Société de transport de Montréal (STM) in Canada seeks an end to the Metro and bus strikes. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will offer 24-hour rapid transit service to Midway Airport; Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina is providing mobile transit passes to community members with SNAP and WIC benefits; and the government of Canada’s Budget 2025 proposes a renewal of the Canada Strong Pass for the holiday season.
Metra earlier this month unveiled a $1.1 billion budget for 2026 that it said includes “an RTA-mandated fare increase and other measures to cover a projected $68 million shortfall, but no service cuts will be needed” for its 11-line commuter rail system in the Chicagoland area. Also proposed: a $575.3 million capital plan that invests in bridges, stations, and new and rehabilitated rolling stock.
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is bringing wireless broadband to its Fleet of the Future cars. Also, the launch date has been announced for Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s (HART) long-awaited light metro service, as the 19th of 20 four-car trains arrive; and Chicago’s Metra breaks ground on its $14.5 million Homewood Station renovation project.
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has joined the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Racial Equity Commitment Pilot Program. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus have approved a new Regional Connect Pass for area riders; Réseau express métropolitain (REM) has revised its network commissioning schedule due to continued challenges with work on the century-old Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal; and STM’s (Société de transport de Montréal) C$492.3 million Côte-Vertu underground train storage facility has officially opened.
The Chicago (Ill.) Department of Transportation (CDOT) has released a strategic transportation plan that it’s calling “the nation’s first” urban plan developed in the wake of the pandemic, economic and racial justice crises of 2020. Also, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is now accepting applications for its Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation.
Chicago’s Metra commuter rail agency is moving its Board-approved $700 million operating budget and $386.8 million capital program for 2021 to the Regional Transportation Authority for final approval. RTA’s Board will review them as part of a consolidated budget for the area’s public transit systems, including Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Pace Suburban Bus.
Union Pacific has resumed ticket sales along the Metra lines it operates under contract (UP North, Northwest and West) and is requiring riders to show valid tickets as they board outbound trains or arrive at the Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC) in Chicago.
Amtrak and Metra have begun work on a combined $29 million construction project to upgrade the Homewood, Ill., passenger rail station. It is slated for completion in spring 2022.
