Sound Transit

Brightline train in Orlando. (Photo by David C. Lester)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, CTA, Sound Transit, USDOT

Ahead of service to Orlando, train testing of up to 125 mph is beginning for Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is livestreaming the morning rush service conditions on Blue Line O’Hare Branch; Sound Transit’s Link light rail extension from Tacoma to Seattle is delayed again; and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) establishes a partnership with the city of Austin, Tex., to finance mobility and Infrastructure projects, including the $7.1 billion Project Connect.

Marymoor Village is one of two stations under construction as part of the Downtown Redmond Link Extension. (Sound Transit photo)

Transit Briefs: MARTA, CTA, BART, Sound Transit, MBTA

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Police Department (MPD) accomplishes a significant reduction in violent crime in 2022; the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) awards $75 million contract for Racine Blue Line Station improvements; Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) unveils new campaigns to complement ridership recovery; Sound Transit releases fresh pics of the Downtown Redmond Link Extension project; and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) looks to hire additional dispatchers and train operators to enhance subway service.

Mobile fare is now available in the Valley Metro app.

Transit Briefs: Calif. HCD/DGS, LA Metro, Sound Transit, Valley Metro

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces three state sites identified for affordable transit-oriented housing in Sacramento. Also, LA Metro will add 93 billboard-size digital signs across the city; Sound Transit adopts $1 ORCA LIFT fares; and Valley Metro announces that mobile fare is now available on the agency’s app.

Brightline train in Orlando. (Photo by David C. Lester)

Transit Briefs: Brightline, Hitachi Rail, MDOT, Omaha Streetcar, SacRT, Seattle Transit

Ahead of service to Orlando, train testing of up to 110 mph continues for Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad. Also, Hitachi Rail publishes a study on attitudes toward public transport across eight global cities; former Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld is tapped as Maryland’s next Transportation Secretary; Warren Buffett speaks out against planned streetcar service in Omaha, Neb.; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) receives the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Gold Standard Award for transit security and emergency preparedness programs; and a new Seattle, Wash., program gives free transit cards to public housing residents.

Sound Transit crews on Dec. 27 ran a light-rail vehicle dead-pull test, in which a train was pulled from station to station.

Transit Briefs: Sound Transit, MassDOT, Brightline

Sound Transit reaches milestone on Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension. Also, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) conducts Northern Tier Passenger Rail Study to examine North Adams-Boston rail service; and Brightline resumes 110 mph testing through Martin and St. Lucie counties.

John Henry (left), Sound Transit; Lou Balmer-Millar, Caterpillar Inc.
  • News

People News: Sound Transit, Caterpillar

John Henry is joining Seattle’s Sound Transit as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Also, at Caterpillar Inc., Lou Balmer-Millar is assuming the Chief Sustainability Officer position in addition to her current role as Senior Vice President of the Large Power Systems Division within the Energy and Transportation segment.

The portion of HART's Honolulu Rail Transit Project that runs from East Kapolei Station to the Halawa/Aloha Stadium Station is expected to be completed by early 2023.

Transit Briefs: HART, TTC, Sound Transit

A portion of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s (HART) rail project is on track for completion in early 2023. Also, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) employees raise funds for the United Way of Greater Toronto; and Sound Transit secures $538 million in light rail funding.

The Georgia Department of Transportation’s recent safety audit of MARTA has found “a strong commitment to safety and no major safety gaps or concerns,” the transit authority reported on Dec. 8.

Transit Briefs: MARTA, MBTA, Metrolinx, NYMTA, RTA, Sound Transit

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) undergoes the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) 2022 Triennial Safety Audit. Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) celebrates “substantial completion” of the first of two construction contracts for its South Coast Rail Phase I project; a contractor-targeted opening date for the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT, one of four light rail projects in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, may be “overly ambitious,” according to a Metrolinx report obtained by the Toronto Star; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in early 2023 will begin phasing in a new role for subway station agents; Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois (RTA) releases a draft strategic plan; and Sound Transit’s Downtown Redmond (Wash.) Link Extension has earned an award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

New York MTA on Nov. 30 said it “needs to boost fares above its expected 4% hike and may be forced to cut service and implement layoffs if state and city lawmakers fail to direct more aid to the system to help fix an estimated $3 billion deficit in 2025,” according to a Bloomberg report. (Photograph Courtesy of MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Sound Transit, VIA Rail

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has released its proposed 2023 budget and four-year financial plan. Also, live-wire testing continues for Sound Transit’s East Link light rail line, which will extend 14 miles from downtown Seattle to Redmond, Wash.; and VIA Rail Canada has released a third-quarter 2022 report and entered into a long-term agreement with CGI for work on its new online reservation system.

John Rohner (left), Newel Jensen (middle) and Kitty Barkley (right) have joined WSP USA Southwest Mountain District's senior leadership team.
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People News: WSP USA, HNTB, Integrated Rail and Resources Acquisition Corp.

WSP USA announces new arrivals to the Southwest Mountain District’s senior leadership team, including John Rohner, Newel Jensen and Kitty Barkley. Also, Diana Timpson joins HNTB as Senior Project Manager of Rail Transit in the firm’s Seattle office; and Integrated Rail and Resources Acquisition Corp. (IRRX) announces the appointment of Jason Reeves and Rear Admiral Ronald “Curt” Copley as new Independent Directors to the company’s Board of Directors.

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