SEPTA
SEPTA on Dec. 8 announced that, following discussions mediated by Governor Josh Shapiro over the weekend, it has reached a tentative contract agreement with TWU Local 234 for employees the union represents in the City, Suburban and Frontier Divisions.
The tentative agreement, the agency says, allows for service to continue without disruption on all SEPTA modes of travel. The agreement will be finalized pending ratification by union members and approval by the SEPTA Board.
The tentative contract, which is for two years, includes wage increases and a temporary pension enhancement for TWU members who retire during the term of the contract, while maintaining healthcare and other benefits. It also adds a program designed to improve absence management and increases the pay differential for night shifts—two measures that, the agency says, “are expected to help SEPTA ensure it has adequate staffing available as it works to improve service reliability.”
“I want to thank Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to bring both sides together after talks broke down late last week,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., who was involved in contract discussions over the weekend. “These negotiations are difficult, and I thank everyone involved for their commitment to reaching an agreement while keeping service moving for SEPTA riders.”
“I greatly appreciate the efforts of negotiators on both sides, and we are grateful to Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to help us resolve differences and reach a tentative agreement,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. “The tentative contract agreement is both fair to our hardworking frontline employees, and fiscally responsible to our fare-paying riders and the taxpayers who fund SEPTA.”
The agreement will now go to union members for ratification, and then to the SEPTA Board for a vote.
Metra
After a five-year hiatus, Metra’s ONP Christmas train is returning to the rails. Metra and ONP encourage Chicago area residents to show their support on Saturday, Dec. 20, and cheer on the families participating in ONP’s annual holiday train trip for seriously and terminally ill children and their families on Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line.
Founded in 2009, ONP and its volunteers have helped spread the spirit of the holidays to children and families affected by illness with a day-long Christmas event featuring a ride to see Santa at the North Pole aboard a special train. Since 2011, the exterior of the train has been decorated with a holiday theme sponsored by the charity. This year’s train exterior features characters from the Nutcracker, and Metra employees have decorated the interiors of each car with lights, tinsel, and holiday themes like Santa’s Workshop, the Grinch, and Candyland.
This year, the specially decorated train will also be used in regular service beginning Dec. 8 on Metra’s three Union Pacific (UP) lines and for Metra’s Holiday Train event on the UP-Northwest Line Dec. 13. With the exception of the ONP and Metra holiday train events, the specially decorated train will operate on the UP-Northwest Line Dec. 8-Dec. 14, the UP-North Line Dec. 15-21, and the UP-West Line Dec. 22-Jan. 2.
More information is available here.
In related news, Metra has opened a new online merchandise store to sell official exclusive Metra-branded products, such as Metra station signs, tote bags, T-shirts, and other items.
“This new store is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our connection with riders and the community,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski. “If someone on your gift list loves Metra and rail travel, we encourage you to check out our store.”
The store can be reached at merch.metra.com starting Dec. 10. Customers also can call 888-982-2210. Shoppers will find a variety of Metra-branded products, such tote bags, t-shirts and hoodies, and mugs and water bottles. Other items include:
- 30-inch mini replicas of Metra station signs.
- A personalized plate with images of Metra locomotives and railcars.
- Blankets and shower curtains featuring the Metra system map.
- A kid’s backpack with a winter theme.
- A body pillow featuring an image of a long Metra train.
- A clock with the colors and abbreviations of all Metra lines.
OCTA
OCTA this week released the 2025 update of its Measure M2 Next 10 Delivery Plan, “providing a refreshed and fiscally responsible roadmap for delivering freeway, street, transit, and environmental improvements across Orange County through 2035.”
The plan, approved by the OCTA Board of Directors on Monday, Dec. 8, incorporates the most recent sales tax revenue forecast (now estimated at $13.2 billion through 2041), external funding assumptions, and refined project schedules and costs to ensure OCTA continues meeting the commitments made to voters when the half-cent transportation sales tax measure was approved in 2006.
The 2025 update confirms that the full M2 Program remains deliverable through 2041 and outlines approximately $6.1 billion in transportation investments over the next decade. The plan continues to prioritize early delivery of improvements while maintaining financial sustainability and limiting reliance on future debt.
The Transit Program remains a major area of focus, particularly the sustainability of Metrolink operations. While ridership is growing, performance continues to fall short of forecasts, and rising costs present long-term financial challenges, according to the Authority. OCTA is working closely with Metrolink and partner agencies to develop a financially sustainable service plan that protects Orange County’s rail mobility needs through 2041.
Preparation and testing also continues for the OC Streetcar, scheduled to open in 2026, and the plan, OCTA says, “maintains stable funding for senior mobility programs, community-based transit circulators, and enhancements at the county’s busiest bus stops.”
Railroad track stabilization in south Orange County remains a top priority, OCTA noted, as coastal erosion and storm surges continue to pose risks to the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. OCTA is partnering with state and regional agencies to pursue both short-term protections and a long-term strategy to ensure rail service reliability.
Alto HSR Project
Alto’s Toronto-Quebec City HSR project likely won’t connect to Union Station, according to Alto CEO Martin Imbleau, and as reported by TorontoToday.
According to the report, Imbleau said, “Alto is weighing several options for the location of a future HSR station in Toronto.”
“The objective would be to have a station in the vicinity of Union Station,” Imbleau said Tuesday. “We’re looking at options. It needs to be economical [and it] needs to be reliable.”
Imbleau didn’t definitively rule out Union Station, but reiterated to senators that the “intent” was to find a location nearby “if it’s feasible and we can make it affordable,” according to the TorontoToday report.
Imbleau did not say why Union Station, which connects travelers to national and regional rail systems, including VIA Rail and GO Transit, is not a front-runner to host the HSR station.
In a statement to TorontoToday, Alto spokesperson Crystal Jongeward said the crown corporation is “currently in the development and pre-construction phase” of delivering the HSR corridor and that it is “too early to speculate” on station locations.
During the Senate committee meeting, Imbleau said Alto is “collaborating with Metrolinx on the location of the Toronto HSR station,” according to the report.
In a statement, Metrolinx, which jointly owns Union Station with the City of Toronto, said it is “working closely with Alto about various ways in which HSR can connect meaningfully to the network, including our other transit hubs.”
