MTA

“In 2021, the MTA was looking at a $2.5 billion annual deficit, but we have been able to get back on track thanks to the amazing support from Albany,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Nov. 19 upon release of the agency’s final 2026 operating budget and four-year financial plan. “That support allowed us to stay afloat without cutting service, without any layoffs—and another major factor in this agency’s fiscal stability has been the cost savings that we’ve achieved in recent years.” (MTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, KC Streetcar, NCTD, WMATA, DART

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases its final 2026 operating budget and four-year financial plan. Also, KC Streetcar will soon reveal plans for the new northern terminus and CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) Pavilion; North County Transit–San Diego Railroad (NCTD) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) move forward on transit-oriented development projects; and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board approves contracts to improve security and cleanliness systemwide.

Transit Briefs: LA Metro, MTA, STM

LA Metro’s TAP-to-Exit program returns to North Hollywood and Union Station. Also, Jacobs and Kittelson secure a new planning contract with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA); and the Montreal transit strike comes to an end as the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) maintenance workers’ union suspends work stoppage.

Transit Briefs: MARTA, Tri-Rail, DC Streetcar, Denver RTD, MDOT, SacRT, PANYNJ, TransLink

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will modernize its entire fare collection system. Also, Tri-Rail will end $5 rideshare voucher program; DC Streetcar service will end on March 31, 2026; the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) restricts advertisements on train windows; the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) launches a new transit incentive to encourage Baltimore-area commuters to try transit; the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) invests $1 million in its safety and security program; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) PATH commuter rail achieves its second-busiest month since the pandemic; and TransLink celebrates 30 years of the West Coast Express.

Kawasaki’s R268 cars for New York City Transit will run on the “B” division and be designed with specs similar to its R211 cars (pictured). (MTA Photograph)

Kawasaki to Supply 378 More ‘B’ Division Cars to NYCT

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board has approved the purchase of 378 new Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc.-built R268 rapid transit cars for New York City Transit (NYCT), which will run on the “B” (lettered) division and be designed with specs similar to the those for the R211 cars, according to MTA.

New York MTA on Oct. 15 reported beginning the environmental review process for the planned Interborough Express (IBX) light rail project. (Rendering Courtesy of MTA)

Transit Briefs: MTA, BART, SEPTA

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is beginning environmental assessment of the Interborough Express light rail project. Also, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) ridership is on the rise; and a new quarterly report finds that crime on Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) continues to drop.

Pictured, Left to Right: David Malinas, OPW; Binu Panicker, RPM; and Matt Tucker, HDR. (Photographs courtesy of the respective organizations)
  • News

People News: MTA, OPW, RPM, HDR

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) appoints Tina Vaz as Director of MTA Arts & Design. Also, OPW, a Dover Company, names David Malinas as President; RPM hires Binu Panicker as Chief Technology Officer; and HDR Global Transit Director Matt Tucker joins the Board of Trustees at the Mineta Transportation Institute.

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has upgraded the New York MTA’s Transportation Revenue Bonds rating from “A-” to “A” with a “stable” rating outlook. (NYMTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, MDOT, NC By Train, MBTA

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings upgrades New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) credit rating. Also, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) awards $500,000 in Purple Line small business grants; NC (North Carolina) By Train ridership rises in first-half 2025; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) encourages riders to take advantage of extended service this fall by offering free fares after 9 p.m. on five Fridays and Saturdays.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced that the Interborough Express (IBX) project is moving from the planning to active phase during a press conference at 61st St. & 14th Av. on Aug 1. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, FTA

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) begins the engineering and design phase for Interborough Express (IBX) and awards an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Implementation System contract for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Also, South Florida’s Tri-Rail achieves a new all-time fiscal year ridership record; and the Federal Transit Administration rolls out guidance for host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

MTA’s July Financial Plan forecasts approximately $50 million less in deficits for Fiscal Year 2027 and 2028, totaling $98 million. This is in addition to the $100 million announced in November, totaling $198 million less in deficits than this time last year, according to MTA. The projected deficit for Fiscal Year 2029 is $428 million. These funding shortfalls, MTA said, are in large part due trip growth in Paratransit. (Courtesy of MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Denver RTD

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases its July Financial Plan, showing balanced operating budgets for 2025 and 2026 and narrowed deficits in 2027 and 2028, and announces a TOD (transit-oriented development) project near Metro-North’s Beacon, N.Y., station. Also, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District (RTD) authorizes a successor contract for two-thirds of its workforce.

Amtrak Virginia, the commonwealth’s state-supported passenger rail service, closed the state fiscal year by setting another ridership record. (Photograph Courtesy of VPRA)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak Virginia, NYMTA, Trinity Metro, LACMTA

Amtrak Virginia closes the state’s fiscal year with record ridership. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases rider survey results, showing improvements in overall satisfaction across subway, commuter rail and bus service, and is adding customer service centers to 15 subway locations; Trinity Metro in Texas is offering one week of free rides on all local services; and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) “care-based outreach model” is paying off.

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