North County Transit District

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People News: HDR, NCTD

HDR promotes Brian Buchanan to Transit Program Management Lead. Also, North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD) promotes Ioni Tcholakova to Director of Service Planning.

Nicolas Petrovic as CEO of Brightline Holdings LLC (Courtesy of Brightline Trains)

People News: Brightline, UTA, NCTD, TriMet

Brightline Trains appoints Nicolas Petrovic as CEO of Brightline Holdings LLC and Mauricio Anderson as Chief Financial Officer of Brightline Holdings and its subsidiaries (other than Brightline West). Also, Paul Ray joins Utah Transit Authority (UTA) as Government Relations Director; Adrienne L. Johnson transitions to Deputy Chief People Officer at North County Transit–San Diego Railroad (NCTD) in California; and Jamie Snook rises to Executive Director of Capital Project Delivery at Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet).

“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.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Sept. 18 reported that Amtrak and the USRC Boards of Directors unanimously agreed to approve the terms of a renegotiated cooperative agreement restoring federal control of Washington Union Station. (Image Courtesy of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/USRC, Transit Tech Lab, CTA, NJT, Sound Transit, NCTD

Amtrak and Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) agree to restore federal management of Washington Union Station. Also, Transit Tech Lab releases proof-of-concept results that address ridership improvement, plus inspection and maintenance challenges; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officially launches Naloxone Vending Machines pilot; New Jersey Transit (NJT) expands FARE-PAY cards to all three light rail systems and all buses; Seattle’s Sound Transit celebrates 25 years of Sounder commuter rail service; and Southern California’s North County Transit District (NCTD) is marking 50 years of service.

Alín Campián, R.J. Corman Railroad Group (left) and Steve Schmotzer, North American Rail Solutions. (Photographs courtesy of the respective organizations)
  • News

People News: R.J. Corman Railroad Group, NCTD, NARS

R.J. Corman Railroad Group appoints Alín Campián as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Also, California’s North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD) promotes Jeffery Wymer to Director of Information Technology; and North American Rail Solutions (NARS) welcomes Steve Schmotzer as Chief Development Officer.

SMART on May 31 officially launched passenger service to the new Windsor station. “This long-anticipated expansion marks a major milestone in SMART’s mission to provide sustainable, regional transportation for communities across Sonoma and Marin counties—and is the first of three northern extensions SMART plans to complete in the coming years,” SMART reported via social media. (Screen grab from SMART video)

Transit Briefs: SMART, NC By Train, San Diego MTS/NCTD

Northern California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) launches service to Windsor. Also, NC By Train celebrates 35 years of Carolinian and 30 years of Piedmont passenger rail service; and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit–San Diego Railroad (NCTD) mark a contactless fare-payment milestone.

Pictured, left to right: NYCT’s Bernard Jackson, William “Bill” Amarosa Jr., and Rachel Cohen; NCTD’s Lori A. Winfree; and HNTB’s Sandra M. Bucklew. (Photographs courtesy of the respective organizations, except for the photograph of Bernard Jackson, which is courtesy of DART.)
  • News

People News: NYCT, NCTD, HNTB, Michael Baker International

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) appoints three senior operational leaders. Also, North County Transit District (NCTD) names a Deputy CEO; HNTB, a Southeast Division Construction Services Leader; and Michael Baker International, a Vice President, Health and Safety.

“After 32 years, it’s time to say goodbye to the MetroCard and go all in on the fare payment system of the future,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said March 19. (MTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, San Diego MTS/NCTD, Sound Transit, Coastal Link

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is sunsetting MetroCard sales and distribution after 32 years. Also, California’s San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit District (NCTD) introduce Express Mode tap-and-go fare payment; Seattle’s Sound Transit pilots “wig wag train” to boost light rail safety; planning advances for the Coastal Link commuter rail corridor’s first proposed segment connecting Miami-Dade with Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida.

(William C. Vantuono Photograph)

Transit Briefs: NJT, NJT/Amtrak, LACMTA, CTDOT, STV, NCTD, BART

The New Jersey Governor’s proposed budget includes a state corporate transit fee to help financially strapped New Jersey Transit (NJT). Also, the final arch is installed for the Portal North Bridge project, which will speed NJT commuter rail and Amtrak intercity passenger rail service; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) ridership was up 8% in 2024; Connecticut commuter railroads continued their post-pandemic ridership rebound last year; STV, as part of a progressive design-build (PDB) team, extends Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s automated people mover (APM) system; North County Transit District (NCTD) proclaims Feb. 25 as Crystal Trent Day in honor of San Diego’s first African American female engineer; and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) introduces a team that has five minutes to clean each rapid transit train.

“Today, NCTD kicked off the COASTER 30th Anniversary celebration with the launch of new passenger cars!” the agency reported Feb. 21 on Facebook. “NCTD CEO Shawn M Donaghy, Board Chair Dr. Priya Bhat-Patel, Representative Mike Levin, and other regional leaders hosted a press conference to talk about the many benefits of the COASTER. NCTD is thankful for the employees and riders who have supported us along the way! And stay tuned – a new PRONTO COASTER card will be released soon at all TVMs and Customer Service locations!” (NCTD Photograph)

COASTER Marks 30 Years of Service

California’s North County Transportation District (NCTD) on Feb. 21 kicked off a 30th anniversary celebration for COASTER, the 41-mile, eight-station regional/commuter rail service the runs from Oceanside to downtown San Diego (see

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