The final Brookville LRV to support Sound Transit’s T Line Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension has arrived in Tacoma, Wash. (Photograph Courtesy of Sound Transit)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, SEPTA, Sound Transit, Tri-Rail

Amtrak completes station upgrades in northeastern Missouri. Also, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) holds station operations exercise at Grand Central Madison; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) celebrates “a century of elevation”; the last of five LRV’s has arrived to support Sound Transit’s 2.4-mile extension of the Tacoma (Wash.) Link line; and south Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter railroad moves another step closer to serving MiamiCentral Station.

Business Class riders will now be treated to reclining leather seats and other amenities onboard Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner. (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, CTDOT, CTA, MARTA, Metrolinx, SacRT, Tri-Rail

Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® trains now include upgraded Business Class equipment. Also, Shore Line East, Connecticut Department of Transportation’s (CTDOT) commuter rail service between New London and New Haven, may be expanded to Rhode Island; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has installed security camera monitors in all rail station customer service booths; Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) marked the official opening of StationSoccer and released a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Request for Proposals (RFP); Metrolinx’s GO expansion is progressing along the Barrie Line; Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) offers tips to “help clear the air” in recognition of California Clean Air Day (Oct. 5); and Tri-Rail, South Florida’s regional passenger railroad, will not reach downtown Miami in 2022.

Receiving grants are: Metrolink operator Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA; $12.5 million); Tri-Rail operator Southern Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA; $12.9 million); New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad ($4.4 million); NYSDOT and MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ($14.9 million); and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA; $15 million).

USDOT Awards $59MM for Commuter Rail Grade Crossing Improvements

Five commuter rail agencies will receive a total of $59 million in grants for highway-rail grade crossing improvements in California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The awards are part of round two of the Commuter Authority Rail Safety Improvement (CARSI) Grants Program.

Transit Briefs: LACMTA; NYMTA; SFRTA; STM; Metra

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has installed earthquake early warning systems at 26 rail and bus division facilities. In addition, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is forming a subsidiary to oversee the new East Side Access project terminal; South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s (SFRTA) Tri-Rail is resuming full service; Thales has delivered interlocking systems for three Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) rapid transit stations; and Wabtec will provide doors, brakes, HVAC systems and event recorders for Metra’s new multilevels.

SFRTA Restructures Senior Management Team

South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA/Tri-Rail) has elevated three senior managers and appointed a new Operations Director as part of restructuring move.

SFRTA PTC-Certified

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Dec. 14, 2020 certified that regional/commuter rail agency South Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s IETMS (Interoperable Electronic Train Management System) complies with the technical requirements for Positive Train Control (PTC), thereby meeting the federally mandated Dec. 31, 2020 final implementation deadline.

Commuter Rail Coalition Secretary-Treasurer and SFRTA (Tri-Rail) Executive Director Steven Abrams: Rail Group On Air Podcast

Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono hosts Commuter Rail Coalition Secretary-Treasurer Steven Abrams, Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Tri-Rail). Joining them is Joe Yesbeck, National Director Rail and

Tri-Rail, Virgin Trains USA Vying for Miami Access

A railroad battle is shaping up in Miami. Two competitors want to serve potential commuters into Brightline’s new Miami Central downtown hub. It may not be as dramatic as the Chile War, when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande Western literally fought armed skirmishes to determine who could build new rail lines in the New Mexico Territory in the early 1880s, but it nevertheless is a battle.

Tri-Rail Notches Ridership Record

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) recently announced that Tri-Rail recorded a calendar year ridership record in 2019 with 4,495,039 passengers, which is a 1.8% increase from the previous year.

Jack L. Stephens, 71

Jack L. Stephens, retired Executive Director of the South Florida Reginal Transportation Authority (SFRTA), died June 2, 2019, of natural causes in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stephens, 71, retired from SFRTA in December 2018 after having held leadership positions in the public transportation industry for more than 30 years.

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