How the Internet of Things is Transforming Public Transit
At the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), we’re always looking for ways to spur innovation in public transportation. As you read this, transit systems around the country are implementing new ideas and options to make bus, rail, and even on-demand services work better for their customers. You may have already heard the term Internet of Things, or IoT. In short, the Internet of Things is the revolution of having Internet-connected devices like smartphones integrated into our everyday lives....
U.S. Department of Transportation Appoints Two New Members to WMATA Board of Directors
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced the appointment of two new Federal representatives, each with considerable transportation and infrastructure expertise, to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors. Both new appointees to the board will bring extensive backgrounds in U.S. transportation infrastructure, innovative financing, and federal regulatory policy. The two appointed Principal Directors with voting authority...
FTA Taking Applications for $226.5M in Grant Funding to Improve Transit Bus Service
The Federal Transit Administration said it is taking applications through Aug. 25 for about $226.5 million in competitive grant funding for transit bus projects nationwide, under a program to help replace and upgrade buses and related facilities. "Transit buses account for more than five billion passenger trips every year, providing vital connections to jobs and economic opportunities," said FTA Executive Director Matthew Welbes. "These grants will help more communities bring their transit in...
RIDOT Makes In-State Train Rides Free Rest of Year to Get Travelers Off Busy Highway
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is trying to increase traveler awareness of a transit option, and get more travelers off a busy highway, by giving free commuter rail rides through yearend on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trains moving between Rhode Island stops. "Rhode Island ranks on the bottom when it comes to the percentage of travelers who use transit as opposed to cars, yet we have the infrastructure and train service to make it easy for people to get around ou...
Sound Trnsit Says USDOT Completes $87.7M TIFIA Loan for Light Rail Facility
Sound Transit, the public transit agency serving the Seattle area, said the U.S. Department of Transportation executed a long-term, low-interest loan of $87.7 million "that will reduce regional taxpayers' costs in constructing a new maintenance base in Bellevue to support upcoming light rail expansions across the region." The agency said the loan carries an interest rate of 2.73 percent, and is Sound Transit's second through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act under a...
FRA Releases Environmental Review for Hudson Tunnel Project
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review (DEIS) for the Hudson Tunnel Project completing the review in 14 months from the Federal Register Notice of Initiation. The DEIS identifies the project’s preferred alternative, which includes constructing a new tunnel, refurbishing the existing ones and preserving the current functionality of the Northeast Corridor’s (NEC) Hudson River rail cr...
Impres Performs First Case Studies in California
Case studies of the infrastructure projects California High Speed Rail and San Francisco AirTrain Extension have recently been completed in the research project Impres. Interviews along the projects’ value chains have provided valuable input and examples for Impres’ goal of creating guidelines for carbon management through procurement requirements in infrastructure projects. Stefan Uppenberg, sustainability consultant at WSP Group and project manager for the Impres project, and Daniel Balian,...
RIDOT Offering Free In-State Commuter Rail Trips Between Wickford Junction, T.F. Green And Providence Stations
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is encouraging Rhode Islanders to leave their cars at home for the daily trip to work, catching a flight, or a visit to the capital city by making in-state travel free on trains between Wickford Junction, T.F. Green and Providence stations. RIDOT is making commuter rail service free for a limited time, beginning on July 3 and running through the end of the year. The promotion will raise awareness of this convenient transit service, encoura...
FTA Posts Status of State Progress to Meet Rail Transit Safety Certification Deadline, Avoid Funding Impact if Deadline is Missed
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has notified the 30 states where rail transit systems operate that federal law requires they establish an FTA-certified State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program by April 15, 2019. If a state fails to obtain certification for its SSO Program by the deadline, FTA is prohibited by federal transportation law from obligating any funds to public transportation agencies throughout that state until certification...
Amtrak’s Summer Repairs at NY Penn Station to Disrupt Rail Service Across Northeast
The Amtrak passenger rail system's preliminary plan for making vital repairs at New York City's busy Penn Station will disrupt train service across a region that extends to Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, Pa., as well as affecting commuters in New York and New Jersey. Amtrak said its service changes will take effect July 10 and extend to Sept. 1, and reports say more changes will come to regional rail service as the other users of Penn Station tracks – Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey T...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
