Transit Briefs: Amtrak Virginia, Amtrak/NJ Transit, SEPTA, WMATA

Amtrak Virginia begins service to the Newport News Transportation Center. Also, Amtrak and NJ Transit announce a series of actions that both companies will take following a spike of service disruptions in New Jersey and New York Penn Station during May and June; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) enhances safety measures for the new school year; and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Board of Directors approves a new four-year contract with Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689.

MBTA crews and contractors earlier this month replaced track and ties along the Green Line B Branch. (Photograph Courtesy of MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department)

Transit Briefs: MBTA, PATH, TriMet, WMATA

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) completes Green Line B Branch track work, removing eight speed restrictions. Also, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANY/NJ) PATH tap-and-go fare payment system marks a milestone; Oregon’s new drug law will improve safety on TriMet (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon); and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) receives LEED® certification for two more projects.

Washington Metropolitan Safety Commission has issued an audit of WMATA’s Metrorail Roadway Worker Protection Program that includes 13 finding the transit agency must address. (WMSC Photograph).

Transit Briefs: WMATA, RTA of Middle Tennessee, CTA, Denver RTD, NCTD, OC Transpo

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will respond to 13 findings following a safety audit of its Metrorail Roadway Worker Protection Program. Also, improvements are proposed for Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee’s (RTA) WeGo Star commuter rail service; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) updates its All Stations Accessibility Program, which has doubled in cost; Denver, Colo., Regional Transit District (RTD) makes permanent its Zero Fare for Youth program; Train and Engine Service employees for North County Transit District’s (NCTD) COASTER commuter rail in California will unionize; and Michael Morgan is stepping down from his top rail construction post at OC Transpo, Ottawa, Ontario’s public transportation agency.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit has taken the first step to replace its fleet of 81 light rail vehicles manufactured by Siemens and CAF. (Enlightenedment at English Wikipedia)

Transit Briefs: PRT, NJT, TransLink, WMATA

Pittsburgh (Pa.) Regional Transit (PRT) is seeking a federal grant to purchase new light rail vehicles. Also, train operators and maintenance workers for New Jersey Transit’s (NJT) Hudson-Bergen Light Rail ratify a new contract; TransLink’s first real estate development in metro Vancouver is greenlighted; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) seeks a developer for a project at the North Bethesda Metrorail Station.

Hitachi Rail Selects ROBOZE Additive Technology for Railway Spare Parts

ROBOZE announced July 29 that its ARGO 500 solution has been chosen by Hitachi Rail to operate in the manufacturing company’s high-tech factory in Naples, Italy, and its new digital, state-of-the-art rail factory in Washington County, Md.

Transit Briefs: WMATA, Caltrain, Amtrak

Auto doors are now operating on all of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) rail lines. Also, Caltrain is offering customized service alerts; and Amtrak increases Northeast Regional service at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), improves Ethan Allen Express with faster trips, and announces that Borealis ridership has topped 18,500 in its first full month of service.

By spring 2026, Amtrak and CSX, in partnership with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, will install a PTC system on more than 100 miles of track to support Downeaster service. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, TTC, WMATA

Amtrak and CSX team on a Positive Train Control (PTC) installation between Haverhill, Mass., and Brunswick, Maine. Also, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) addresses “systemic racism within the transit system”; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Takoma Station is reopening early with new amenities and a rebuilt interlocking.

Transit Briefs: NJ Transit, TTC, Denver RTD, WMATA, LA Metro

NJ Transit cuts the ribbon on the fully renovated Elizabeth Station. Also, members of ATU Local 113 vote in favor of ratifying a new contract with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC); a Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) parking lot will soon transform into 62 affordable condominiums; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) offers a new development opportunity in Washington, D.C.’s historic Deanwood neighborhood; and LA Metro joins Abode Communities to welcome families to new homes in Boyle Heights.

APTA Announces 2024 Rail Safety, Security and Emergency Management Winners (UPDATED 6/7)

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on June 4 honored six public transportation providers from California, Georgia, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., with the 2024 Rail Safety, Security and Emergency Management Awards.

(Image Courtesy of WMSC)

WMSC Audits WMATA’s Railcar Program

An audit of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) maintenance and engineering practices related to its rapid transit cars and associated shop equipment was released by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC)

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