Los Angeles is known as a city that's both in love with cars and choked with traffic and smog. But in recent years, the City of Angels has worked to beef up its public transportation offerings, and boasts the most trafficked light-rail system in the United States (which opened to passengers on July 14, 1990). Originally, the Metro even ran on the honor system, though unfortunately due to human nature, it resorted to fare gates like other systems. The Metro's Expo extension, which opened in May, was part of a $14-billion project - the largest public works project in the country.
The largest municipal rail system in Texas has turned 20 years old.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit on Tuesday marked the light-rail anniversary with customer appreciation events at several stations. DART rail service began on June 14, 1996, with an 11-mile network of Red and Blue lines. DART rail now includes 62 stations in eight cities, with rail spanning 90 miles. Transit officials say the system has carried out more than 360 million passenger trips.
Amtrak and the Maryland Transit Administration have installed a $1.2 million backup generator system at Baltimore Penn Station to maintain the facility's operations during extended utility outages, Amtrak announced late last week. The new generator will provide emergency backup power to maintain critical station services during a power failure. Penn Station is the eighth-busiest station in Amtrak's national network. In addition to Amtrak passengers, the station serves MARC Penn Line commuters and riders on the city's light-rail lines.
Philadelphia's transit system calls it "the future of fare payment." The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on Monday is rolling out the "early Adopter" program. Up to 10,000 riders will get SEPTA Key cards that will work on subways, buses, trolleys, and eventually regional rail and paratransit. Officials say the program will allow customers to experience the convenience of the cards while also providing valuable feedback.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and several top state legislators yesterday announced they reached an agreement on legislation designed to improve rail safety. The agreement includes a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the risk of train-motor vehicle collisions at grade crossings across the state. The initiatives will require coordinated, frequent inspections of traffic-control devices at crossings, and impose penalties on railroads and repeat offender motorists who continue to disobey the law and ignore safety requirements, state officials said in a press release.
Washington state and federal agencies this week plan to conduct track inspections along the Columbia River Gorge rail line between Vancouver and Pasco, Wash., the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) announced yesterday. The commission sent two federally certified track inspectors to work with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on inspections of BNSF Railway Co.'s line on the Washington side of the Columbia River, according to a UTC press release. Inspectors from the Oregon Department of Transportation will assist with inspections of Union Pacific Railroad's track on Oregon's side of the river.
The Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region has the potential to become one of the world's great urban centers - but to realize that potential we must lead in electrifying our entire transportation system, starting with electric buses.
We are all familiar with the sight, sound, and smell of diesel buses. Electric buses, on the other hand, are clean and quiet, with a smoother ride and no tailpipe pollution. Cities such as Indianapolis, Seattle, and Dallas are already on the road to electric bus systems, and have found them to be reliable, cost-effective, and attractive to riders.
