Update, 1:45 p.m. — three Metro Rail lines had record numbers (Gold, Blue and Red/Purple) and more info about how rail ridership is calculated have been added to the below post. Metro has released its ridership statistics for July. Bottom line: systemwide ridership is up over a year ago, [continue reading]
Nice graphic from Metro staff showing that business leaders across the country are supporting America Fast Forward, the federal legislation that would allow Metro and other transit agencies to use federal loans and financing to speed up construction of big projects. If Metro can persuade Congress to adopt the [continue reading]
I posted earlier that the New York Times editorial board certainly seems a gloomy future for cities and states that depend on federal funding. Now, here’s a second media story that focuses on transportation funding — and the news isn’t much better. As KPCC reporter Kitty Felde explains, the federal [continue reading]
A New York Times editorial on Sunday pretty much nailed the dilemma facing cities and states as the federal government cuts back spending. First excerpt: States and cities had already endured a harrowing three-year financial slide when the debt-ceiling crisis darkened their outlooks even further. In the space of [continue reading]
A local — and very diverse — range of community groups sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein this week, asking her to continue to fight for federal New Starts funding for the Westside Subway Extension and the Regional Connector. New Starts is the federal program that helps local transit agencies [continue reading]
When President Obama announced new fuel efficiency standards for cars a few weeks ago — the average fleet mileage would rise to 54.5 mpg by 2025 — this nifty graphic was posted on the White House website. I think the bar at the right is the most interesting part: it [continue reading]
After reading our earlier post, several readers are asking why Metro doesn’t just install three-bike racks on the shorter 40-foot buses like some other California agencies have done. On those, the 48.5-foot limit probably would not be approached, even by protruding bike handlebars. Equipping the shorter buses might, in fact, [continue reading]
As many of you know, the City Council today approved a Memorandum of Understanding with AEG to build a new football stadium, new convention hall space and two parking garages adjacent to Staples Center. The good news for public transportation is that if indeed the stadium gets built — and [continue reading]
John Fenton became the CEO of Metrolink in April 2010. He wasted little time launching a series of improvements for the commuter railway that serves six counties in Southern California and is funded partially by Metro. Among his first goals: continuing the agency’s pursuit of a satellite-based anti-collision system, reducing [continue reading]
A round of applause for the Beehive State: Two new light rail lines are officially opening this weekend in the Salt Lake City area, with the Utah Transit Authority saying it’s the first time any region has opened two lines at the same time. The UTA is also saying that [continue reading]
