Transit Briefs: Amtrak, MBTA, Metrolinx, Chicago RTA, Sound Transit, SEPTA, TriMet
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
A new Amtrak station in Brattleboro, Vt., is being built to improve accessibility; it will have the state’s first-ever level boarding train platform. (Rendering Courtesy of Amtrak)
Amtrak breaks ground on new Brattleboro, Vt., station and platform upgrades. Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) teams with Tufts University on a new university pass pilot; Metrolinx’s Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto edges toward completion and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension marks a milestone; Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) advances the launch of an integrated day pass for Metra, CTA and Pace riders; Sound Transit riders in Seattle, Wash., can now add an ORCA fare card to their Google Wallet; and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) increase rules’ enforcement.
Amtrak
Amtrak, in conjunction with the town of Brattleboro, state of Vermont, Federal Railroad Administration, Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary New England Central Railroad, and Vermont Agency of Transportation, broke ground June 24 on a new Brattleboro Station and what is said to be the state’s first-ever level boarding train platform. Riders will no longer require steps to get on or off a train due to the new platform sitting four feet above the top of the rail, Amtrak reported. The new station will also have interior and exterior accessible waiting areas. Among the other new features:
- An indoor waiting room with 36 fixed seats and additional standing room, and a new ADA-accessible single-occupant restroom.
- A covered, outdoor waiting area with benches and more standing room.
- Platform upgrades including a new electric snow melt system, lighting, railings, a detectable warning edge, and signage.
- An art installation of the Brattleboro Words Trail, which Amtrak said is “a multi-media, community-produced tribute to the rich and unique literary and cultural history of the Brattleboro area.” The piece will be located on the track-facing outside wall of the station building.
The project is primarily funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), according to Amtrak.
“Celebrating the groundbreaking for a new station and the state’s first-ever level boarding platform is a milestone we’re proud to accomplish with our partners,” Amtrak Vice President, Accessibility, Stations and Facilities David Handera said. “Combining these investments with other recent improvements Amtrak has made in the state of Vermont, creates a better overall train travel experience for the state’s residents and visitors.”
Amtrak reported investing $50 million in infrastructure, signal and track modernization between Springfield, Mass., and White River Junction., Vt. Scheduled to be completed in late 2024, these improvements “will lead to faster, safer and more reliable service for the Vermonter, Ethan Allen Express and freight trains,” the railroad said.
Since 2011, Amtrak has invested more than $880 million in accessibility upgrades and improvement projects at 124 stations across the national network; another 35 stations are targeted for completion this fiscal year at a forecasted investment of $165 million, “America’s Railroad” said. Earlier this month, it completed accessibility upgrades worth $20.8 million at four Bay Area, Calif., stations.
MBTA
MBTA this fall will provide undergraduates at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA) with unlimited local subway and bus passes through a new University Pass pilot program, the transit agency reported June 24. Tufts will fully fund the two-year pilot; it is the first college or university to partner with MBTA on such a program.
Similar to the MBTA’s Pay Per Use (PPU) program for employers, the University Pass pilot with Tufts is a “usage-based fare program designed specifically as a travel benefit that universities can offer their students each semester,” MBTA reported. The University Pass will be divided into two one-year terms with the first year’s fare prices based on estimated student ridership data and the second year’s fare prices determined through ridership data that the MBTA will collect during the first year. Tufts will pay a flat monthly rate to provide students with flexible access to MBTA. MBTA will evaluate options to potentially expand the pilot once the two-year term is completed.
The University Pass is separate from MBTA’s Semester Pass in which colleges and universities offer an 11% fare discount to their students. More than 40 colleges and universities in Greater Boston offer Semester Passes for students.
According to MBTA, administrators of any Boston-area college or university are invited to apply to participate in the University Pass pilot.
“Increasing easy access to public transit means better access to classes, internships, and recreational opportunities; it is freedom to opportunity and we hope SMFA at Tufts students take full advantage of the T, making it part of their daily routine,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said. “It is partnerships like this pilot program with Tufts that set the example for all to follow as we seek to encourage a more environmentally friendly means of travel, reducing roadway congestion and carbon emissions.”
“Our students need flexibility when choosing how and when to travel between our Medford/Somerville campus and SMFA at Tufts in Boston,” said Barb Stein, the university’s Vice President for Operations. “The MBTA’s Green Line is uniquely positioned to provide direct service between Medford and SMFA at Tufts at a frequency that private shuttle service just can’t match. With the University Pass, students can feel confident in the knowledge that both the MBTA and our Tufts’ shuttle service are at their disposal when choosing how to travel.”
In other news, the MBTA Board of Directors recently committed to funding a pilot program for electric trains.
Metrolinx
While an official completion date for the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT (see map above) has not been released, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster on June 24 said the transit agency is “making relentless progress” on the project, according to Global News.
Metrolinx is working through a list of issues “that has not been made public,” the media outlet reported. “The latest update fixed a ‘huge number’ of ‘safety defects and operational defects’ with the line, Verster said. The improvement to the software issues means that more trainers are now being put through their paces, with the province moving to staff up the light rail line before it can open.” Metrolinx plans to train 95 LRT operators.
“The two critical parts now is training the crews … and the documentation,” said Verster, according to Global News. “Once that gets us to a place where we are confident that we can forecast an opening date, we will do so three months before opening for customer service.”
The Global News said the exact reasons behind the delays “have not been disclosed,” but Metrolinx in first-half 2023 reported “260 ongoing issues with the line that needed to be fixed. A request from Global News for a list of those issues was declined, along with one for monthly status reports sent to the transit agency by the [CTS] consortium building the line. Metrolinx had promised regular briefings on the line’s progress but has not held a formal update since December.”
According to a CP24 report last summer, Eglinton Crosstown LRT was expected to be “substantially complete” in 2022, but CTS—a consortium of Dragados, Aecon, EllisDon and SNC-Lavalin—missed the deadline and no new date was targeted. Construction began in 2011, with a planned 2020 opening. Delays, including the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in labor and supply chain problems and there has been litigation between Metrolinx and CTS on cost-overruns, reported the media outlet, which noted that the 12-mile line is slated to cost C$12.56 billion.
Separately, Verster was selected by Railway Age readers as one of 10 Influential Leaders for 2024.
Further Reading:
- GTHA Update: Ontario Line, Kitchener-Waterloo, Yonge North, Eglinton Crosstown
- Eglinton Crosstown Behind Schedule
- Eglinton Crosstown surges forward
- Eglinton Crosstown under way, underground
Meanwhile, Metrolinx’s Eglinton Crosstown West Extension marks a milestone. After two years, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have completed digging twin 3.9-mile (6.3-kilometer) tunnels on the western segment of the project, which will bring the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT service 5.7 miles (9.2 kilometers) farther west with seven new stations.
The tunnels run from Renforth Drive in Mississauga to west of Scarlett Road in Etobicoke, where the line will come to the surface and transition to a 0.9-mile (1.5-kilometer) elevated section (see map, left). One TBM broke through the final wall and emerged from the tunnel at the extraction shaft in May, approximately three weeks after the other TBM reached the finish line, according to Metrolinx.
Along the way, the machines excavated approximately 1.2 million tons of soil and rock and installed a total of more than 52,000 pre-cast concrete segments to build 7,433 rings to support the tunnel walls.
Metrolinx reported that work will continue at the extraction shaft to lay the foundations and form the structure of the future tunnel portal. Over the months to come, crews will finish work on the passageways that connect the tunnels.
Along the route between Scarlett Road and Jane Street, crews are preparing sites for construction of the elevated segment, which will run along the north side of Eglinton Avenue West, according to Metrolinx. They are also preparing sites from east of Jane Street and Mount Dennis Station to excavate the eastern underground section of the line, which will connect the extension to future Eglinton Crosstown LRT service.
Chicago RTA
The Chicago RTA Board on June 20 voted to enter into an intergovernmental agreement paving the way for an integrated day pass that will allow unlimited rides on all three transit systems—CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), Metra and Pace—for the calendar day of purchase. The pass pilot will be launched this year on the Ventra App after the vendor completes development and testing, according to RTA.
The approved agreement sets the pricing parameters for the day pass for unlimited rides on CTA and Pace and on selected fare zones for Metra on weekdays, ranging between $10 and $16, RTA reported. There will be one systemwide price on the weekend days of $10. Riders will be able to purchase this pass using the Ventra App at a discounted price in comparison to purchasing two existing passes separately (the CTA/Pace 1-Day Pass and the Metra day pass), RTA said. The fare revenue difference will be funded by the RTA and distributed to CTA, Metra, and Pace.
The Boards at Metra, CTA and Pace have approved the agreement.
“This agreement is a major step forward for integrating fare policies and products between the region’s transit agencies as we look toward a post-pandemic future of changing travel patterns and more inter-connectivity between agency services,” RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden said. “The Regional Day Pass pilot follows significant fare policy changes since 2021, including combined and lower pass prices between CTA and Pace, launch of the Regional Connect Pass for monthly riders between three agencies, and the overhaul of Metra’s fare structure. The ultimate long-term future of maintaining affordable fares, integrating fare products, and delivering frequent service depends on sustainable additional funding from the state to cover the projected annual fiscal cliff of at least $730 million starting in 2026.”
Sound Transit
At Sound Transit, riders can now access ORCA transit cards in Google Wallet from Android and Wear OS devices, enabling them to pay for transit, fund their accounts, purchase a pass, view transactions, and see trip history all within the Google Wallet app, according to the regional transit agency in the Seattle area.
Additionally, riders who own plastic ORCA cards can convert them into digital cards on Google Wallet at no extra charge. Sound Transit noted, however, that businesses, schools, and organizations that issue ORCA cards will determine if they enable the cards they provide to be added to Google Wallet.
To pay for transit with ORCA from Google Wallet, users simply wake their phone screen, tap it on an ORCA card reader, and go. To use ORCA from Google Wallet, riders must have an Android phone and have their ORCA card loaded into the Google Wallet app. They can also connect a Wear OS device to Google Wallet. This feature is only available for ORCA cards at this time; riders cannot use credit and debit cards from Google Wallet to pay for transit in the Puget Sound Area, Sound Transit said.
SEPTA
SEPTA on July 1 will return to an enforcement program for “quality-of-life violations” as part of an effort to discourage incidents, focus on repeat offenders, and enhance the customer experience, the agency reported June 20. SEPTA Transit Police will issue Code Violation Notices (CVN) for some of those low-level crimes, including alcohol consumption, public urination, smoking, littering, and other offenses.
Under this policy, Transit Police will issue a ticket to the offender and forward a copy of the ticket to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Administrative Review (OAR), according to SEPTA. Fines will range from $25 to $150. Offenders will have the option to pay the fine or request a court date. OAR will track unpaid fines, and chronic offenders will be banned from entering SEPTA property, SEPTA reported.
“The shift to CVNs demonstrates our commitment to stepping up enforcement of quality-of-life offenses,” SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards said. “These violations are often the subject of customer complaints and can be associated with more serious crimes. Our customers and employees deserve to feel safe when they are traveling on SEPTA.”
According to SEPTA, Transit Police since 2019 have issued Administrative Enforcement Notices (AEN) for quality-of-life violations. AENs carry a fine but are not court-enforced. “An evaluation of the AEN program determined that it is not effective in deterring anti-social behaviors that negatively impact SEPTA customers,” the transit agency said.
“CVNs are legal instruments backed by the courts,” SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson said. “With this change, SEPTA is sending a clear message to would-be offenders: If you commit an offense on SEPTA property, you will be held accountable.”
The CVN policy adds to a number of recent changes aimed at improving safety and security, according to SEPTA. Transit Police continue to increase visible patrols across the system, with more officers strategically deployed at stations and on trains, trolleys, and buses. SEPTA’s officers in the field are also assisted by a new Virtual Patrol Unit, which utilizes SEPTA’s surveillance camera system to help dispatch officers.
SEPTA said that it also remains committed to growing its police force. Recruitment and retention efforts by Transit Police have resulted in sustained growth over four consecutive quarters—from 196 sworn officers at the end of 2022 to the current 230 sworn officers, according to SEPTA. These and other efforts resulted in a 45% decrease in serious crimes on the system during first-quarter 2024 compared with the same period in 2023, the agency reported.
TriMet
Starting July 1, TriMet said its safety and security staff will focus on increasing enforcement on behavior and actions that are expressly prohibited by the agency’s Code of Conduct—from riders not paying fares to bringing items on board that leak and block aisles.
“With more safety and security staff now than ever, TriMet believes it’s necessary to keep accelerating efforts to make the system cleaner, safer and more accessible,” it reported during the June 24 announcement. “To achieve that, our Customer Safety Supervisors will be checking fares and, along with our Customer Safety Officers and Transit Security Officers, they’ll let riders know they need to follow all the rules. Most important are those put in place to make sure people can move safely through our vehicles, especially those who have disabilities and older adults looking to reach priority seating areas.”
More enforcement is one more step in a series of improvements TriMet said it has been making since 2022 to improve security and rider support. Over the past two years, the agency said it has:
- Doubled the amount of frontline safety and security staff, bringing the number to more than 400 employees and contractors.
- More than doubled the number of On Street Customer Service staff.
- Created a Security Operations Command Center to manage incident responses.
- Piloted a program to restrict elevator access to those with a valid form of fare.
- Expanded and made improvements to its network of more than 8,000 cameras.
- Increased its “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design initiatives” to improve sightlines and lighting at transit centers, rail stations, and park and rides, “making these areas brighter and reducing hiding spots by cutting back shrubs and tall plants,” according to TriMet.
The agency has also emphasized cleaner vehicles, platforms and transit centers by hiring more cleaners and maintenance staff.
