Amtrak is seeking four CRISI grants: $13.4 million to replace catenary between North Brunswick and Newark; $18.6 million to upgrade signal systems between New Brunswick and Elizabeth; $80.277 million to replace electrical substation 41 in Kearny; and $187.5 million to replace the Sawtooth Bridges in Kearny (pictured), according to NJ.com. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, CATS, Denver RTD, NYMTA

Amtrak applies for federal state-of-good-repair grants to improve service on the Northeast Corridor. Also, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina launches a Rail Vehicle Maintenance Apprenticeship program; Denver, Colo., Regional Transportation District (RTD) meets all the state of Colorado’s financial health ratios; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) holds a groundbreaking in Brooklyn for a subway station accessibility project.

“Due to higher availability of subway operators, the addition of new Orange Line cars, and steady improvements to track infrastructure, the number of weekday trips delivered each day on the Red, Orange, and Blue … subway lines has increased significantly over the last year,” according to MBTA. (MBTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: MBTA, NYMTA, TransLink

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reports performance progress across rapid transit, bus and paratransit services; opens a new customer service facility; and brings the customer service call center back in-house. Also, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is providing contactless fare payment cards to New York City Public School students; and Metro Vancouver’s TransLink releases a new report detailing “drastic potential transit service cuts” to close a funding gap.

Amtrak recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of accessibility upgrades worth $3.5 million at the Newbern-Dyersburg Station in west Tennessee. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, PANY/NJ, TriMet

Amtrak debuts station accessibility upgrades in west Tennessee and an updated Cafe Acela menu. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) marks progress on the reduction of subway fare evasion; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANY/NJ) PATH tap-and-go fare payment system is now available systemwide; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) adopts a $1.84 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials on May 10 celebrated the completion of the Harmon Yard “mega-project.” (Photo Credit: Emily Moser / Metro-North Railroad)

Watch: MNR Completes Harmon Shop Upgrades

MTA Metro-North Railroad (MNR) on May 10 reported completing a 23-year, five-phase upgrade project at its Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.-based maintenance and operations hub, which employs 1,200 people. With the opening of the 400,000

Illinois State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago) have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act that seeks to combine RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace into a new Chicagoland entity and provide it with a $1.5 billion annual boost, according to a WGN9 report on April 29. (Metra Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Metra, NYMTA, City of West Palm Beach, MBTA

Chicago’s Metra speaks out on the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act that proposes merging the commuter railroad, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Pace bus, and Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) outlines its nearly $300 million in capital program savings; City of West Palm Beach, Fla., adopts a “Rail S.A.F.E.” policy, aiming for zero railway fatalities; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) weighs Haverhill station shutdown during bridge replacement project.

New York MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at Fulton Transit Center on March 28 to announce a pilot program of weapon detectors, manufactured by Evolv, that can be deployed at subway entrances. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: MBTA, NCDOT, NYMTA, BART

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) plans a low-income fare program and graduates another large class of heavy rail (rapid transit) engineers. Also, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) revises the design for a new passenger railcar maintenance facility; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will pilot firearm detection technology; and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) reports a surge in arrests.

“Metro-North is always looking for opportunities to innovate and be more efficient in how we maintain our systems and equipment and provide service to our customers,” Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi said during the announcement of a federal grant the commuter railroad will use to test an automated railcar inspection system. (Photograph Courtesy of MTA)

Metro-North to Pilot Automated Railcar Inspection

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will use a $2 million federal grant to test an automated railcar inspection system on its commuter railroad in New York and Connecticut, which it said will provide “early detections of existing and future defects, allowing conditions to be addressed immediately, reducing repair and replacement time.”

New York MTA officials were joined by “Equity in Infrastructure Project” (EIP) founders Phillip A. Washington and John D. Porcari, and Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., who also serves as EIP Chair, to sign the EIP pledge on March 7. (New York MTA Photograph).

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, SacRT, Metrolink, WMATA, NJT, Houston Metro

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) signs the “Equity in Infrastructure Project” Pledge. Also, Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is developing mobility hubs at three light rail stations; Southern California’s Metrolink extends its fare-free pilot program for students; Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) marks improvements in ridership, customer satisfaction, public safety and fare collection while reducing expenses; New Jersey Transit (NJT) expands its partnership with Comcast Business; and Houston Metro (Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Tex.) selects Copperleaf to help improve asset management.

“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina and Virginia are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said on Feb. 28. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.” (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, Metrolinx

Virginia and North Carolina are home Amtrak’s busiest stations in the Southeast. Also, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) provides an update on expanding Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Chief Accessibility Officer earns Presidential Volunteer Award; and Metrolinx’s maintenance and storage facility for the Finch West LRT project in Toronto receives LEED Silver Certification.

BART’s overall customer satisfaction rating in the most recent Passenger Experience Survey (PES) reached 81%, which is 7% higher than the previous quarter, according to the transit agency. (BART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: BART, Metro-North, VIA Rail, WMATA

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) reports rider satisfaction gains. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad completes its third station-accessibility project in 2024; VIA Rail Canada calls on Ottawa to replace its long-distance fleet; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) increases police patrols on trains and buses.

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