Transit Briefs: NC by Train, WMATA/COG, MBTA, Rail Runner Express
NC By Train
NC By Train in October experienced its highest ridership month in 35 years of service, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reported Nov. 17. The state-supported Amtrak intercity passenger rail service carried 74,400 riders, nearly 10% more than in October 2024.
NC By Train has so far seen a 4% increase in ridership in 2025, with 608,300 passengers carried between January and October 2025 compared with 584,600 during the same period last year, according to NCDOT. It is on track to break its 2024 record of more than 720,000 riders. In 2023, it carried 641,000 riders, and in 2022, 522,000 riders.
“The service’s popularity continues to grow as more people learn how easy and stress-free it is to use, the affordability of tickets, and other benefits of traveling by train,” NCDOT said. “Increased availability of daily trip options [on the Piedmont and Carolinian] introduced in July 2023, special trains and stops to iconic N.C. events, and increased collaboration with partners on projects like the Ale Trail by Rail have all contributed to the ridership growth.”
“We’re thrilled to see passenger rail ridership continue to grow across North Carolina as more people experience the convenience and benefits of train travel,” NCDOT Rail Division Director Jason Orthner noted. “Whether you are traveling for business, sporting events, school, to visit family or just for fun, NC By Train is a comfortable, affordable, and stress-free way to get to your destination.”
WMATA / COG
The boards of WMATA and COG on Nov. 17 “jointly endorsed recommendations from the DMVMoves Task Force and called on regional leaders to advance funding solutions to support Metro’s long-term modernization and strengthen coordination among the region’s 14 transit operators [in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia], including Metro, MARC, Virginia Railway Express, and local bus systems,” according to WMATA, which has a network of six rapid transit lines, 98 stations, 125 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service.
The recommendations, WMATA said, outline a “unified regional vision for a modern, seamless, and world-class transit network that supports economic growth, efficiency, and safe, reliable access across the National Capital Region.” A key proposal includes $460 million in new annual capital funding for Metro, beginning in Fiscal Year 2028, according to WMATA. This investment, it said, would allow Metro to reinvest in and modernize its rail and bus system.
The DMVMoves Task Force recommended that the funding “should be unencumbered and grow by 3% annually to ensure the system’s long-term financial stability,” according to WMATA. If secured, the funding would ensure:
- “Ongoing repair, maintenance, and modernization of assets, systems, and technologies.
- “Deployment of rail modernization—modern signaling, compatible fleet upgrades, and selective platform screen doors—to improve safety, reliability, capacity, and efficiency.
- “The creation of a sustainable bond program to support long-term investments, maintain the system’s state of good repair, and strengthen overall financial stability.”
The Task Force also recommended a set of actions to make transit more efficient and easier to use across the regional network of Metro, commuter rail (MARC and VRE), and local buses. “These actions include implementing bus priority projects along high-priority corridors to improve bus speeds and reliability for riders and lower long-term operating costs, integrating fare policies, such as consistent discounts for low-income riders and free fares for children, and improving customer information, like standard bus stop designs,” WMATA said.
DMVMoves was created in May 2024 by the boards WMATA and COG “to create a unified vision and sustainable funding model for the region’s transit network.” This regional effort, WMATA said, was led by a task force of officials appointed by COG and WMATA and chaired by COG Board Vice Chair and DC Councilmember Charles Allen and WMATA Board Vice Chair Paul Smedberg. It was also supported by two advisory groups representing government and community partners, chaired by Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill and Greater Washington Board of Trade President and CEO Jack McDougle respectively.
“This is a pivotal moment for our region,” WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said Nov. 17. “A reliable and well-funded Metro system is essential to our region’s economic vitality. These recommendations provide a roadmap to modernize our transportation network, deliver safer and more reliable service, and ensure Metro continues to connect people to opportunities for generations to come.”
“The DMVMoves plan is a major milestone for our region, but it isn’t an end point,” COG Executive Director Clark Mercer added. “Our region has produced some great plans in the past whose goals were not fully achieved. This time, COG, WMATA, and our partners have outlined the path forward to ensure these recommendations are implemented and that we hold ourselves accountable to delivering our shared vision for world-class transit.”
With the joint endorsement, regional advocacy is slated to “seek the enactment of funding legislation by the DC Council and the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures,” according to WMATA.
Further Reading:
- WMATA Honors Veterans With Patriotic Trains, Buses
- Report: DC Rail Extension Eyed for New Commanders Stadium Project
- WMATA Delivers $120MM in Savings, Record Ridership in FY2025
MBTA
“MBTA commuter rail riders passing through South Station will soon be introduced to a new fare collection system,” according to MassLive.com.
The transit agency in August reported that it would begin installing 40 Commuter Rail fare gates around the South Station concourse in September. According to a Nov. 14 MassLive.com report, the gates will be operational in December.
“Similar to the MBTA’s subway lines, riders will need to scan a ticket to access the platforms,” the media outlet said. “However, unlike on the subway, they will also need to scan their ticket to exit. Commuter rail fare gates will also not accept tap-to-pay from a credit or debit card, phone or watch, as the subway and buses do.”
Commuter Rail fare gates were first installed MBTA’s 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 the transit agency.
“[T]ransit officials [last year] said they estimated that 25% of fares are not collected on commuter rail trains operating out of South Station,” MassLive.com reported. “The T estimated in 2019 that it was losing $10 million to $20 million in revenue from uncollected commuter rail fares, or between 4% and 8% of potential revenue. The industry standard is 3%, ‘in even the most airtight, gated systems,’ the agency said.”
MBTA is slated to add fare gates to Ruggles Station in winter 2025/2026 and to Back Bay Station in early 2026.
Further Reading:
- Keolis, IBEW Reach Tentative Agreement
- MBTA: $850MM to Enhance Safety, Reliability
- Eng Named Interim MassDOT Secretary
- Eng to Duffy: ‘Safety is Integral to Everything We Do at the MBTA’
Rail Runner Express
Early next year, six cameras will be installed on board each of Rail Runner Express’ 22 bilevels, according to KOAT 7 in Albuquerque. The goal is to boost security, it noted, and they will be monitored in real time.
“The decision was made several months ago to put onboard cameras on the train,” Rail Runner Communications Manager Augusta Meyers told the media outlet. “A lot of commuter rail[roads] across the country and other transit systems have onboard cameras, and we feel, for the safety of our passengers, that’s the most important thing. This gives us that extra measure of assurance and security to make sure passengers are safe.”
Rio Metro Regional Transit District operates the nearly 20-year-old, 100-mile commuter rail service between Santa Fe and Belen, N.Mex. Bombardier Transportation (now Alstom) supplied the commuter railcars.
