Amtrak
Amtrak’s twice-daily Mardi Gras between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., has served more than 46,000 riders since its Aug. 18 launch, Amtrak reported during its Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 4. The new service is sponsored by the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, with the City of Mobile, in cooperation with the Southern Rail Commission.
Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan covered the lead-up to Mardi Gras’ launch and rode the first train (No. 24), whose consist included two Siemens Charger ALC-42s, one at each end for push-pull operation; two Amfleet II 25000-series coaches; and a snack-lounge car with business class seating.
This was the first time Amtrak service ran in the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina knocked it out in 2005. Bringing back passenger trains was a struggle, however, and Alan dubbed it the “Second Battle of Mobile.” He reported in August: “As an actual legal battle, it had lasted almost four years, roughly the duration of the American Civil War of 1861-65, when the original Battle of Mobile was fought. The conflict pitted Amtrak against host railroads CSX (on its component, the Mobile & New Orleans, almost all the route) and Norfolk Southern (on the Back Belt in New Orleans) and the Port of Mobile. It included public hearings, an unprecedented eleven-day trial before the Surface Transportation Board (STB), and eventual peace negotiations that resulted in the first service on the line in nearly two decades and the first daily service since before Amtrak was founded in 1971.”
Mardi Gras trains “have already rocketed to the top of all services in customer satisfaction scores, due to work by Amtrak train, engine, on-board and maintenance teams,” Amtrak announced Dec. 4. Ninety-six-percent of riders have reported being “extremely satisfied” with their trips, and “[t]hanks to reliable service over the CSX, Norfolk Southern and New Orleans Public Belt railroads, more than 86% of customers are on-time: one of the best on-time performance scores in the Amtrak system,” said “America’s Railroad,” which noted that “[e]ven in the few times these trains are delayed, almost 90% of customers are still extremely satisfied.”
In 108 days of service, an average of more than 420 people daily rode the two round trips across the Gulf Coast.
“Thousands of trips have been diverted from I-10 and US-90,” Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell said. Ordinarily softer ridership is expected the first quarter of a calendar year on many routes, according to Amtrak.
”We are well on-track to double the original estimate,” Amtrak Board Chairman Anthony “Tony” Coscia said.
According to Amtrak, the first of more than 40 festival parades in Mobile is on Jan. 30; in New Orleans, the Krewes start even sooner, with parades stepping off on Jan. 6. Carnival runs everywhere across this route through Fat Tuesday on Feb. 17, including Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.
SEPTA
SEPTA on Dec. 5 will receive 10 leased coaches from MARC under a one-year agreement signed last month. The goal: to alleviate pressure on SEPTA’s Regional Rail service.
On Oct. 1, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released an investigative report and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued an Emergency Order in response to five separate fires this year on SEPTA’s Silverliner IV trains used in Regional Rail service. As part of the transit authority’s compliance with the FRA Emergency Order, Silverliner IVs had been rotated from service for inspections, testing, and safety upgrades, which led to train delays, overcrowding and cancellations. SEPTA completed the point-by-point inspections ahead of the Nov. 14 deadline set by the FRA.
SEPTA on Dec. 4 reported that it “continues to make repairs to its Silverliner IV trains following the completion of federally mandated inspections of the entire fleet.” While it noted that Regional Rail reliability should gradually improve as more railcars are repaired and returned to service, riders will continue to face service disruption. MARC coaches will be used to provide service where needed across the network.
The lease of the 10 MARC coaches is being funded as part of the nearly $220 million in additional capital dollars allocated by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Nov. 24 to support “urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements,” according to SEPTA.
SEPTA added that it is also talking with transit agencies across North America about the possibility of similar railcar lease arrangements. Among them: Montréal’s Exo system.
“Thanks to the Governor’s continued support of SEPTA, we can enhance safety and reliability on Regional Rail,” SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said on Dec. 4. “We are also grateful for MARC’s partnership on this lease agreement. This has been an extremely difficult time for our Regional Rail riders, and the MARC cars will allow us to add much-needed capacity for our customers.”
TriMet
Alan Lehto is transitioning to Executive Director of Planning at TriMet, overseeing planning work for service, long-range assets, and sustainability efforts, as well as the transit agency’s “complex process of bringing service in line with funding,” TriMet reported Dec. 3. In 1999, he joined the agency, which provides MAX light rail, WES commuter rail, bus, and LIFT paratransit services across 533 square miles of Oregon’s three most populous counties (Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas).
Lehto brings nearly three decades of experience to his new role, including planning TriMet’s business strategy, service, capital projects, bus stops placement and state of good repair projects. Before TriMet, he spent almost five years as a consultant, where he was mentored by author and international consultant on public transportation Jarrett Walker, according to TriMet. Lehto holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University.
TriMet said it has “committed to resolve a $300 million annual budget gap by July 1, 2028, through reductions in internal and service spending and increases in revenue.” Lehto’s promotion, it added, is “part of a larger reorganization” at the executive level, “driven by cost savings” and led by General Manager Sam Desue Jr.
“Alan knows our transit system better than almost anyone,” Desue said. “After all, he’s been studying our growth and development for 30 years. His leadership comes at a critical time for TriMet, as we balance tough financial decisions with our obligation to provide public transit service that keeps people connected with what’s important in their lives.”
“I want to help TriMet be the best it can be at providing service to people who need it and providing service that helps support current life and future growth,” said Lehto, who reports to TriMet Chief Planning and Strategy Officer Claire Khouri. “People need to get to work, medical appointments and grocery stores. We need to do it efficiently, effectively, safely and in a way that makes people want to ride.”
TriMet in June adopted a $1.96 billion overall budget for FY2026. At that time, the agency said it was taking steps to address a $50.2 million deficit projected for next fiscal year, “tightening spending ahead of a fiscal cliff projected in 2031.”
Separately, TriMet late last month took delivery of its last Type 6 MAX LRV on order from Siemens Mobility.
NJT
NJT on Dec. 5 reported earning USDOT’s 2025 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award for its anti-human trafficking campaign conducted systemwide in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General’s office. The transit agency provides more than 925,000 weekday trips on 263 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines, and through Access Link paratransit service.
Launched on Jan. 7, the campaign expanded NJT’s existing RIDE KIND safety platform and was “designed to protect customers, empower potential victims and prepare the system for high-profile events—moments when trafficking risks historically increase,” according to the transit agency.
The campaign in its first 11 months delivered more than 70 million impressions including nearly 33 million impressions in its first four weeks, NJT reported.
Utilizing its core message—“Human trafficking isn’t always easy to spot”—NJT said the key campaign elements included:
- Systemwide messaging on station digital monitors, including motion graphics with the campaign line, hotline details and cues for recognizing signs of trafficking.
- Printed posters placed in stations, platforms, rail cars, buses and transit centers.
- Two fully wrapped buses serving as moving billboards statewide during Human Trafficking Prevention Month (January). The wraps, NJT noted, featured simplified designs for legibility at a distance, reinforcing the systemwide commitment.
- A comprehensive digital and social media execution with content optimized “for shareability and clarity.”
The award, which includes a $50,000 prize for first place, is a component of the USDOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative, which NJT said “seeks to raise awareness among transportation stakeholders about human trafficking and increase training and prevention to combat the crime.” According to the USDOT, as many as 27.6 million men, women, and children are held against their will and trafficked, NJT reported.
The award is said to seek “the best innovators to develop original, impactful, unique, and shareable human trafficking tools, initiatives, campaigns and technologies that can help stop these crimes.” It is open to individuals and entities, including non-governmental organizations, transportation industry associations, research institutions, and state and local government organizations. Entries are judged on such criteria as technical merit, originality, impact, practicality, measurability, and applicability. Personnel from the Office of International Transportation and Trade, along with other relevant operating administrations judge the entries, with final selection made by the Secretary of Transportation, according to NJT.
“This recognition from the USDOT affirms the effectiveness of our campaign and the importance of keeping the safety of our riders at the center of our work,” NJT President and CEO Kris Kolluri said. “This effort ensures our system is prepared to raise awareness and help protect vulnerable individuals during large-scale events in the region as well as everyday commutes.”
Further Reading:
- NJT Slates $917MM Multilevel I, II Overhaul
- NJT Releases RFQ for Northern Rail MOW Facility
- NJT Sets FY26 Ops Budget, Authorizes Capex Funding
TTC
TTC on Dec. 10 will present to its board a proposal “to install advertisements inside the city’s subway tunnels for the first time,” according to a report by Scarborough, Ontario-based CP24.
Adtrackmedia would have up to six tunnel-advertising systems deployed by next summer under a 15-year contract, the media outlet said. A “flip-book-like system called in-tunnel motion advertising,” would be used, “where vertical lights will be installed on the walls of the subway tunnel that could be viewed as a whole video from a speeding train.”
Vancouver’s TransLink implemented the in-tunnel ad system in 2022, and CP24 said “similar technology has been used in other transit systems around the world.”
According to the media outlet, TTC’s proposal to install such ads is said to support its “plan for increasing non-fare revenue streams by diving into a new advertising medium. The TTC is currently facing a more than $30 million budget shortfall, due mostly to lower-than-expected ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The new in-tunnel ad systems would “‘optimize advertising revenue opportunities during the FIFA World Cup’ in Toronto,’” according to TTC, CP24 reported.
Separately, the TTC’s long-awaited, C$2.6 billion Line 6 Finch West LRT will launch Dec. 7.
MBTA
MBTA and its commuter rail operator and maintenance provider Keolis have released the second annual TRACKed year-in-review for Commuter Rail. Developed with Boston-based creative agency GYK, the campaign is based on Spotify Wrapped and uses data to highlight “the positive impact the train has on its riders and the communities it serves,” they reported Dec. 4.
In 2025, more than 29 million individual trips were taken on MBTA Commuter Rail, according to the partners. Additionally, trains traveled more than 5 million miles in total over the course of the year, taking more than 29 million car trips off the road. This adds up to more than 406 million pounds of carbon emissions saved in total, they noted; it would take more than 8 million mature trees to offset that amount of CO2.
While on the train, riders also listened to an estimated 3,047 hours of audiobooks, 2,060 hours of podcasts, and 52,313 hours of music, MBTA and Keolis reported; combined that’s the equivalent of about 2,393 days.
In 2025, MBTA and Keolis also officially opened the Fall River/New Bedford Line, which includes six new stations and a total of 37 new miles of track. So far, the partners said, nearly 900,000 trips have been taken to and from these stations.
“The TRACKed campaign exemplifies the many reasons that traveling on transit is the premier choice for the public, and I’m proud to see our operating partners at Keolis focus on our passengers so prominently,” Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said. “From regular commutes to traveling to fun activities on weekends, our passengers trusted the MBTA to get them where they needed to go over many millions of miles in 2025—reducing traffic and hundreds of millions of pounds of carbon emissions, all while listening to thousands of hours of audio books, podcasts, and music! Thank you to our passengers for leaving their cars at home, and we look forward to continuing to provide them with the level of service that they deserve so they can choose transit.”
“People chose to take the train for a wide variety of reasons—for some it’s convenient or it’s more productive than sitting in traffic, but regardless of why you chose to take the train you should feel proud of the impact that choice has on your community,” added Keolis CEO and General Manager John Killeen. “TRACKed is all about celebrating and we hope that our riders enjoy this fun summary of the impact that they have had this year.”
