Winter Storm Jonas, colloquially known as “Snowzilla,” slammed the northeastern U.S. in late January with snowfalls measured in feet rather than inches. Public transit had warning before the storm struck, but its intensity was such that systems in some metropolitan areas—including New York City and Washington, DC—shut down completely before digging out and restoring service. The Central New York Regional ­Transportation Authority (Centro) describes how their agency ­proceeds during snowstorms.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority will host its first "bus hackathon," on March 5 with the aim to help improve mass transit in New York City. “The hackathon is an invitation for feedback from our tech-savvy customers as well as an opportunity for New York City Transit to further use innovation and technology to provide our customers with better service,” said Darryl Irick, Senior Vice President for the Department of Buses and President of the MTA Bus Company.

If State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. gets his way, a second track on the Long Island Rail Road could be on the horizon. Last week, the Assemblyman requested that Governor Andrew Cuomo amend his 2016 budget to include the construction of a second track running from Sayville to Montauk. “The answer lies with underutilized rail lines that could expand public transit,” Thiele said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx highlighted $3.5 billion recommended in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget to advance the construction or completion of 31 rail, bus rapid transit and streetcar projects in 18 states. These projects, competitively funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program, would create thousands of construction and operations-related jobs and help communities expand transportation choices.

A growing number of Americans are driving less and getting rid of their cars. The trend is gaining traction in middle-aged adults, to the point where fewer of them are even bothering to get or renew their driver's licenses, but it's been prominent among younger adults — millennials — for years.

NJ TRANSIT announced a ban on hoverboards on all trains, buses, light rail and Access Link vehicles, at stations and outlying property starting February 10, 2016. Customers and employees will no longer be permitted to ride, charge, store or transport the devices on the NJ TRANSIT system and at stations or facilities. “NJ TRANSIT prides itself on putting the safety of customers and employees first,” said NJ TRANSIT interim Executive Director Dennis J. Martin. 

NYPTA has set up a Maintenance Directors Network (MDN) to connect maintenance professionals from throughout the state. The MDN offers a wonderful opportunity to enhance knowledge on maintenance specific topics, hear from experts in the field and gain a sense of comradery. A MDN list-serve has also been set up to assist in communicating.  If you or someone you know would like more information or to be added to the MDN, please contact info@nytransit.org and we will add you to the list.

In addition to advocating for transit funding on the state and federal level, transit managers have the greater responsibility of managing the funds the agency receives. Transit agency budgets must be developed, adopted and then implemented with the input and involvement of a number of key players agency-wide. This webinar will address how to develop and maintain a sound transit agency budget amid a far-reaching spectrum of community needs. Please register for this webinar developed for PTLI candidates but available for all NYPTA members.
 

We invite you to share your expertise on Transit, Technology & Smarter Communities at the New York State Public Transit Fall Conference & Expo, October 24-26, 2016 in Albany, NY.

Please consider submitting a presentation proposal today related to our theme. Proposals that tie to the conference theme will be given priority. To submit a proposal, complete the attached Call for Proposals form and return it to the New York Public Transit Association no later than March 16^th.