August 13, 2013

On Sunday the Niagara Frontier Transportation began Phase II of Metro Rail's Main Street trackbed renovation. During the restoration project Metro Rail has initiated single track service. NFTA customers should visit nfta.com for important information regarding service changes.

Oklahoma State University (OSU)-Stillwater Transit Services upgraded their paratransit service to RouteMatch Software's Demand Response system. OSU-Stillwater Community Transit sought a new system that would include automated scheduling, dispatching and routing abilities. Read more at metro-magazine.com.

State News

Set your cruise control! Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a week-long New York State Police enforcement initiative targeting speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. The “Speed Week” campaign runs from August 10 – 17. The goal is to reduce speed related crashes and make New York’s roads safer. Find the press release here.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced the obligation of a $15 million grant to design and construct a new train station in Rochester. The project is one of 47 transportation projects under the US Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2012 program. Read the press release on the new 12,000-square-foot station here.

A state sponsored train derailment preparedness training took place over the weekend. The training included 400 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen conducting emergency preparedness activities dealing with response to a train derailment and chemical spill. Read more on how New York State is preparing for the unthinkable here.

Federal News

The August Congressional recess is a time to connect. Now is the time for public transportation systems and businesses to reach out to their elected officials concerning the appropriations bills that fund federal public transportation programs. Thinking of reaching out to your elected official? Find talking points here

In News Elsewhere

How much crime fighting could a cardboard cutout police officer do? Apparently, a lot! A fake cop at the Alewife MBTA subway and bus station in Cambridge, MA has cut bike thefts by 67 percent. Read the full story here.

A wireless electric bus made its debut in South Korean last week. The bus was developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) doesn't need to stop at a charging station. Read more about this innovative bus at metro-magazine.com

A group of Millennials are on a trip of their lifetime this week journeying from San Francisco to Washington on a 1950s Amtrak train. Their trip is part of the Millennial Trains Project and will include stops in seven cities along the way to meet with entrepreneurs and community leaders. Patrick Dowd, founder the project describes it as a "journey to build leaders" and return to our roots as "a nation of tinkers." Read more here

Conference News

Join us for the New York Public Transit Partners in Progress Conference & Expo September 11-12, 2013.

A Mobility Management track has been added to the conference schedule on Thursday, September 12 from 9:00-12:45pm. This interactive track features an open discussion on mobility management issues in the state, nationally recognized mobility experts talking about reinventing public transit agencies as mobility managers, and a question and answer forum.

Read more on the New, Expanded Mobility Management Track here.

Register for the 2013 Fall Conference today at http://www.nypublictransitpartnersinprogress.org/index.php/conference-2013.