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Anyone who's ever relied on public transportation knows that waiting can be the worst part. Even with apps that provide arrival estimates, riders can still find themselves at a loss-straining their eyes in hopes of seeing train lights in the distance, or furiously checking phones while wondering what on earth is holding up a delayed bus. But a new study suggests that the feelings of frustration associated with waiting can differ significantly depending on how gross a station is, and that simple improvements could make that maddening wait time seem much shorter.
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Looking at state of public transportation in the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, the recovery has been "uneven" with an emphasis on costly streetcars rather the bus system, found a study by Ride New Orleans, a public transportation advocacy group, concluding, "Streetcars are the clear winner of New Orleans' transit recovery." The study comes as workers are laying the rails for a new streetcar line that will run down Rampart Street and St. Claude Avenue.
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Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker added trade union leader Russell Gittlen to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) board. Gittlen, who serves as area director of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) New England, is the 11th and final member appointed to the board. Other recent appointments to the board include local mayors Joseph Sullivan and Dean Mazzarella.
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Michael Goldman, chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) safety committee, today announced his committee will hold a meeting on Sept. 3 to review the interim general manager's operational investigation report on a recent wide-gauge derailment. The board expects to receive the report by Aug. 24. Goldman was aware of lawmakers' calls for an earlier meeting, but said he wanted to give board members sufficient time to review the report and consult with safety exports before the committee meeting.
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The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has decided to phase out its 10-unit fleet of AEM7 and HHP8 electric locomotives used for MARC regional/commuter rail service and replace them with eight new 125-mph "Charger" diesel-electric locomotives from Siemens Industry. The MTA plans to ask Maryland's Board of Public Works for permission to piggyback on an Illinois DOT contract with Siemens to acquire the locomotives, for an estimated $58 million. Amtrak, which has been maintaining MARC's electric fleet since 1983, will no longer be able to provide the service as of June 2016 because it has retired its own HHP8 locomotives and is phasing out its AEM7s as new Siemens ACS-64 electrics enter service.
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Metra received a $20,000 grant from Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) to help promote rail safety awareness. In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), OLI awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 13 state Operation Lifesaver programs for grade crossing safety education programs. Under that grant program, Metra will receive funds to produce and place banners with OLI's "See Tracks? Think Train!" slogan on the outside of passenger cars and on digital signs at the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago.
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The Federal Railroad Administration sent its Status of Positive Train Control Implementation report to Congress showing that after seven years and significant assistance from FRA, most railroads will miss the December 31, 2015 positive train control (PTC) implementation deadline that Congress established in 2008. The report, which was mandated by the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, was sent to Congress on August 7.
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Building Transportation Infrastructure
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When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie canceled a Hudson River tunnel project in 2010, it wasn't just billions of dollars in potential funding that was lost. Also swept away were years of planning by a tangle of local, regional and federal bureaucracies run by politicians with competing agendas. Five years later, political leaders and transportation officials are talking about starting another tunnel project amid questions over whether they can finish the job to avert a potential transit nightmare.
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Cost estimates for transportation infrastructure projects were "significantly underestimated." Its effect on the state's economy would have been "very modest." And, of course, the taxpayers would have been the "ultimate risk bearers." That's according to an independent report commissioned by Gov. Charlie Baker and other State House leaders on the now defunct bid to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to Massachusetts.
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About one-third of the states have taken action this year to boost funding for transportation or shore up their road and bridge funds against expected declines in tax revenues. Here's a look at what those states have done.
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