Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is boosting weekend service and ordering new ticket vending machines. Also, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is restoring Muni service to the L Taraval line after a five-year improvement project; TransLink is upgrading SkyTrain’s Oakridge–41st Avenue Station in Vancouver; and free public Wi-Fi is ending at Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway stations.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) reopens the new Damen Green Line station at Lake Street and Damen Avenue. Also, results of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) 2024 Muni Rider Survey show big improvements; and two Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) railcars are being developed into Atlantic Ocean reed habitats.
Fare collection has long been one of the hottest topics in public transit. Opinions range about how much a ride costs or how much it should cost, who is paying and who is not paying. Often forgotten in all the talk about fares is the history behind Proof of Payment systems, or “POP.”
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on May 28 reported that eight transit systems in eight states will share $343 million to make their rail stations “more accessible and in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards” by installing elevators, renovating platforms for level boarding, improving signage, and improving visual and audio systems.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) approves its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and FY 2026 operating and capital budgets. Also, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) new tap-to-pay fare payment system is now available at all PATH stations in New Jersey; the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) releases its 2023 Annual Report; and Amtrak issues two Requests for Information (RFIs) to support high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).
Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit registered 433,000 riders in 2023, a 25% increase over 2022, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors work to develop the agency’s two-year budget. Also, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) announces its fourth transit-oriented affordable housing development; the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) seeks information from the public on new and advanced technologies to improve transportation; and VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is recognized by Forbes as one of Canada’s Best Employers 2024.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has formed a committee to advise on “plans and approaches for transportation innovation,” which it said comprises 27 members who were selected across sectors, geographies and areas of expertise.
Metrolinx teams up with Canadian whisky brand Forty Creek to provide free rides on GO Transit and UP Express on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, NJ Transit’s systemwide beverage ban remains in effect, and the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) takes nationwide steps to address assaults on transit workers. Also, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) kicks off a community engagement process to activate new spaces under new Red Line Tracks; the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) introduces the first LRV4s with a new seating arrangement; Scarborough’s Rapid Transit (RT) trains could have a new home in Detroit; and NJ Transit sells a stuffed animal to support Ricardo the Bull.
![“This [emergency transit operations] funding [plan] from the MTC supports BART’s new Safe and Clean Plan to welcome riders back to our system and it buys us time to explore a sustainable funding model while avoiding devasting service cuts,” San Francisco Bay Area Transit District (BART) General Manager Bob Powers said Nov. 15.](https://www.old.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/giorgio-trovato-G_OrUEadUzo-unsplash-1-315x168.jpeg)
California’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approves an emergency transit operations funding plan. Also, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) extends its partnership with City of Chicago to provide outreach and assistance to unhoused riders; the village of Westbury, N.Y., completes a rezoning project to promote transit-oriented development near MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR); and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) releases proposed 2024 budget that advances a new PATH fare payment system and the development of a new AirTrain Newark system.