The full House Committee on Appropriations marked up the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations bill May 23, approving the bill 34-17.

The bill builds on the public transportation and passenger rail investments made in the FY 2018 THUD Appropriations Act, providing $13.6 billion for public transportation and $2.9 billion for intercity passenger rail.

Total FY 2019 public transportation and intercity passenger rail funding is $203 million more than the amount provided earlier this year and $2.5 billion more than provided in FY 2017. This is also $1.7 billion more than the FAST Act-authorized levels for FY 2019.

“We are asking our APTA members to contact their Member of Congress and urge them to support the increased funding levels provided in the House THUD bill for public transportation and intercity passenger rail,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.  “In addition, we encourage our members to reach out to their representatives to further increase funding for these critical infrastructure investments in our nation's bus and rail systems.”

A detailed analysis of the bill can be found in APTA's May 24 Legislative Update. A table with specific information on the public transportation and intercity passenger rail funding provided in the bill can be found here.

FTA, FEMA Issue Notices of Funding Opportunity

FTA has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $25.8 million in grants under a pilot program for TOD planning.

The program authorizes FTA to award funds to local communities to integrate land use and transportation planning with new fixed guideway or core capacity improvement transit capital projects as defined in federal transit statute. FTA anticipates minimum grant awards of $250,000 and maximum awards of $2 million.

View an APTA summary of the FTA NOFO here. View the NOFO in its entirety, including eligibility and submission instructions, here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a NOFO for $88 million in Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) grants. These grants provide funds to eligible public transit systems (including intracity bus, ferries and all forms of passenger rail) to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.

View an APTA summary of the FEMA NOFO here. View the NOFO in its entirety, including eligibility and submission instructions, here.

Skoutelas Addresses Virginia Transit Association

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas delivered the keynote address at a May 23 awards luncheon during the Virginia Transit Association’s (VTA) annual conference in Richmond. Before an audience of transportation leaders, government officials and business executives, he presented a “state of the industry” overview declaring public transit “a healthy, vitally important and growing industry.”

Skoutelas commended VTA for its active involvement as an APTA member. He also said the topics covered at the two-day event “are vital to the future of public transportation in Virginia and throughout the country; they really show how our industry is undergoing transformational changes.” Skoutelas noted that state transportation associations like VTA are more important than ever because so many initiatives are sprouting up from the state and local levels.

It's Not Too Late to Become a TCRP DAY Local Host!

Give back to the public transit industry by participating in the Transit Cooperative Research Program's (TCRP) first-ever TCRP DAY, June 6, as a local host. We need your help educating others within your organization about the invaluable research TCRP provides to the public transit industry.

We've made it easy for local hosts to participate. You will be asked to either hold a brown bag lunch or staff an information table at your organization. Access the TCRP DAY Local Host Toolkit, chock full of resources to help make your event a success.

Also helping to make TCRP DAY a success are TRB, FTA, APTA and our partners National RTAP, CTAA and NTI.

Contact Peggy Wilson to volunteer or with any questions.

TRB Webinar on Tools for a Sustainable Transit Agency

The Transportation Research Board will conduct a free webinar on research from TCRP Research Report 197: Tools for a Sustainable Transit Agency, June 5, 2-3:30 PM Eastern time. For more information and to register, click here.

Public Transit Users Can Save $845 a Month Over Driving

APTA's May Transit Savings Report shows that people who use public transit and live with one fewer car in a two-person household could save an average of $845 a month or $10,134 a year. Click here to see the savings in the top 20 cities with the highest public transit ridership.

SAVE THE DATE

International Rail Rodeo
June 7-10, 2018
Denver, CO

APTA's 2018 International Rail Rodeo begins in less than two weeks! Don't miss this renowned skills test as rail operators and maintainers vie for top honors.

Rail Conference
June 10-13, 2018
Denver, CO

Pre-registration deadline June 1 to be a part of this conference on the changing mobility paradigm and innovation in rail transit!

The Regional Transportation District (RTD), host system for the conference, has scheduled two technical tours, one to RTD's Commuter Rail Facility and the other to the Mariposa Light Rail Facility. Each tour will be held twice: before the conference begins, Saturday afternoon, June 9, and after the Closing General Session, Wednesday afternoon, June 13. Pre-registration is required for both tours; pre-register here.

The Future of Mobility: From Transit Authority to Mobility Integrator
July 12, 2018
Washington, DC

This series of in-depth panel discussions and roundtable breakouts will focus on how traditional public transportation modes must adapt to compete in the new mobility marketplace. The event will be led by senior transit officials, business executives, advocates and other mobility experts who will delve into critical issues facing public transportation today, highlight innovations underway around the country and discuss ways public transportation can be the backbone of multimodal lifestyles. For information, contact Cynthia Owens.

IN THE MEDIA

LIRR Targeting Car-on-Tracks Incidents—MTA Long Island Rail Road plans safety upgrades at all of its nearly 300 grade crossings this year to address the growing problem of motorists, confused by GPS directions, who drive onto train tracks.

Electronic Signs for Delaware Bus Stops—Bus riders at 10 stops throughout Delaware will be able to view newly installed electronic signs that show real-time locations of Delaware Transit Corporation buses.

D.C. Metro Almost Had a Very Cool Abstract Map—An archivist at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies has made a remarkable find: graphic designer Massimo Vignelli's concepts for a Washington, DC, rapid transit system map.

London Mayor Plans TfL 'Junk Food' Ad Ban—Junk food advertising could be banned across the entire Transport for London (TfL) network. Mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants to tackle the "ticking time bomb" of child obesity.

Valley Metro Donates Books—Students at schools in Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe, AZ, hopped on board a special bus to pick up their summertime reading. The donation of books from Valley Metro and First Transit employees doubled from last year to 5,000.