Transit Briefs: APTA, Alstom, Amtrak, Argonne, St. Louis Metro Transit
APTA
APTA business members, transit agency CEOs and transit board members gathered Sept. 10 in Washington, D.C., to meet with more than 75 members of Congress and staff, “stressing the urgent need to fully fund public transportation as authorized in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).”
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have advanced Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations bills.
“To keep pace with the rapidly evolving demands of mobility, we must invest in the future of public transit now. It’s encouraging to see Members of Congress and their teams take the time to connect with our industry leaders and tackle these critical issues head-on,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
APTA is urging Congress to provide at least $21.9 billion for public transit and $20.6 billion for passenger rail in the THUD Appropriations bill, when combined with the advance appropriations of BIL.
The House THUD Appropriations bill proposes significant cuts to public transit and passenger rail, reducing public transit funding by $1.3 billion and passenger rail funding by $263 million compared to last year’s levels, according to APTA.
In contrast, the Senate THUD Appropriations bill, APTA says, aligns closely with BIL, increasing funding for public transit by $440 million and for passenger rail by $441 million compared to last year.
Alstom
Alstom announced Sept. 11 that it has signed an $84 million contract with the Clark County Department of Aviation to deliver new Innovia APM vehicles and provide system upgrades to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, will provide a better experience for passengers and employees in a time of increased demand at Harry Reid International Airport, which set a new record for flyers in 2023, with 57.6 million passengers traveling through the airport, according to Alstom.
Alstom’s responsibility includes the design, engineering, supply, integration, testing, and commissioning of a full system upgrade of Las Vegas International Airport People Mover’s Green Line and Blue Line. The project, the company says, “will draw on Alstom’s global in-house expertise in integrated railway systems.”
Within this project Alstom will provide its latest Innovia APM vehicles, using state-of-the-art technology. The vehicles, Alstom says, “offer outstanding benefits including greater energy efficiency, higher top speed, and a lightweight aluminum vehicle frame that will continue to meet the ever-increasing industry standards for safety and sustainability.”
In addition to the delivery of the 10 new Innovia APM R cars, which will be manufactured in the U.S., Alstom will lead upgrades of the Urbalis Flo signaling systems—including a replacement of the Central Control ATS system with the latest Ebi Screen 2000 and upgrades to the telecommunications systems. The contract also includes the integration of a system-level cybersecurity solution.
“Alstom’s partnership with the Harry Reid International Airport spans decades, and we’re proud to continue building on our work to deliver the best in sustainability and efficiency to Las Vegas,” said Alstom Americas President Michael Keroullé. “Our strategic upgrades and delivery of the best-in-class Innovia APM R cars minimize environmental impact and will elevate the travel experience for millions of riders.”
The announcement follows Alstom’s long-standing partnership with Harry Reid International Airport to deliver energy-efficient, reliable and innovative transit, dating back to the integration of the first generation of Innovia APM cars for the Green Line in 1985, and the continued expansion for the Blue Line in 1998 and Terminal 3 in 2012, the company noted.
Earlier this year, Denver International Airport introduced Alstom’s InnoviaAPM R cars into service. And within the past year, Alstom also secured a modernization contract with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for their Skylink APM system.
Amtrak
Baltimore residents told City Council members on Sept. 10 that they oppose Amtrak’s plan to purchase more than 10 acres of land in West Baltimore for its proposed Frederick Douglas Tunnel, according to a CBS News report. Six bills have been introduced in Baltimore’s City Council focused on selling portions of streets and alleys in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood to support the project, which aims to “modernize and transform” a 10-mile section of the Northeast Corridor.
According to the report, a civil rights complaint was filed in May by a group of Reservoir Hill residents to the U.S. Department of Transportation that alleges Amtrak’s proposed Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program will “disproportionately impact Baltimore’s Black and low-income community members.”
Residents, who have concerns about the value of their homes if this tunnel is built, want the city to “wait for the results of the federal investigation before any of the land is sold,” according to the CBS News report.
“If we don’t stop this project in its tracks, we will absolutely be next on the chopping block,” said Keondra Prier, the President of the Reservoir Hill Association.
Amtrak officials said they started sending residents offer letters for their subterranean land to build the tunnel up to 100 feet beneath their property, according to the report.
The vote on those six bills has been tabled for at least two weeks, but there’s “no word on when the federal investigation into the community’s civil rights complaint will conclude,” CBS News reported.
“If city council votes affirmative of these bills, it could infringe on our rights,” Prier said.
Argonne
Investments in regional transit service would create 13-times the return in value in household and travel times savings, according to new research made public on Sept. 11 at the Chicago Transit Board of Directors’ monthly meeting.
The research (download below), led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) found that “a robust investment in transit service would result in a 53% increase in transit boardings in the region (CTA, Metra and Pace), with a 9% travel time savings and 11% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
According to CTA, ANL modeled policy changes and infrastructure investments along with an increase in transit service in line with the investment levels proposed by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s PART study. ANL considered changes in service (like completing the Red Line Extension project in south Chicago) infrastructure supportive of transit (bus rapid transit and bus priority lanes, speed policy), increasing overall service frequencies, and regional development (transit-oriented population shift). This new research, the agency says, “shows that with additional funding, at amounts that are currently in discussion among state legislators, will grow transit ridership through added service while also reducing travel times for all travel modes, including cars.”
“Transit has profound effects on the daily lives of Chicagoans, whether they travel by bus, rail or car,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., said. “Investing in transit service supports equitable outcomes for Chicago’s diverse communities, spurring changes in activities, vehicle miles traveled and pollution reduction across the city’s neighborhoods.”
The modeling presented shows that “a robust investment in transit creates a huge, generative effect for the region with nearly $19 billion in annual household savings, a 13-time return on the investment in service provided.” The data additionally shows:
- “A 2% increase in activities (Chicago).
- “An 11% reduction in particulate matter emissions (PM2.5).
- “A 15% reduction in regional vehicle miles traveled (VMT) (equitable share of benefits experienced across race, gender and Chicago neighborhood).”
“Transit ridership increase is critical in supporting the economy and improving mobility and equity,” said Aymeric Rousseau, Argonne Vehicle and Mobility Systems Department Director. “Considering the transportation system as a whole, including technologies, policies, land use and travel behavior is necessary to help guide future decisions.”
The analysis, CTA says, “provides powerful conclusions, that it is possible to benefit all transportation modes by investing in transit, which is a win for the mobility of everyone.” ANL’s modeling showed a 43% increase in mode share for transit in the long term, with an additional 16% mode share for active modes (like walking and biking) and a 14% reduction in driving, dispelling the notion that investing in transit is to the detriment of other mobility choices.
“A region with robust, consistent transit investment and policies that prioritize transit is truly visionary, and ANL’s data shows that if given a chance, there can be meaningful mode shift and equitable mobility outcomes, without hurting walking, biking or cars,” Carter said.
Previous research from ANL and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed the Chicago region would face “severe consequences” if its public transportation system was eliminated, including “increased vehicle congestion, reduced economic activity and a disproportionate impact on underserved communities and minorities.” The removal of public transit, according to the research, would also have “public health repercussions.” Increased vehicle traffic would lead to higher emissions of a type of particulate matter demonstrated to increase respiratory disease, heart attacks and strokes, according to the research.
The research by ANL and MIT showed the region’s transit system saves households more than $35 billion in avoided costs per year—and “without the robust transit system that Chicago has today, more than two million household activities would be cancelled annually,” CTA noted.
This project was funded through DOE’s Office of Policy and Vehicle Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
St. Louis Metro Transit
MetroLink customers began using newly installed MetroLink security gates on Sept. 9 to access the station platform at the Emerson Park MetroLink Station, St. Louis Metro Transit recently announced. The gates at three other MetroLink stations in St. Clair County will also be manned in weekly phases starting in September as the first group of stations receives security gates and new fencing as part of the Secure Platform Plan.
Security team members will manually operate the gates until a new fare collection system is installed and integrated with the gating system. MetroLink customers will show the security officer their valid pass or transit ticket before the security team members activate the gate to open so the customer can proceed to the Emerson Park MetroLink Station platform. Customers should allow extra time for their commutes to navigate the new gate procedure to access the platform.
Unless there are unforeseen delays, St. Louis Metro Transit says the gates at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee MetroLink Station will go into service the week of Sep.16; the gates at the Washington Park MetroLink Station starting the week of Sept. 23; and the gates at the College MetroLink Station starting the week of Sept. 30.
Installation of security gates and fencing is under way at several stations in Missouri: Delmar Loop, Forest Park-DeBaliviere, Central West End, Cortex, Grand, Union Station and Civic Center. Those security gates will go into service with security teams operating them this fall. Security gates and fencing will be installed and operational at all 38 MetroLink stations by January 2026, according to the agency.
