MBTA
HNTB on March 26 reported being selected to provide rail vehicle professional services for MBTA under a General Engineering Consulting (GEC) services agreement. The firm will provide professional engineering and project management consulting services “to support rail vehicle engineering and maintenance on an as-needed, on-call basis,” it said. The scope of services includes fleet analysis, facilities planning, revenue fleet overhauls, purchasing plans, and other maintenance services. These services will apply to MBTA’s subway operations fleet, which comprises three heavy rail lines, light rail, the Mattapan high-speed line, as well as associated maintenance facilities, according to HNTB.
HNTB said it will assist MBTA’s railcar maintenance department with its “goals to increase passenger and overall system safety, extend fleet performance and reliability, improve lifecycle fleet maintenance plans, and upgrade its maintenance facilities.”
“We are excited to build upon our long-standing relationship with MBTA and collaborate with them on this critical work,” said Steve Mudge, HNTB’s Project Manager and Fleet and Facilities Technical Director. “Our national team of experts are committed to enhancing the safety and reliability of MBTA’s rail fleet working toward improving fleet performance and ensuring a better experience for passengers.”
Separately, MBTA on March 24 celebrated the launch of South Coast Rail and the beginning of service on the new Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail Line. For the first time in more than 65 years, the cities and towns of southeastern Massachusetts have passenger rail service to and from downtown Boston. The South Coast Rail project involved the design and construction of new track alignments, stations, layover facilities, and signal and communication systems, among other critical infrastructure work. HNTB and VHB, as a joint venture, served as the Designer of Record.
MARTA
MARTA has released an online interactive tool to track the progress of its capital projects for maintaining, improving, and expanding the system, which includes rapid transit, streetcar, bus and paratransit services in the Atlanta, Ga., metropolitan area.
The Project Snapshot Tool provides basic timelines, budgets, and spending progress on all the projects in MARTA’s Capital Improvement Program, a 10-year plan that is updated and approved annually by MARTA’s Board of Directors (see example above).
The projects are searchable by each of MARTA’s four jurisdictions—City of Atlanta, and Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties—as well as by the following categories:
- Expansion: Includes planning, design, and construction of projects to expand service, such as MARTA Rapid lines and the Bankhead platform extension.
- State of Good Repair – Projects: Includes projects or programs to address specific long-term maintenance needs, such as station rehabilitation.
- State of Good Repair – Recurring: Includes annual maintenance expenses, such as elevator and escalator repair, railcar and bus maintenance, and vehicle replacement.
- Policy, Innovation, Administration: Includes a variety of studies, administrative costs, software, and other items needed to administer the capital program.
The Project Snapshot Tool also provides a brief project description, its current phase, anticipated completion date, and a chart showing the amount of funds spent so far compared to the lifetime project budget.
“This tool offers a new way for our customers and other stakeholders to follow the progress on our wide-reaching capital program,” MARTA Chief Capital Officer Carrie Rocha said. “We hope it helps give insight into the enormous scale of work it takes to keep our system running for another half-century and beyond.”
MARTA also recently announced the permanent appointments of LaShanda Dawkins as Chief Administrative Officer, Jonathan Hunt as Chief Legal Counsel, and Steven Parker as Chief of Staff.
TriMet
TriMet from April 27 through May 10 will upgrade the MAX Blue Line east of the Gateway/NE 99th Ave. Transit Center. Shuttle buses will be provided for riders during the light rail service disruption, according to the agency, which also runs WES commuter rail, bus and LIFT paratransit across the 533-square-mile Portland, Ore., metropolitan area (download rail map below).
The East Burnside MAX Improvements Project (watch video below) will cover:
- Installing a new, automated catenary tensioning system in some areas. The system will replace the weight stakes currently used to help keep trains running in extreme heat, according to TriMet, noting that when temperatures soar above 90 degrees, thermal expansion causes the copper wires to droop. “The [old] system works well, with the weights dropping toward the ground when temperatures rise,” it said. “However, it has become so hot in recent years, including a record-setting 116 degrees in 2021, that there have been times when the weights have hit the ground.”
- Replacing the eastbound and westbound rail crossing panels at Northwest Eleven Mile Avenue in Gresham. This work also includes the replacement of 50-100 wood crossties.
Crews will also clean closed stations, remove litter and graffiti, and clear brush on the east end of the MAX Blue Line.
Separately, TriMet recently released its $1.94 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2026.
