Center Update  

Last Friday, Mass Transit Magazine released its Top 40 Under 40 list recognizing individuals for their contributions, innovation, leadership, and commitment to transit. We're all very proud of Xinge and excited to share this news. Congratulations Xinge!
 
Xinge came to work for the Transportation Learning Center as a research associate in 2002. In her fifteen years at the Center, she has risen to the rank of Deputy Director and oversees, in addition to her research portfolio, projects on development of state of the art courseware for transit rail car technicians, outreach to veterans and to women seeking non-traditional jobs, the American Apprenticeship Initiative to develop more than 1000 new apprentice positions in transit in five occupations by 2020 and the communications strategy for the Center.
 
Xinge has particularly distinguished herself as an expert on transit and transportation labor markets and training. Early on in her career with the Center, she began collecting data to measure the effectiveness of the joint labor-management training initiatives the Center promoted. Her research into the Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership at SEPTA went into great depth, and she secured the full cooperation of planning, operational and finance staff to examine the effectiveness of the Keystone training, particularly for bus mechanics.
 
In 2014, Ms. Wang served as the lead researcher on a white paper on the future or the transportation workforce commissioned by the US Department of Transportation, the Office of Career Technical Education at the US Department of Education and the US Department of Labor. Ms. Wang presented the data at the US Department of Transportation in a major conference called by all three federal agencies and attended by hundreds of stakeholders. The dramatic findings about critical workforce shortages across transportation sectors continue to inform federal policy on transportation workforce development.
 
For full story, click here . For Xinge's 40 Under 40 profile, click here .
Public Transportation
The federal government does allow transit commuters up to $255 a month in pre-tax income to offset the cost of fares. But people can claim it only if their employer offers the benefit. The parking subsidy is much more widely used - the government spends $7.3 billion a year on it, compared to $1.3 billion for transit.
Portside - August 26, 2017
So who will be most harmed by less public transit service? Well, everyone who breathes dirtier air or sits in clogged traffic as transit use declines will be hurt, but transit-dependent low-income communities of color will suffer most. And city leaders can't just ask these riders to replace their usual bus routes by downloading a ride-hailing app.
Harvard Business Review - September 13, 2017
Research has shown, for example, that the more people use shared private transportation like ride-hailing apps, the more likely they are to also use public transit. But if too many urbanites begin to depend on private vehicles, even shared ones, traffic could get worse and public transit systems might be starved of the fares they need to pay for maintenance and upgrades.
Transit System/Partners
The Source - September 2, 2017
I noticed a difference of how the work force at headquarters views me out of my uniform. Employees here at Gateway tend to speak to me in a suit, but some of those same people I've crossed paths with walked by as if I didn't exist when I was only wearing my Bus Operator's uniform. Metro has thousands of Bus and Train Operators. We are the foundation of the entire company. And yet working on the corporate side has been a positive and eye opening experience.
Progressive Railroading - September 18, 2017
The initiative calls for 100 capital projects, including the addition of a third track along a 9.8-mile stretch of the Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, New York. The initiative also will cover the costs of renovating 39 LIRR stations, according to a press release issued by the railroad.
WCBV 5 - September 18, 2017
The T has also taken steps to ensure it will have the power to operate critical parts of the system even if it loses electricity service during a storm. Deputy General Manager Jeff Gonneville said Monday that the T has purchased more than 50 backup generators, including a 1.5-megawatt generator that could single-handedly help keep portions of the system operational.
SF Gate - September 11, 2017
The maiden voyage was a 34-minute trip from the MacArthur Station in Oakland to Fremont. The Berkeley stations hadn't yet opened, and it would be years before the Transbay Tube was functional, but that did little to dampen the spirits of the thousands of East Bay residents who eagerly waited to ride. AC Transit even handed out commemorative "I Was There" buttons.
WAMU - September 14, 2017
The bottom line: Metro says it needs $15.5 billion over the next decade to maintain the system's tracks and tunnels, rebuild crumbling platforms and bus garages and buy new trains, buses and paratransit vehicles. The problem is that more than $7 billion of that total is currently unfunded, and no one can say today where the money will come from.
CBS Chicago - September 14, 2107
CTA President Dorval Carter said other cities offer legal ID cards to those who don't have one, but Chicago will be the first to offer one that doubles as a transit and library card.
Economic Issues
Next City - September 15, 2017
The dilemma of whether to fund more up front or wait and see how a line performs is common among large public transit projects, especially pricey streetcars and trolleys. Detroit's QLine, for example, grappled with questions of expansion - even before going live. Ultimately, those behind it have taken a wait-and-see approach as well, according to Crain's Detroit Business Journal. 
Building Transportation Infrastructure
Bloomberg - September 17, 2017
Politically, there are opportunities for horse-trading. New York and New Jersey could get federal funds for a badly needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Texas could get help paying for a high-speed train between Houston and Dallas. Urban representatives could obtain financing for mass transit while investments in broadband communications would appeal to rural lawmakers.
NJ Spotlight - September 14, 2017
Of all the major challenges facing the state's next governor, New Jersey's aging and often unreliable transportation system may be the most urgent and difficult one to deal with.
Progressive Railroading - September 2017
The agreement is the strongest sign yet of local support for the bullet train. The project is expected to generate $36 billion in direct economic activity over the next 25 years and create more than 10,000 jobs during construction, as well as up to 1,000 once the train is operational, Texas Central officials say. Many of those jobs will involve construction within Houston, including the rail line and the station, according to the MOU.
Green News
Boston Real Estate Times - September 14, 2017
The transportation sector remains a significant contributor of greenhouse gases, accounting for around 40 percent of Massachusetts's carbon emissions. Electrifying our transit fleets will give Commonwealth's residents access to sustainable, environment friendly transportation options. 
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