Transit Briefs: SEPTA, STV, NYMTA, Amtrak/USRC

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) system-wide ridership decreases 1% in November. Also, STV’s Quantico Station Improvement Project wins an American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia (ACEC Virginia) Grand Award; Governor Kathy Hochul vetoes a bill that would require two-person crews on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) subway trains; and Amtrak and Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) leaders approve an agreement to restore federal control of the facility.

STB Vice Chairman Michelle Schultz. (Courtesy of U.S. Government)

STB’s Schultz Confirmed; Kloster Not (UPDATED 12/19)

The Senate Dec. 18 voted 53-43, along party lines, to confirm STB member Michelle A. Schultz to a second two-year term on the five-member agency.

BLET Teamsters at SEPTA, CPKC Soo Line Ratify New Contracts

Six-hundred locomotive engineers at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and CPKC Soo Line represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) of the Teamsters Rail Conference have voted to ratify two new collective bargaining agreements, the union announced Dec. 12.

Transit Briefs: SEPTA, Metra, OCTA, Alto HSR Project

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) reaches a tentative contract agreement with Transport Workers Union (TWU) 234. Also, Metra’s Operation North Pole (ONP) Christmas train returns to the rails, and the agency opens its online merchandise store; the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) releases the 2025 update of its Next 10 Delivery Plan; and Alto’s Toronto-Quebec City HSR (high-speed rail) project likely won’t connect to Union Station.

PennDOT: $219.9MM to Support SEPTA Safety Upgrades, Infrastructure Improvements

Governor Josh Shapiro on Nov. 24 directed Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll to allocate $219.9 million in additional capital funding to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to support urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements.

Transit Briefs: SEPTA, Baltimore Red Line, Metrolinx, DART

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ridership for October 2025 decreases 3% from last year. Also, Baltimore’s Red Line project is slow moving; a new transit hub that will eventually serve Metrolinx’s Eglinton Crosstown is now open in Mount Dennis; and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) launches new ticket vending machines for easier fares.

Transit Briefs: SEPTA, Santa Clara VTA, TriMet, Metra, NJ Transit, BART

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) completes Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-mandated inspections of its Silverliner IV fleet. Also, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) awards more than $750,000 in transit-oriented communities grants; TriMet receives nearly 5,000 responses to its Service Priorities Survey; Metra wins $19.3 million from Union Pacific (UP) for fare collection lapse; NJ Transit issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) to prepare the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 10-mile Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) extension; and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) sees the highest average weekday ridership since the pandemic.

A SEPTA employee inspects a Silverliner IV Train. (Courtesy of SEPTA)

Report: SEPTA Working to Boost Regional Rail Capacity

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will lease 10 railcars to alleviate pressure on its Regional Rail service, as it performs federally mandated safety inspections and makes repairs to Silverliner IV cars, following

(Courtesy of NTSB)

NTSB Recommends Sidelining SEPTA Silverliner IVs (UPDATED 11/3)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Oct. 1 released a report that “urged the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to act immediately to eliminate fire risks in its fleet of Silverliner IV railcars.” It stems from the government agency’s ongoing investigation of five fires involving Silverliner IVs this year. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on the same day issued an Emergency Order to SEPTA, which on Oct. 31 reported nearing completion of the 14 safety-related requirements outlined within it.

The first light rail train is pulled along the Green Line Extension near the Southwest Station in Eden Prairie, Minn., to test the tracks the entire length of the line. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of Metro Transit)

Transit Briefs: Metro Transit, Sound Transit, Metrolinx, Metrolink, SEPTA, STM

The METRO Green Line Extension in Minneapolis marks a milestone. Also, final testing is under way for Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link Extension in Seattle and is complete for Metrolinx’s Finch West LRT project in Ontario, Canada; Southern California’s Metrolink expands its “smart” crossing technology; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) postpones bus purchases, a station accessibility project, and the Frazer Railroad Facility expansion; and STM (Société de transport de Montréal) pursues mediation to avoid metro and bus driver strikes.

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