MBTA
MBTA has completed, on-schedule, ATC implementation as part of Positive Train Control (PTC) on all north side Commuter Rail lines, the transit authority reported Jan. 28.
The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 required every railroad across the country to implement PTC. MBTA completed Phase I of its PTC installation program in August 2020 with the PTC system active on all Commuter Rail lines. Phase II included the implementation of ATC on all lines, with successful completion on the south side in 2020. Implementation on the north side as part of Phase II took place afterward.
The north side ATC project was a five-and-a-half-year effort to design, install, and commission ATC and modify the PTC system on all 170 miles of the MBTA’s north side Commuter Rail lines that operate out of North Station. This work involved 400 design packages, construction work at 300 signal locations, and the operation of 500 test trains, resulting in a fully compliant safety signal system on these lines. The work also modernized MBTA’s rail infrastructure with microprocessor interlocking track areas, the removal of intermediate signals, upgrading signal lights with LED color light signals, and the implementation of bi-directional signals on the Rockport Line and the inner portion of the Haverhill Line.
“MBTA’s $900 million Commuter Rail Safety and Resiliency Program to install PTC and ATC was the Authority’s highest-priority capital program,” MBTA reported. “With PTC/ATC now fully implemented and active along the nearly 400 miles of all 12 Commuter Rail lines, MBTA’s rail network is more resilient, more modern, more reliable, and safer for both passengers and employees.”
“I extend my congratulations and thanks to the entire MBTA team for delivering this system,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said. “This is the kind of behind-the-scenes project that riders may not physically see but required a monumental effort and results in the safest service possible for both our riders and employees.”
Further Reading:
- MBTA Approves $54MM Plan to Introduce BEMUs on Fairmount Commuter Rail Line
- BLET, Keolis Commuter Services Reach Tentative Agreement
- Fifth of a Series: The ‘Link’ that Failed
RTA
Ridership across Metra commuter rail, Pace bus, and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rapid transit and bus services continued to increase throughout 2024, RTA reported Jan. 28. The region’s fixed route system finished out the year with a total of 361 million rides. Adding 35 million rides over 2023 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Phoenix, according to RTA, the unit of local government created to oversee finances, secure funding, and conduct transit planning for CTA, Metra and Pace.
Transit riders took more rides on all days of the week in 2024 compared to 2023 with Mondays having the largest percentage increase and Tuesdays and Wednesdays seeing the most overall rides, RTA said. Daily ridership exceeded 1 million on 229 days last year, an increase from 178 days that saw that threshold reached in 2023. RTA said its recently approved 2025 regional transit budget ensures service can meet the growing demand in 2025.
Last year, CTA’s rapid transit service provided 127.5 million rides, up 9% from 2023, and bus service provided 181.7 million rides, a year-over-year increase of 12% and the highest recovery rate of all modes at 77% of pre-pandemic levels, according to RTA. Overall CTA ridership for 2024 reached 309.2 million, a CTA systemwide increase of 11%. RTA reported that CTA consistently added service throughout 2024, bringing both bus and rail service back to pre-pandemic frequencies. The agency also opened its first new train station since 2012, the Damen Green Line station near the United Center in the Near West Side neighborhood. During the Democratic National Convention (DNC), CTA saw heavy service utilization on the Green Line near the United Center and surrounding bus routes. And throughout 2024, CTA continued working closely with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to implement the Better Streets for Buses Plan. This plan, RTA said, was released at the end of 2023 and was Chicago’s first citywide framework for bus priority infrastructure, including bus-only lanes and traffic signal adjustments to enhanced bus stop areas. Five corridors—Pulaski, Western, Cottage Grove, Fullerton, and 55th/Garfield—have been selected for developing concepts for corridor-scale bus priority. Outreach to communities and stakeholders along these corridors is anticipated in 2025, according to RTA.
Metra in 2024 saw a year-over-year ridership increase of 9%, providing nearly 35 million rides as it launched a simplified fare structure and continued to work toward a “regional rail vision,” RTA reported. This vision, it said, “calls for providing more consistent, predictable service outside of peak work commute times.” Metra in 2024 completed multiple station renovations, opened a brand-new Peterson/Ridge station in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, and added service to lines including UP-North and BNSF. Metra also launched the Access Pilot Program in partnership with RTA and Cook County, extending reduced fares to riders experiencing low incomes; offered shuttle trains from O’Hare to downtown Chicago during the DNC; and began allowing bicycles on all trains. Notably, RTA said, weekend ridership on the UP-North and UP-Northwest lines has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, “showing that the needs of riders are changing and people are using transit for more than the traditional work commute.”
Pace buses in 2024 saw the largest ridership increase of 13%, providing 16.9 million rides. Pace continues to see strong demand for its bus rapid transit Pulse lines, according to RTA. Pace’s Pulse Dempster Line, which launched in 2023, and the traditional Pace Bus Route 250 both operate along the Dempster Street corridor in the northwest suburbs. Last year, ridership along the corridor exceeded 2019’s pre-pandemic ridership, RTA reported. Pace, it said, is also undergoing a network revitalization plan called ReVision “with the goal of increasing service where it is needed most.”
“For the third year in a row, we have seen double-digit ridership increases across the regional transit system,” RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden said. “This is the result of innovative service improvements by CTA, Metra and Pace that adapt to the changing needs of riders. These improvements can continue and, in fact, accelerate with adequate sustainable transit funding. Last week, the RTA unveiled ‘Transforming Transit,’ a $1.5 billion vision for system improvements including wait time reductions of up to 50%. Alternatively, without filling our regional system’s $770 million operating budget gap with State legislative action by this spring session, we are looking at service cuts in 2026 of up to 40% and draconian fare hikes. These actions will only serve to reverse positive ridership trends, sending our system into a death spiral that will impact people, our economy and our climate in ways that are almost unimaginable. RTA will continue to collaborate with CTA, Metra, and Pace to improve the rider experience and advocate for adequate sustainable funding.”
The latest ridership data for all three transit operators is available at the RTA’s Chicago Region Transit Dashboard.
MTA
Grand Central Madison has received the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineer’s Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (ASCE OCEA) award.
“Recognizing the top projects and civil engineering feats, ASCE OCEA selected Grand Central Madison as one of 14 finalists for an honor award,” according to STV, which with its joint venture partners provided tunnel engineering, environmental engineering, and final design services for the terminal and 350,000-square-foot concourse carved 140 feet below Madison Avenue. Opened in January 2023, Grand Central Madison expands MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) capacity into Manhattan’s East Side for the first time, increasing train capacity by 50%, improving commute times for 160,000 riders by as much as 40 minutes each day, easing congestion at Penn Station, and improving efficiency along the Northeast Corridor. Formerly called the East Side Access project, Grand Central Madison can accommodate 24 trains per hour and is contributing to LIRR’s 40% increase in service.
The project will be celebrated this October at an awards gala where Grand Central Madison is eligible to win ASCE’s OPAL award, the highest honor in the organization, STV reported Jan. 28.
Grand Central Madison has also earned the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2024 Prix Versailles Interior Award for the World’s Most Beautiful Passenger Station, the 2024 Empire Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York and the 2024 Outstanding Project of the Year from the New York State Society of Professional Engineers.
