NJT, SEPTA, Metro-North at 40

RAILWAY AGE, APRIL 2023 ISSUE: Imagine going back 40 years to early 1983. The only passenger trains running along much of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) were operated by Amtrak itself. Otherwise, what

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, SEPTA, NJ Transit

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announces record pandemic-era ridership on Metro-North Railroad and commits to slashing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 85% by 2040. Also, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) releases Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop next generation of SEPTA Key; and NJ Transit faces a nearly $1 billion deficit in 2026.

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