Center Update  
Center delivers one day Train the Trainer session to Dallas Area Rapid Transit Training Supervisors 
DART Trainers participating in group exercises during one-day Train the Trainer
 
On August 24, 2017, the Center delivered a one-day session of it's very popular 5-day Train-the-Trainer course. This session was given at Dallas Area Paid Transit in Dallas, TX. Program Manager Tia Brown delivered training to twenty-one (21) Training Supervisors from operations, maintenance, and customer support departments.
 
The training covered the Adult Learner and the Effective Instructor. Participants participated in group exercises and had a chance at the end to practice some instruction skills. Participated were so inspired by the presentation that they were requesting to attend the week long Train the Trainer where they would have the opportunity to participate in a smaller classroom setting that would allow for more practice teaching opportunities. The Center will work with DART to schedule the full week long Train the Trainer in the near future.
 
For more information the Center's Train-the-Trainer course, contact Program Manager of Instructional Design Julie Deibel-Pundt .
Public Transportation
In the last 50 years, nearly every state agency that used to call itself the "highway department" has changed its name to the "department of transportation" to reflect a purported change in mission. In theory, DOTs are not only concerned with moving cars on highways - they manage entire transportation systems, which include transit, biking, and walking. But in practice, many state DOTs still operate strictly as highway departments.
The Week - August 16, 2017
Americans who use public transit the most tend to be poorer and less white than Americans as a whole. But there's race and class segregation within public transit, too: Bus riders tend to be poorer and less white than subway riders. America's subway systems have actually boosted services and ridership by 10 and 12 percent, respectively, over the last decade.
Metro Magazine - August 23, 2017
"Low fuel prices have a serious downside," said Joseph Schwieterman, professor in the School of Public Service and director of the institute. "When more people choose to drive, there can be a snowball effect that limits the public transportation options available to others, who then feel compelled to drive as well."
The Washington Post - August 28, 2017
The Houston Metro's bus system, three light-rail lines, and paratransit services will all remain closed until at least the end of Monday, with no word yet on when the system would begin to reopen. In a statement, Metro officials said the service is shuttered in light of "catastrophic flooding and treacherous road conditions," and they will monitor the situation to determine when it will be safe to begin running service again.
Transit System/Partners
The Dallas Morning News - August 28, 2017
The long-debated $1.3 billion subway line will help Dallas Area Rapid Transit's entire rail system. Currently, all four lines -- blue, green, orange and red -- run through the same track downtown, which limits the frequency of trains and creates the potential for systemwide disruptions.
Smart Growth America - August 18, 2017
Beginning more than two decades ago, the city has been making significant investments in public transit to serve a growing city and also encourage new walkable, connected growth in intown neighborhoods. Their first light rail line opened in 2007, running south from downtown, and another nine-mile extension north toward the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will open next spring.
Curbed Philadelphia - August 22, 2017
The [King of Prussia Rail Line] project has been marked as high priority by SEPTA, and it's been pegged as the shot in the arm for King of Prussia, which for decades has been snarled in traffic and congestion, given its location sandwiched between four highways. The hope, says Goldstein, is that the KOP Rail will not only take more cars off the road, but also encourage more mixed-use development around the future transit hub and thereby convince commuters to stay put.
Atlas Obscura - August 25, 2017
All in all, things went smoothly. Just before 1:00 p.m., after 155 stations, they were pulling into their last stop: the fittingly named Wonderland. This meant victory for the pair, who celebrated briefly with their fellow commuters. Officials gave them both a prize-personalized fare cards, or CharlieCards, each featuring their name and the legend "The MBTA Speed Challenge World Record."
Economic Issues
Albany Times Union -- August 26, 2017
Legislative leaders have tentatively agreed to a bill, but whether it will pass is unclear. If no solution is found by Sept. 15, the federal government could demand that Honolulu return more than $800 million it has already spent and withhold the rest of a promised $1.5 billion funding package.
Building Transportation Infrastructure
Greater Greater Washington - August 28, 2017
The Purple Line is projected to have 56,000 daily riders by 2030 and create 52,000 jobs, both directly through its construction and indirectly from investment along the corridor. Those who spoke at the groundbreaking this morning, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Anthony Brown, and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, cited the project's benefits to the state of Maryland as whole.
Tampa Bay Times - August 25, 2017
The two-hour forum at the Tampa History Center - one of three scheduled in the Tampa Bay region - is the first public step in a $1.5 million study by Jacobs Engineering that eventually will recommend three out of more than a dozen possible projects as the area's first venture into mass rapid transit.
Metro Magazine - August 28, 2017
While the electrification will allow for the eventual move to high-speed rail service, that is not the only reason Caltrain elected to move forward with the project. They had done research for decades and determined that the overhead contact system being used was a logical choice, given its standard proven design, which is used in the U.S.' Northeast Corridor and multiple European services.
Labor News 
The Los Angeles Times - August 29, 2017
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will withdraw a rule proposed by the Obama administration to allow local hiring preferences in more federally funded transportation projects. The proposal was based on the pilot program, which was created in 2015 to test whether local hiring edicts hurt competition. The pilot is set to run until 2022, but Metro and local hire advocates fear the Trump administration may terminate that too.
Economic Policy Institute - August 24, 2017
Working people join unions to have some say over their jobs and their workplaces. Given the self-determination unions afford, it is no surprise that they are thriving in some of the companies, industries, and occupations undergoing the most change.
Green News
Metro Magazine - August 23, 2017
Over the next 10 years, $2.9 billion from the VW settlement will fund environmental mitigation projects that reduce emissions of NOx. This money will be deposited in a trust and allocated among state beneficiaries. Each state receives a set amount based on the number of affected vehicles sold in the state. Eligible projects include class 4-8 school bus, shuttle bus - and transit bus replacement.
Workforce Development
The Brookings Institution - August 28, 2017
Apprenticeship programs tend to deliver stronger economic returns than other career and technical education (CTE) and workforce training program. In their forthcoming book Making College Work, Harry Holzer and Sandy Balm argue that disadvantaged college students need stronger connections between classwork and the labor market. Apprenticeships create these connections by combining paid work with classroom instruction.
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