LACMTA
Infrastructure firm FlatironDragados on Aug. 28 reported its selection as Construction Manager/General Contractor for two LACMTA rail projects.
FlatironDragados and joint venture partner Herzog will support the preconstruction services phase of the Southeast Gateway Line project, which will relocate freight rail lines and conflicting utilities. This project will make way for the future phase, bringing 14.5 miles of new light rail to southeast Los Angeles County. The $10.5 million preconstruction contract supports early design coordination and construction planning that is currently under way, according to FlatironDragados.
The overall construction project, it said, is expected to exceed $500 million and include utility relocations, rail installation, one new light rail bridge and one new freight bridge, a pedestrian bridge over the freeway, and a new LACMTA infill station at the I-105 freeway, where riders would transfer between the C Line and the Southeast Gateway Line.
LACMTA on Oct. 30, 2024, broke ground for advanced utility work for the Southeast Gateway Line in Artesia. The new 14.5-mile, nine-station light rail line (see map, top) will run between the A Line’s Slauson Station in Florence-Firestone to Artesia; it will serve the cities and communities of Artesia, Bell, Bellflower, Cerritos, Cudahy, Downey, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, Paramount, South Gate, and Vernon. The project in November 2024 was awarded $231 million by the California State Transportation Agency. The opening is forecasted for 2035.
FlatironDragados also reported being selected for the preconstruction services phase of the Link Union Station project, which it called “a long-awaited modernization of the historic Los Angeles Union Station, Southern California’s busiest multimodal transit hub.” The $7 million preconstruction contract supports current collaboration with LACMTA on project design and construction planning. This phase of the “collaborative delivery project fosters innovation, facilitates ongoing problem solving, and enables greater budget and schedule certainty,” according to the infrastructure firm.
The overall project will create new through tracks on an elevated rail yard to increase Los Angeles Union Station capacity by up to 200%, improve transit connectivity, accommodate Amtrak and Metrolink service, and prepare the corridor for future high-speed rail service, FlatironDragados reported.
The improvements will allow trains to enter and exit from both ends of the station in an aim to ease congestion and improve operations.
“Delivering complex rail infrastructure in one of the country’s busiest urban areas takes ongoing collaboration, technical expertise, and a shared commitment to the communities we serve,” said Dale Nelson, Executive Vice President at FlatironDragados. “We look forward to working alongside Metro [LACMTA] during the design phase—to optimize the project design and phasing to minimize risk—with the ultimate goal of reaching a negotiated construction contract.”
Further Reading:
- Fourth of a Series: New Through Tracks Proposed for L.A. Union Station
- Los Angeles Through-Running: ‘Build It and They Will Come’
HART
Trial Operations on Skyline’s Segment 2 are under way with all 26 testing scenarios completed and system performance demonstration continuing through September, HART reported in the Aug. 25 edition of its weekly newsletter. This segment includes 5.2 miles of guideway and four new stations: Makalapa (Pearl Harbor), Lelepaua (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), Āhua (Lagoon Drive), and Kahauiki (Middle Street). (See map below.)
According to HART, once the required testing and safety documentation is completed, Segment 2 assets will be transferred to the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) for passenger service, which is anticipated to begin Oct. 16, 2025.
Segment 1 included the first nine stations and 10.75 miles of guideway. On June 9, 2023, HART transferred the guideway, stations, 43-acre Rail Operations Center, and 12 four-car trains to DTS. The rail system, officially named Skyline, opened to the public June 30, 2023.
Segment 3—including three miles of elevated guideway and six stations at Kalihi, Honolulu Community College-Kapālama, Iwilei, Chinatown, Downtown, and Civic Center—is expected to wrap up in 2030, with the transfer to DTS by 2031. A groundbreaking ceremony took place last month.
Further Reading:
- Delivering a Hawaii Transit Megaproject
- Tutor Perini Lands $1.66B Skyline Contract
- Hitachi Rail Sues HART for $325MM
- Watch: Happy Birthday, Skyline!
- HART Takes Delivery of Final Trainset, $125MM in Federal Funding
MBTA
MBTA on Aug. 29 reported that it will begin installing 40 Commuter Rail fare gates around the South Station concourse in September. Eleven of the gates will be wider for accessibility, allowing sufficient room for wheelchairs, scooters, bicycles, luggage, and strollers. All gates are expected to be operational this winter.
Commuter Rail fare gates were first installed at North Station in 2022. The goal: to “improve fare collection, replace platform ticket checks, and create a more consistent fare-paying experience for passengers across transit modes,” according to MBTA. The design and configuration of South Station gates, it noted, was developed with rider needs in mind, and builds on the lessons learned during gate implementation at North Station, where riders have tapped tickets or passes 14 million times since the gates opened. The design also follows industry standards and global best practices in fare collection, the transit authority said.
MBTA anticipates adding fare gates to Ruggles Station in winter 2025/2026 and to Back Bay Station in early 2026.
“Installing fare gates at South Station, our busiest station, will help ensure fares are appropriately collected,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said. “These fares support our operations budget and are important to continuing the delivery of safe, reliable and more frequent rail service. The public has a right to expect us to do our part and to ensure revenue is collected. These gates, including fully accessible ones, are another step towards delivering a best-in-class transportation system that the public deserves.”
Further Reading:
- MassDOT Secures $3.5MM to Advance West-East Rail
- MBTA Celebrates Completion of Winchester Center Station Accessibility Project
- Massachusetts Sets FY26 Budget
- Report: U.S. CBP Delaying CRRC MBTA Carshell Deliveries
TriMet
TriMet and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 29 welcomed back the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) as a member of the Transit Police Division, whose other members include the Beaverton and Hillsboro police departments.
The City of Portland in 2020 ended a previous agreement with TriMet, which provides bus, MAX light rail, WES commuter rail, and LIFT paratransit services. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office became the law enforcement lead of Transit Police in 2021 and remains in the role. TriMet is now contracting with the City for five PPB officers and one sergeant to serve on Transit Police.
According to TriMet, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office recently added a lieutenant to Transit Police, and the Port of Portland Police Department added three more officers.
The moves bring the Transit Police Division to 31 active officers. TriMet said it pays the “fully burdened rate” for the law enforcement personnel assigned to Transit Police.
“As the largest city in TriMet’s service area, renewing our relationship with the City of Portland and the Portland Police Bureau is a benefit for TriMet, our riders, and the region,” TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said.
“Welcoming the Portland Police Bureau back to Transit Police will increase our collective presence on the transit system, deterring crime, building trust, and reassuring riders,” Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said. “It will also expand our capacity for high-visibility safety missions focused on areas of public concern or with higher rates of criminal activity.”
“Over the past year, Portland has seen a promising decrease in crime, with both property and violent offenses trending downward,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said. “That improvement is the result of collaboration, community engagement, and tireless work by our law enforcement partners. Bringing the Portland Police Bureau back into the Transit Police Division builds directly on this momentum and helps ensure riders feel safe and supported.”
“The Portland Police Bureau is proud to rejoin Transit Police to help ensure the safety and security of our community on and around the transit system,” PPB Chief Bob Day said. “As our city continues to grow and evolve, a collaborative police presence on public transportation is essential. We look forward to working alongside our partners to support safe and reliable transit for all.”
“The more we’re able to collaborate across agencies, the better we can serve our community, ensure safety, and maintain a consistent presence throughout the TriMet system,” Port of Portland Public Safety and Security Director Beverly Pearman said.
At its height, Transit Police included 65 law enforcement staff from 15 local police agencies, according to TriMet. “The national police officer shortage that intensified after the murder of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic, and hit its peak in 2023, led to hiring challenges for local police and sheriff’s departments,” the transit agency reported. “As they struggled with staffing, fewer officers were available to be assigned to Transit Police.”
TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Andrew Wilson, who oversees the Transit Police Division for TriMet, continues to work with Multnomah County Sheriff Morrisey O’Donnell and Transit Police Chief Matt Jordan to engage other local law enforcement agencies to join Transit Police.
TriMet noted that since 2021 it has diversified and expanded its public safety teams. Contracted Transit Security Officers and Customer Safety Officers patrol the system, “discouraging inappropriate and illegal behavior,” it said. TriMet’s Customer Safety Supervisors enforce the agency’s rules for riding, and its Safety Response Team connects people on and around the transit system with social services such as shelters, mental health resources, and addiction services. Along with Transit Police, it has nearly 500 people dedicated to safety and security.
Calls for police services, which include both possible crimes and non-criminal incidents such as welfare checks, dropped nearly 50% from 2021 through 2024, TriMet reported.
“TriMet provides about 1.3 million trips a week,” Sam Desue Jr. said. “The vast majority occur without incident due to the dedication of the Transit Police staff, their fellow officers and TriMet’s dedicated safety and security teams.”
