FTA Launches Cooperative Equipment Purchase Pilot for Nonprofit Transit Providers
The Federal Transit Administration is taking "expressions of interest" through Oct. 23 for a voluntary pilot program in which small nonprofit transit providers would cooperatively buy buses, vans or other types of rolling stock, as a way to try to reduce per-unit costs. The agency expressly noted that this could help providers of rural transit services and those in small towns, and could allow the nonprofits to cooperate in the purchases across state borders. "The program is designed to ad...
OSU and ODOT Partner on System for Better Transit Planning
CORVALLIS – Public transit planners should soon be rolling toward more informed decision making and better service thanks to a partnership between Oregon State University’s College of Engineering and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The university and state transportation officials have teamed up on an extension to the General Transit Feed Specification, commonly known as the GTFS. In existence for just over a decade, the GTFS defines a common data format for public transportation...
Automatic Emergency Relief from FTA Regulatory Requirements Applicable to Hurricane Harvey Response and Recovery
Transit agencies may take actions, such as providing service for evacuations, returning evacuees from shelters to their homes, transporting utility workers, and providing service to shelter residents, as long as these actions are directly related to Hurricane Harvey, without triggering the charter rule. Transit agencies may provide such services for up to 45 days from a declaration of emergency by the President, governor or mayor. For Texas, the Presidential declaration of emergency began on Au...
FTA Announces Program for Cooperative Purchases of Transit Vehicles and Equipment
FTA Announces Program for Cooperative Purchases of Transit Vehicles and Equipment. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced last week the Pilot Program for Nonprofit Cooperative Procurements and is accepting expressions of interest from eligible nonprofit entities to participate. An announcement appeared in the Federal Register last week and includes program eligibility requirements and criteria FTA will use to select nonprofit entities to participate. The pilot program aims to demonst...
High-Speed Amtrak Service from Chicago to St. Louis Will Shave Hour Off Trip
High-speed Amtrak rail trains powered by new locomotives should start whizzing between Chicago and St. Louis sometime in 2018, officials said Monday. The trains will travel at top speeds of 110 mph, which doesn't match the 200-plus mph levels of trains in Europe and Japan, but should reduce trip times from 5½ to 4½ hours, IDOT and Amtrak executives explained. With the modernization, customers will "have smoother rides, upgraded stations, crossing and signal improvements for safety, (and) guara...
New Destinations Available in the Lehigh Valley
WASHINGTON – Amtrak now provides expanded Thruway bus service between New York City and Philadelphia to destinations throughout the Lehigh Valley and southern Pennsylvania. Customers now have more convenient and affordable travel options from more than a dozen new locations including Kutztown, Allentown, Quakertown, Bethlehem and to Philadelphia 30th Street Station. Bieber Tourways, an intercity motor coach operator based in Pennsylvania, provides transportation throughout Pennsylvania and to...
ARTBA Takes Legal Action on Maryland Purple Line Transit Project
(WASHINGTON)—The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Aug. 23 told a federal appeals court that a lower court ruling blocking the Maryland Purple Line is an abuse of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and poses risks for the future of similar public-private partnerships (P3s) on transportation improvement projects. The 16-mile Purple Line light-rail project between Bethesda and New Carrolton, Maryland, is one of the nation’s largest P3 transit projects. Whil...
Amtrak, MBTA Complete Accord Setting Cost Shares, Other Terms for Attleboro Line
National passenger rail operator Amtrak said it and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail system reached a new agreement covering operation, maintenance and shared use of the MBTA's 37.9-mile Attleboro Line between Boston and the Rhode Island state line, formally ending a long-running dispute over sharing its costs. The line is part of the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor, a series of rail segments used by Amtrak, regional carriers and freight lines. Amtrak said abou...
Amtrak Partners With Car Ride-Share Operator Lyft in Shared Trip Promotion
The Amtrak national passenger rail system said it is working with rideshare company Lyft to offer Amtrak riders discounts on Lyft rides to and from train stations. "We know most trips don't start or end at an Amtrak station," the rail operator said in an Aug. 1 news release. "This exciting partnership with Lyft is one of the ways we are working to make it easier for travelers to get where they're going in a safe, comfortable and convenient way." Rail customers can now use Amtrak's mobile a...
Fluor Announces Agreement with Texas Central
IRVING, Texas (August 14, 2017) – Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) announced today that an agreement was reached with Texas Central Rail Holdings, LLC (Texas Central), to advance the preliminary development of the 240-mile high-speed passenger rail line connecting Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. “Fluor’s global expertise in developing the world’s largest megaprojects, matched with its ability to provide integrated solutions to clients across the globe, position the company well with Texas Ce...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
