New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently unveiled the Fulton Center, located on Broadway in Lower Manhattan, a modern public transit and retail hub that integrates five subway stations serving eight subway lines with a ninth accessible through a new 350-foot-long pedestrian ­tunnel, with additional connections to Port ­Authority Trans-­Hudson Corporation (PATH) commuter rail to follow as additional projects in the area are completed. [More]

Red Rose Transit, BARTA to Establish New Authority; Agencies to Retain Route Oversight

Public transit agencies in two adjoining Pennsylvania counties are preparing to reorganize their operations into a single authority, effective Jan. 1, when the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) in Reading and the Red Rose Transit Authority in Lancaster will jointly create a new entity, the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA). [More]

L.A. Metro Breaks Ground on Purple Line Extension

Los Angeles Metro started construction Nov. 7 for the long-awaited Metro Purple Line Extension project, which will connect West Los Angeles to the region’s growing rail network, making it possible to travel between downtown Los Angeles and Westwood in 25 minutes. [More]

JTA Breaks Ground for BRT

DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx joined representatives of the Jacksonville (FL) Transportation Authority (JTA) Nov. 17 at ground-breaking ceremonies for First Coast Flyer, the region’s first BRT service. [More]

New CEOs Named

New Mobility Training Center Opens in St. Cloud, MN

Public Transit Puts Out Welcome Mat for Vets

Dozens of public transit systems nationwide marked Veterans Day by conducting career fairs to recruit and hire service members, offering free rides to veterans, holding special events, and recognizing their current employees who are former service members. [More]

Fort Worth's T Participates in Tower 55 Project

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Susannah Kerr Adler!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Susannah Kerr Adler, executive vice president, general manager-regional operations, for SYSTRA Consulting Inc./SYSTRA Engineering Inc., member of the APTA Board of Directors, Policy & Planning Committee, and Leadership APTA Class of 2003, and chair, Leadership APTA and Sustainability committees. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

AC Transit Receives Small Starts Grant for East Bay BRT Project

AC Transit in Oakland, CA, has received an FTA Small Starts Grant—the first Fiscal Year 2014 grant announced so far—through an agreement that commits funding for the completion of the agency’s 9.5-mile East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a project supported by $81 million in federal grants. [More]

MBTA Station Renamed for Dukakis

In ceremonies Nov. 10, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick rededicated Boston’s South Station as “Governor Michael S. Dukakis South Station Transportation Center” in recognition of the former governor’s advocacy of public transportation. [More]

Public Transit Agencies Help the Hungry

Public transit agencies throughout North America are conducting food collection drives in their areas. Here are a few examples. [More]

VTA Leads Effort to Improve Transit in Silicon Valley Region

Friday, Oct. 31, wasn’t just about trick-or-treating or celebrating the Giants’ World Series win at the parade in San Francisco. Public transit leaders and elected officials from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrans, the city of Fremont, and the Alameda County Transportation Commission also cele­brated a big win for the collective effort to deliver safety and mobility improvements as part of the Mission/Warren Area Improvements Project. [More]

COMMENTARY

Public Transportation: Opportunities for Nation Building

When I accepted the APTA leadership torch from immediate Past Chair Peter Varga at the Annual Meeting in October, I thanked the 2,000 colleagues in attendance for naming me their “Chief Transportation Advocate.” That’s how I see my year as chair: It’s a call to action, when all of us in public transportation work together to strengthen our role as the transformational industry our nation needs. There’s no time like the present. We have great challenges, but we also have unprecedented opportunities. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and business members. Items appear in People on the Move in the order in which they are received. [More]