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Transit Elevator/Escalator Consortium Gears Back-Up
Last Wednesday November 5, 2014 The Center convened members of the transit elevator/escalator training consortium via webinar to re-start work on the project in light of renewed commitment from FTA. On the webinar, the group:
* Reviewed the overall project timeline
* Was re-introduced to the courseware development process
* Decided on members and meeting dates for courseware
development teams * Was updated on pilots that took place during the interim and scheduled pilots moving forward * Highlighted location specific courseware developed for BART by
the Center which built on the foundation created by the consortium * Previewed the proposed interactive, hyperlink-based interface for
OEM specific courses * Discussed how to collect information from locations in order to calculate return on investment associated with consortium membership
Smaller courseware development teams will meet via webinar to work on content for the remaining 400 level courses (Advanced Equipment Inspection, Root Cause Failure Analysis and Predictive maintenance) during November and December 2014. The next live meeting of the full consortium is scheduled for early January 2015.
For more information on the Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium, either visit the Center's website or contact project manager Jim Kinahan.
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The Hill - November 6, 2014
Sixty percent of transit initiatives before voters on Election Day this week were approved, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is touting. The group said 15 out of 25 local transit initiatives, totaling more than $6 billion, were approved during Tuesday's elections, despite widespread gains in many areas of the country for Republicans who campaigned on reducing government spending.
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Railway Age - November 5, 2014
Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo will be stepping down from the post he has held since April 2009 and, effective Jan. 1, 2015, will be on staff at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)-effectively returning to his Chicagoland roots. Szabo's CMAP appointment was confirmed by Railway Age Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner, who obtained a copy of an email from CMAP Executive Director Randall S. Blankenhorn to various colleagues.
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Clean Technica - November 9, 2014
Congested cities, troubling unemployment due to the absence of transit, and environmental issues from automobile pollution all point towards the need for much greater development of mass transportation. Even as transit ridership is growing to all time highs, the US is short on extensively developed systems that reach the many who could benefit from affordable transit.
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In 2011, the agency launched its Scorecard initiative, which includes an online customer survey that gives riders the chance to rate NJ Transit's overall performance in several areas including communication, rail and bus comfort, parking lot safety and customer service. Customers are also able to offer suggestions for improvement, which NJ Transit said it uses to make meaningful management decisions.
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Metro ridership has been declining in recent years even as it spikes in other parts of the country, a potential concern to owners of downtown real estate. If employees are working remotely, the value of Washington office space is potentially diminished.
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NJ Transit's Light Rail ticketing system relies on a pseudo honor system, though transit experts object to the description. Enforcement officers periodically check passengers' tickets, but are not at every station every day. For some, their absence is an invitation to skip out on buying a ticket.
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MARTA Board members this week delayed making a controversial decision on whether to pursue outsourcing its Mobility service for elderly and disabled passengers. Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union have protested the transit agency's move to accept proposals from private providers, saying outsourcing could cost 300 jobs and result in poor quality of service for patrons.
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New Haven Register - November 9, 2014
The Federal Railroad Administration on Friday issued a rule requiring improved training for safety-related employees and contractors. The rule, mandated by the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 "ensures safety-related employees are trained and qualified to comply with any relevant federal railroad safety laws, regulations and orders," according to a press release from the FRA.
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Progressive Railroading - November 5, 2014
Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday announced new state coordinators for New Hampshire and Delaware. John Robinson is the new state coordinator for New Hampshire Operation Lifesaver, succeeding longtime leader Lyman Cousens, while Robert Perrine will take over the Delaware program from Bob King, OLI President and Chief Executive Officer Joyce Rose announced in a press release.
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AFTER A late-night ratification vote, SEPTA's largest union finalized a new labor contract yesterday, ending the threat of a strike that would have shuttered the city's subways, buses and trolleys. The nearly 5,000 train operators and bus and trolley drivers represented by Transportation Workers Union Local 234 approved a two-year agreement with the transit authority last night, union officials said.
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Transit officials yesterday rolled out the first in a line of 60 new hybrid diesel-electric buses that MBTA officials say line up with its environmental focus and need to replace the outdated fleet, but the vehicles also come with some other extra features - like a few more sets of eyes.
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Several years ago, South Carolina had a problem: a shortage of skilled workers and no good way to train young people for the workforce. So at a time when apprenticeship programs were in decline in the U.S., the state started a program called Apprenticeship Carolina. "We were really, really squarely well-positioned at the bottom," says Brad Neese, the program's director.
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The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has increased its hiring of military veterans to 358 since it launched an initiative in 2012 to provide employment opportunities to veterans. The agency has hired 71 military veterans so far this year, CTA officials said in a press release. "We have found that many veterans, by virtue of their military service and the skills learned during their service, translate well and make them well-equipped to serve this agency and its customers," said CTA President Forrest Claypool.
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The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) will launch a program on Nov. 18 to help disabled veterans successfully bid on agency projects. The Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) program establishes a 3 percent contracting goal for all non-federally funded, competitively negotiated contracts for construction, goods or services over $100,000, according to a LACMTA press release.
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Building Transportation Infrastructure
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When the Fulton Center opens in lower Manhattan at 5 a.m. Monday, subway riders will be treated to something they won't find at any other underground station in the city: natural light. Streaming through a 53-foot diameter oculus atop the center's 108-foot pavilion, light filters through hundreds of coated aluminum panels designed to transfer it to where commuters will be passing through turnstiles two-stories below street level.
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This morning, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) officials will host local, state and federal officials for the groundbreaking of the $2.8 billion Purple Line subway extension project.
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Bergen County residents will be able to comment and ask questions about potential routes for proposed bus rapid transit routes in the county at a hearing on Thursday night. The hearing will be held starting at 5 p.m. at Bergen Community College, Phillip Ciarco Learning Center room, 102-103 Main Street in Hackensack. A presentation about an analysis and the preferred routes will be given between 6:30 and 7 p.m.
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Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) new "train-to-plane" service to Oakland International Airport will start in time for this year's Thanksgiving Day holiday travel period, the agency announced late last week. The "BART to OAK" service will begin Nov. 22. Riders will be able to board one of four three-car automated people movers at the Coliseum or Oakland International Airport station and take the eight-minute ride at 30 mph, BART officials said in a press release. A public celebration will be held Nov. 21 at the Coliseum Station to mark the new service.
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Progressive Railroading - November 12, 2014
U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.) will hold a rally this morning with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Chairman Tom Downs to call for the federal commuter tax break to be restored to tax parity with people who drive motor vehicles to work. The rally also will feature the Commuter Benefits Work for Us coalition, which includes employers, unions, transit agencies, national and local associations calling on Congress to end the tax on transit riders and to establish parity, WMATA officials said in a media announcement.
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