During a June 16 visit to Alstom’s Belfast Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility near Ottawa, Ontario, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced up to $1.09 billion (Cdn.) in Canadian federal funding for the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Stage 2 Project, matching a previous commitment by the province with the city responsible for the balance. [More]

Md. MTA Unveils BaltimoreLink

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland DOT Secretary Pete K. Rahn and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Acting Administrator Kevin Quinn recently joined Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and other civic and business leaders to launch the BaltimoreLink system, an initiative that redesigned the regional bus network and added 12 new high-frequency routes to improve connections to jobs and other transit services. [More]

Agencies Nationwide Break Ground on Facilities: MBTA's 'Long-Awaited' Rail Station

Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) broke ground June 5 for the Blue Hill Avenue Station on the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line, which Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called “a long-awaited milestone for the Mattapan community” in his remarks at the event. [More]

St. Louis' P3-Funded Station

St. Louis regional leaders recently broke ground for the first new MetroLink light rail station in more than a decade and the first to be built through a P3: the Cortex MetroLink Station in the Cortex Innovation Community, an innovation hub located in historic neighborhoods of the city. [More]

Valley Metro's Light Rail Station

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton marked the beginning of construction on Valley Metro Rail’s 50th St/Washington Valley Station—the first capital project under voter-approved Transportation 2050 (T2050)—at a community celebration June 7 on the rooftop of Ability360, a facility for persons with disabilities located on the route. [More]

JTA's Intermodal Facility

At ceremonies June 20, the Jacksonville (FL) Transportation Authority (JTA) broke ground for the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC), a state-of-the-art transportation hub that will connect local, regional and intercity modes of transportation including fixed-route buses, First Coast Flyer BRT, the Skyway/U²C, intercity bus, rideshare, bikeshare and future Amtrak and commuter rail. [More]

MAX Opens Central Station in Birmingham

The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX) opened its MAX Central Station, part of a $32 million intermodal facility—which ultimately will also serve intercity bus, Amtrak and the city’s bike-sharing program—June 19 in downtown Birmingham, AL, in advance of formal ribbon-cutting ceremonies June 30. [More]

Lhota Named New York MTA Chairman

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has appointed Joseph J. Lhota chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. [More]

In Memoriam

The public transportation industry says goodbye to Lolalisa DeCarlo King, president of Architect for Life in Houston, and Ed Gill, a longtime partner with Thompson Coburn LLC and earlier APTA assistant chief counsel and executive director of regulatory affairs. [More]

COVERAGE OF THE 2017 RAIL CONFERENCE

Rail Conference Highlights Policies, Practices, Trends

More than 1,800 industry professionals gathered in Baltimore for the 2017 APTA Rail Conference and International Rail Rodeo, June 8-14, to share best practices, discuss trends and innovations, network, learn about industry products and services and explore issues and challenges. [More]

MTA: Many Jobs, One Goal of Excellence

Employees of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) described the “Four Cornerstones of Transit” that underlie their efforts—safety, efficiency, reliability and world-class customer service—at the Host Session during the Rail Conference. [More]

APTA Honors Rail Agencies for Safety, Security

APTA recognized four rail agencies for their safety and security efforts during the conference. [More]

Gala Awards Banquet Celebrates Rail Rodeo Participants

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) received the prestigious Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the 25th annual APTA International Rail Rodeo, held just before the Rail Conference. [More]

Safety, Security on the Agenda

Prior to the conference’s official start, APTA convened two special sessions focused on safety and security challenges in public transportation. [More]

More Conference Sessions: TOD, High-Speed Rail

TOD and high-speed rail were among the topics of numerous educational sessions during the Rail Conference. [More]

All About Rail

More than 1,800 industry professionals attended APTA’s 2017 Rail Conference and International Rodeo in Baltimore for listening and learning in General Sessions and educational programs, award presentations, tours, networking, workshops, roundtables and committee meetings. Participants also visited exhibitors at the Products & Services Showcase to see demonstrations and learn more about the latest innovations in the passenger rail marketplace. Click here to see more scenes from the conference. [More]

APTA NEWS

APTA Nominations Open for Expanded Executive Committee and Board Seats

The APTA Nominating Committee is accepting nominations through July 14 to fill leadership positions, recently announced APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes, who added that the committee will recommend individuals to stand for election at the APTA Business Meeting, Saturday, Oct. 7, in Atlanta, prior to the 2017 Annual Meeting & EXPO. [More]

APTA Introduces Youth to Transit

Participants in the biennial APTA Youth Summit toured a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority rollover vehicle used for emergency management training. The summit introduces high school juniors to potential careers in public transportation during a week-long program of classroom activities, tours and presentations by Washington, DC, area industry leaders. [More]

EXPO Certified by IAEE

APTA’s International ­Public Transportation EXPO, Oct. 8-11 in Atlanta, has been certified by IAEE (the International Association of Exhibitions and Events™) for demonstrating the “Gold Standard” in exhibition management. [More]

COMMENTARY

Cutting Transit Funding Risks Jobs, Hinders Economic Growth, Say APTA Members

In conjunction with the 2017 Rail Conference, APTA convened a national press briefing with senior public transportation leaders who expressed concerns regarding the Trump administration’s FY 2018 budget proposal to phase out the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program and cut Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA). These moves, if enacted, will jeopardize jobs, critically important public transit projects and state and local economies. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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