Four MTA New York City Transit R110A New Technology Train subway cars, originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1992 and retired in 1998, are finding new life as two-car pump trains to be used for flooding mitigation in NYCT’s subway system, through a contract awarded to Brookville Equipment Corporation.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has installed earthquake early warning systems at 26 rail and bus division facilities. In addition, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is forming a subsidiary to oversee the new East Side Access project terminal; South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s (SFRTA) Tri-Rail is resuming full service; Thales has delivered interlocking systems for three Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) rapid transit stations; and Wabtec will provide doors, brakes, HVAC systems and event recorders for Metra’s new multilevels.
At New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, subway ridership is steadily climbing post-pandemic and two former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointees are being forced out. In addition, behavioral health providers will ride St. Louis (Mo.) Metro Transit vehicles as part of a one-year pilot project.
New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Scott M. Stringer has released a report, “Beyond Rush Hour: COVID-19 and The Future of Public Transit,” calling for adjustments to subway and bus schedules and a major change in how New York State’s gas tax is allocated, among other measures. The report contains ridership variations found by borough, time of day and transit mode “underscoring the need to better align public transit with today’s economy.”
After only six weeks in office, New York state’s new chief executive, Gov. Kathy Hochul, is experiencing a test of her skills to walk the political tightrope; an essential task for any politician, especially in this part of the country.
Siu Ling Ko, a 34-year veteran of MTA New York City Transit’s Subway Car Equipment division, has been named Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer of the division, which is responsible for maintaining and overhauling the agency’s massive rapid transit car fleet and track maintenance vehicles. She is the first woman in this position.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina is adding a new LYNX Blue Line station. In addition, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District (RTD) is seeking consultant support for a system-wide fare study and equity analysis; Toronto-area regional transit agency Metrolinx has reported that its pedestrian bridge set a world record, and released a “first look” at construction of Eglinton Crosstown stations; and MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) has completed a security camera installation project.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded $14 million, 15-month contract to a joint venture of Humatics and Siemens Mobility to develop an interoperable Ultra-Wideband (UWB) specification “enabling competition, expanding the UWB ecosystem, and building the foundation for UWB to be used in revenue service” on the MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) rapid transit system as it transitions to communications based train control (CBTC).
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the approximately $2 billion LaGuardia Airport (N.Y.) AirTrain project, following environmental review.
MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) has taken delivery of the first five of 535 Kawasaki R211 rapid transit cars; they will begin qualification testing in the coming weeks.