Metro-Magazine.com News

New Flyer unveils all-electric 40-foot bus in Canada

The bus is equipped with an electric drive and is modified to carry advanced lithium ion batteries from MHI that are charged from the city’s electrical grid instead of by a conventional diesel engine.

King County Metro awarded $37.5M for BRT

With funds from the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Program, the King County Department of Transportation will build two new bus rapid transit lines as part of greater Seattle’s new six corridor RapidRide BRT system.

Greyhound offers $1 fares for customers of closed carriers

The fares are valid for travel any time between June 1 and June 16 and are only for customers who purchased tickets prior to May 31 with affected carriers listed on the FMCSA’s website.

Chicago transit to upgrade bus fleet

As part of the Chicago Transit Authority’s plans to move toward operating an upgraded bus fleet in the next two years, the agency plans to buy 425 buses and rebuild more than 1,000 older buses in a nearly half-billion-dollar modernization investment.

N.Y. transit workers allowed to wear religious head coverings

N.Y. MTA will allow Sikh and Muslim employees to wear religious head coverings while operating buses and railcars, reversing a policy enforced by the transit system following 9/11.

Project to attempt building clean passenger locomotive

The locomotive will run on torrefied biomass (biocoal), a biofuel created through an energy-efficient processing of cellulosic biomass. Biocoal exhibits the same energy density and material handling properties as coal, but unlike coal, it is carbon neutral, contains no heavy metals, and produces less ash, smoke and volatile off-gases.

Peter Pan Bus appoints new president

Brian R. Stefano will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company and its affiliated businesses, encompassing intercity motorcoach service and facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Greater New York/New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., locations.

PB named GEC for Waterloo, Ontario transit development

The program includes a 12-mile light rail transit system and an 11-mile bus rapid transit network through the Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo area.

Megabus expands to Texas, southern U.S.

Dallas, Houston; and San Antonio residents can now travel to five cities: Austin, Texas; Norman, Okla.; Memphis, Tenn.; Little Rock, Ark.; and New Orleans for as low as $1.

FMCSA shuts down 26 bus operations

The bus companies transported over 1,800 passengers a day along Interstate-95, from New York to Florida. The action is the largest single safety crackdown in the agency’s history.

Disabled visitors using transit face hurdles for London Olympics

Despite the bus system being equipped with ramps and low-floor access for wheelchair users, critics have complained that drivers have refused to pick them up.

Consolidation of some CTA, Metra, Pace services sought

Chairman says combining redundant service routes, purchasing, personnel, marketing and maintenance departments, could save taxpayers $150 million a year.

Chicago Transit issues RFP for naming rights

In addition, the collaboration will also put a sponsor’s name and logo on system maps, exclusive advertising within the station and other collateral materials such as downtown sight-seeing guides produced by the CTA.

Bombardier unveils contactless power system

Presented a new application of its Primove system, which has been installed in a pilot demonstration area of the Augsburg tram network in Germany. The system transfers power contactlessly without the use of any overhead wires.

Valley Metro begins first light rail expansion

The $200 million, 3.1-mile extension will travel to downtown Mesa and is expected to draw thousands more East Valley riders daily and encourage new development along the line.

SEPTA upgrades station with ADA accommodations

To make Ryers Station more accessible, a new 240-foot high level platform, stairway and an Americans with Disabilities ramp were added.

Report: Smart transportation systems to continue growth

The area of heaviest investment will be traffic management systems, including traveler information, congestion charging, and adaptive signaling.

Orange County, Calif. paratransit system honored

The OCTA recently received statewide recognition as Paratransit System of the Year for its ACCESS paratransit service, which provides more than 1.3 million trips annually for seniors and persons with disabilities.

N.Y. county adds taxi services to offerings

Westchester County's BeeLine paratransit service currently serves 5,500 registered riders a year, providing 220,000 trips annually.

MBTA to bid out commuter rail

The state of Massachusetts sent out the request to run the commuter rail service currently operated by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. To attract more bidders, the agency is considering a longer contract period of up to 15 years.

Mass. senior center looks to volunteer drivers

Longer lead times required for scheduling with the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority's dial-a-ride service and the possibility of being bumped from a seat have been challenging for senior center staffers.

L.A. Metro approves remaining phases of Westside project

The action officially approves four new stations and alignments, adding the remaining five miles to the approved and certified subway extension project. The board's previous action in April only approved the initial project phase from Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/La Cienega.

Officials blast Wis. Gov., party for rail rejection

Said the short-sightedness of Gov. Walker and the Republican-led legislature is killing job creation in the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor.

GO Transit preps for on-time policy challenges

The commuter rail system's smart card software will have to be modified to process refunds related to the policy, and there will have to be a protocol for identifying and serving eligible customers.

Disabled MBTA riders protest fare hikes, cuts

Chained their wheelchairs together and blocked traffic at a busy intersection to protest the agency’s decision to double fares for The Ride, its service for disabled riders.

D.C. Metro unveils new MV-1 vehicles for paratransit service

MetroAccess customers will benefit from shorter boarding times as a result of the MV-1 ramp design, which allows customers to board without the use of a lift. The vehicles cost about $50,000 each.

CN union members reach agreement

At one point during negotiations, the strike threatened to halt commuter and intercity passenger services, since CN shares line with passenger carriers in several Canadian provinces.

CapMetro awards HDR with analysis contract

Will provide all planning services required to complete the analysis, including overall project management, public involvement, preliminary engineering, Federal Transit Administration coordination, economic development impacts, land use, environmental, Sustainable Return on Investment, operations and financial planning.

Calif. transit breaks ground on $270M rail extension

Sacramento Regional Transit is building the project to provide a commuting alternative to the region’s most congested freeway.

Web Extra: Riding the train or a bike, part of the fun is getting there

Phoenix-based Valley Metro’s Susan Tierney, public information officer, gives an account of how alternatives to the car are becoming more and more accepted by residents and visitors, many of whom took the train and biked to a big baseball game on Earth Day.

Seon releases new outdoor HD bus camera

The CHW and the MX-HD is highly innovative, and the high-definition allows for utmost clarity and precision that no bus camera has delivered thus far, according to Seon.

Program helps pay for Tulsa senior transit services

The Transportation Assistance Program for Seniors has provided $3 coupons to hundreds of participants to defray some of the $6 round trip LIFT service fee.

Pittsburgh Port Authority recalls laid off workers

Recently, a shortage of T light-rail drivers led to widespread delays and overcrowded trains when Pittsburgh hosted several major events.

N.Y.’s CDTA unveils bus arrival app

The application dedicated to BusPlus bus rapid transit service features real-time information for devices operating on Apple, Android and Blackberry platforms. Customers are now able to see when the bus is coming to any station serviced by BusPlus.

MCI delivers to W. Va. veterans’ healthcare facility

Louis A. Johnson VA Healthcare System’s two new D4005 coaches come with patriotic graphics, wheelchair lifts and the latest clean diesel engine technology for near zero emissions.

L..A. Metro approves FY2013 budget

Budget, which is balanced with no shortfall, does not propose raising fares. Metro's farebox recovery will stay at 28% — near the bottom of any major operator, with passenger loads also low compared to other transportation agencies in the same range.

FMCSA shuts down Texas operation for violations

Move comes following an extensive review of Demco Express’ operations that uncovered multiple federal safety violations in the areas of drivers' hours-of-service compliance, driver qualifications and drug testing requirements.

CTA president signs veteran hiring order

As part of the policy, the agency’s goal is to attract at least a 20% pool of veterans during the application process for positions, including drivers, mechanics, engineers, managers and other workers.

Calif. high-speed rail group hires new CEO

Jeff Morales, who served as an executive with the $69 billion mega project's lead consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff, was in charge of developing cost estimates, funding sources and rider projections.

Wabtec to equip NYCT railcars

Will provide the following components for the cars: brakes, couplers and current collectors; door operators and related equipment; and event recorders.

U. of Wyoming recognized for environmental efforts

Cited for efforts to increase energy efficiency across campus; provide alternative transportation options such as shuttle service and a bike loan program to reduce the number of cars on campus; and require all new construction and major renovations to seek LEED certification.

U. of Wis. – Madison bus eases faculty commutes

A 2010 survey conducted by the university’s Transportation Services department showed that 20% of UW–Madison employees live between 11 and 25 miles from campus, and 9% live 26 or more miles away.

U. of Denver students protest Saferide cancellation

According to campus officials, the service will be cancelled due to lack of student use and not cost.

Report: Improving transit boosts rural communities

Reconnecting America and the Community Transportation Association of America’s "Putting Transit to Work in Main Street America," found that smaller communities are making a wide variety of transit investments, and these investments have had a positive impact on both the economy and the quality of life of residents.

Mo. officials propose student bus route to up ridership

The FastCAT route would have 11 stops completing a circuit through Missouri University and downtown Columbia.

Is the trend of driving less helping Zipcar on campuses?

The National Center for Education Statistics lists nearly 4,200 four-year and two-year college campuses in the U.S. Of these, approximately 265 have Zipcars.

D.C. Metro investing $5M in bus upgrades

Will introduce new limited-stop MetroExtra routes on three new travel corridors, conversion of four existing routes to limited-stop MetroExtra service, and refinements to eleven existing priority corridors.

Arizona U. provides variety of programs for student transit

In addition to the campus' CatTran bus system, bike and car sharing services, as well as additional parking areas have been implemented.

AECOM wins international contract

Under the contract, the company will provide an architectural and engineering consultancy study for the proposed RTS Link, which would connect Singapore with Johor Bahru in southern Malaysia.

Siemens wins $73M TriMet contract

Vehicles will be manufactured from start to finish at its rail vehicle manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif., a facility powered almost entirely by two megawatts of solar energy. The first new railcars are expected to be delivered in August 2014.