Center Update
Congratulations to Mark Dysart on Retirement

Center Senior Associate Mark R. Dysart has decided to retire from the Transportation Learning Center.  In his nine years with the Center, Mark provided staff leadership on a number of projects including the development of frameworks for apprenticeship in bus maintenance, transit elevator-escalator and emerging frameworks in signals and rail car maintenance.  A former founding Executive Director of the High Speed Rail Coalition, Mark also brought deep and broad experience from the world of rail labor.  He led efforts like the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) project on systems of training and qualification for rail vehicle technicians and Veteran Outreach.  Without his skill, knowledge and personal finesse, the Signals Consortium could not have begun or flourished as it has.  Mark will stay in touch with the Center to assist with the smooth transitioning of his projects to other colleagues.  Mark intends to spend more time with his family and enjoy some of his many hobbies and interests.
 
Mark's colleagues at the Center and his many friends in the transportation industry will miss his cheerful presence and his great skill and knowledge.  All of us wish him a happy and long retirement.
Highly Acclaimed Building Trades' Apprenticeship Model Replicated by Center to Attract Young People to Transit Careers


The Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), the most widely used pre-apprenticeship curriculum in the Building Trades' Apprenticeship Readiness Programs, was developed specifically to help under-represented populations prepare to enter apprenticeship programs.  Joint Apprenticeship program directors guided the development of the pre-apprenticeship curriculum and tied it to demonstrated needs of the industry.  Construction apprenticeships account for the majority of registered apprenticeships in the United States.  With women and minorities making up more than 75 percent of the successful graduates of apprenticeship readiness programs, building trades apprenticeship constitute one of the most successful programs providing career ladders for under-represented populations. Learning from and extending the apprenticeship preparedness work the building trades have done so successfully will increase ladders of opportunity for more women and people of color who need access to good, family-supporting jobs.  The Transportation Learning Center's effort to build a Transit Core Competencies Curriculum seeks to emulate the great success of the building trades in the transit and transportation.
 
For more information:
Public Transportation News
Public transportation is an essential part of our surface transportation system. For many families, especially those without access to a car, public transportation is that critical link to employment, education, and child care facilities, among other services. In 2014, the last year for which complete data are available, more than 2,100 public transit operators provided 10.5 billion unlinked trips, carrying passengers more than 57 billion miles.
Transit System/Partners
GCN - April 26, 2016
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has released a solicitation for a contactless ticketing system that will allow riders to pay fares by tapping a bank card, smartphone or smart credit card over an electronic reader. Transit riders shouldn't expect a quick upgrade, however, as the MTA said a fully operational system wouldn't be up and running until 2021. The current Metrocard system was rolled out in 1997 and is now considered outdated compared to those for transit systems in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities.
Labor News
Workday Minnesota - April 26, 2016   
Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 will vote May 8 and 9 on a tentative contract settlement with Metro Transit, the union announced. Copies of the settlement will be available to members starting at 9 a.m. on May 8, with a meeting to present and discuss the offer at 11 a.m. at the Ramada Plaza, 1330 Industrial Boulevard, Minneapolis. Voting will take place following the meeting until 4 p.m. and again on May 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the United Labor Center, 312 Central Ave., SE, Minneapolis. The Local 1005 executive board voted to recommend that members ratify the agreement.
Building Transportation Infrastructure
Progressive Railroading - April 27, 2016
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal yesterday signed into law a bill that allows the city of Atlanta to pursue a half-cent sales tax to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's (MARTA) system. Under the law, the city this fall can hold a ballot referendum that allows residents to vote on the sales tax measure, MARTA officials said in a press release. The tax would generate an estimated $2.5 billion over the next 40 years for rail and bus projects within Atlanta city limits. The expansion would likely include a light-rail system in Atlanta's Beltline area, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 
Progressive Railroading - April 27, 2016
The Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO) board late last week adopted and endorsed the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) plan, which calls for advancing rapid transit projects in six corridors.   While the mode of transportation hasn't been decided, new light-rail lines will be considered for five of the six corridors.
The Daily Californian - April 27, 2016
A public workshop on the results of a public survey for a citywide transportation initiative was held Monday. The Berkeley Strategic Transportation, or BeST, Plan outlines the city's future transportation projects and goals with an aim of improving the accessibility, mobility and safety of Berkeley's transportation network. City staff surveyed Berkeley residents on all proposed projects in the plan, specifically asking residents to evaluate the criteria and rank the projects in order of priority. 
Economic Issues
LJWorld.com - April 26, 2016
The cost estimate for a city transportation hub and parking deck located on the Kansas University campus was upped from $20 million to $34 million late last week, and then lowered to $30 million Tuesday. Estimates wavered during preparations for a grant application. Project leaders were working to determine the cost of adding a level to a parking deck that's planned to rise above a ground-level transportation center. The addition brings the structure, planned for KU's Lot 90, to five stories. Of the latest $30 million estimate, KU has pledged to pay $11 million and provide the land. 
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