GRTC’s Post

First, light rail to Matthews was too expensive. Now the so-called solution – bus rapid transit - might not work either? A review of the city’s plans and finances — as well as plans already put in place by the N.C. Department of Transportation — raises questions about whether BRT is feasible along the U.S. 74 corridor. The city doesn’t know where a dedicated bus lane would go. “So what we will end up with are big fancy buses sitting in traffic with cars,” said Renee Garner of the Matthews Board of Commissioners at a meeting last week. “And Matthews will be paying for it.” The N.C. Department of Transportation is adding express toll lanes in the middle of the Highway 74 and a future project would extend them to Matthews. In theory, those lanes would be perfect for BRT because traffic is guaranteed to move at a high speed, around 45 or 55 mph. But there is no place to put the stations. Building BRT lanes in the same path planned for light rail would be more cost effective than a train but would still require the city to buy land and build new lanes and bridges over existing roads, as well as stations and parking decks. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ek3BFSNM #thecharlotteledger #transittime #cltledger #WFAEWFAE

Rail passengers in the West Midlands and Manchester will soon be able to pay by 'tapping in and out'. These welcome schemes will encourage more people on to public transport, and are a positive step towards the simple, fully-integrated ticketing that all passengers deserve. Transport inequality needs tackling as a matter of priority, to give all cities good public transport. These pilot schemes will help, and we would like to see similar schemes in all urban regions to boost confidence and grow passenger numbers. https://lnkd.in/eaZeeJ_k

AC Transit delays its bus route realignment project, initially set for August, amid concerns from drivers, advocates, and residents. The board cites the need to address reliability and equity issues, emphasizing community input over the next three months to refine the draft service plan for potential implementation in March 2025. https://lnkd.in/gzzxKypE #ACTransitRealignment #TransitEquity #CommunityInput #BusRouteDelay #TransportationPlanning

Back when I was in graduate school, I did a lot of research on this particular rail and Airtrain station, which connects Newark Liberty International Airport to New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains (and on airport-rail links in general). So when I saw this news article, I just had to post it. For years, there has been talk of connecting this station with the nearby neighborhood, known as the South Ward of Newark. (Currently, there is no way between the station and the neighborhood without either getting the train to another station and doubling back or going into the airport and getting a taxi or bus). The The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has now voted to change this and will build a connecting walkway and access to the South Ward. This article discusses the planned connection, which is projected to open in two years. The original plan was to also extend the Port Authority's PATH subway line from downtown Newark to this station. That has since been dropped from the agency's capital plan, as is evidenced by the picture below. However, it is likely it will be built at a future date. The article also mentions the agency voted to approve a funding agreement with the city government of New York regarding the building of commercial buildings at the site of the city's Port Authority Bus Terminal, which the agency owns and is planning to replace. This will involve using payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT payments), a funding mechanism which has been used elsewhere with regards to government-sponsored development projects. The vote by the agency's board of directors was taken today, March 21, 2024. As I say, as this tied in so well with a former subject of my research, I just couldn't resist posting it and writing so much on it. Incidentally, the article was reported by B. Flanagan for NJ Spotlight News and was posted today. #newyork #newjersey #newark #commuter NJ TRANSIT Amtrak

Because of the Mill Cove ferry announcement I've had a lot of interest in Halifax's Rapid Transit Strategy. Mill Cove is just one of the first of the big pieces of this strategy. Below is a map of the draft plan. Three new ferry routes and four Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines are proposed. BRT is a fast and reliable transit service that will mostly operate in dedicated bus-only lanes, with stations that are spaced farther apart than bus stops, and buses running every 10 minutes 6 am to 10 pm. Ferries complement the BRT. While the proposed system won't "go everywhere" it will benefit all transit users. Rapid Transit will mean local bus routes, corridor routes and express buses need to evolve to service the stations and terminals. With higher frequency and reliability than we've ever seen before a lot of direct buses could get folded into the BRT, and transferring won't be an issue, since a bus will come every ten minutes, or a ferry every 15. It will transform more of the system into a model like you see in a city with a subway or LRT system. If you want more information you can read the Rapid Transit Plan here: https://lnkd.in/eFfXgmJi

CONNECTING IN WATERFORD: A new county-state funding agreement will provide MetroConnect on-demand transit in the Waterford area through June 30, 2025. The county and the state will pay $345,600 apiece to River North Transit LLC to run the service, which is to have two to three minivans during peak hours and two in off-peak times driving flexible routes with rides provided within 15 minutes of the call and operating primarily as a feeder to other modes of transportation. MetroConnect now has 11 such service zones producing more than 1,000 total rides per weekday. The on-demand transit is to serve a 5-square-mile area, and while other service is possible, links to transit are prioritized, with the aim of linking to the Miami Intermodal Center and the Flagler Corridor. MetroConnect launched in the county in October 2020. https://lnkd.in/dSHD_Stk #FYIMiami #MiamiTodayNews

Amtrak is barreling toward record ridership this year, with 24.1m riders between October and June, up 18% YoY, per The Wall Street Journal. If it stays on track, the company said it should surpass its 2019 ridership high of 32.3m. Amtrak isn’t the only company speeding up: Brightline, the privately owned high-speed rail service in Florida, more than tripled revenue in a single year and is currently constructing a high-speed train between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The federal government also gave rail funding a $66B cash infusion with its 2021 infrastructure bill, while Brightline received $3B+ in government grants. The trend makes sense — with 2m+ people passing through US airport security every day in the summer, and cars back in full force on freeways, passengers are looking for crowd-free travel alternatives. Plus, trains are way more effective at giving passengers their “main character in a movie” moment.

Deploying Transit Signal Priority with a Bus Rapid Transit lane is a powerful one-two punch that puts #transit riders first in congested urban roadways. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) was just awarded the highest-level designation among transit projects in the country for delivering a world-class passenger experience on the Van Ness BRT project by coupling these two solutions together. #SF riders noticed and voted with their feet: 🚎 Bus travel times are 36% faster. ✅ Transit service is now 45% more reliable. 💯 Customer satisfaction with Muni has just received its highest rating in over 20 years. 🎉 Ridership on the 49-Van Ness line is now at 140% of pre-Covid levels. Bringing riders back to #publictransit post-Covid is about more than just restoring existing service. It’s also about meeting a rider’s #transportation needs today by delivering a transit product that is easy to use, time-competitive, dependable, and provides a desirable riding experience. Technology-forward solutions, like #TSP and #BRT (together or separately), check off all these boxes and can also help transit operators provide more robust service with the same level of operational resources. The 49-Van Ness bus and BRT project is a testament to this. Learn more about the project: https://lnkd.in/gfWFP8d4 Learn more about the award from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy: https://lnkd.in/gjW2m4h3 #ITS

Yo, Maritimers who give me lame excuses for why their city doesn't need better transit ("we aren't Toronto, it's just different here"🤮) Gonna give a shoutout to Halifax, who are introducing a 10-minute bus network across approx. 30kms of transit priority corridors + 15-min ferry service. Good public transit isn't reserved for massive cities. It's not a prize you earn once all your other civic issues are resolved. In fact, many challenges our medium-sized cities face—like homelessness, rising cost of living, accessibility, community safety, sustainability goals, improving public health—are often a symptom of not prioritizing a robust transit network. It's about improving quality of life for everyone. Y'all deserve so much better. Cheers to Halifax! Any other noteworthy transit initiatives out east we should be talking about?

The Bowser Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) have unveiled a plan to enhance Metrobus services in response to the phase-out of the DC Circulator, which is set to conclude by December 31, 2024. This initiative aims to mitigate service disruptions for Circulator riders by integrating the affected routes into the Metrobus network. Acting Director Sharon Kershbaum of the District Department of Transportation(DDOT) emphasized the benefits of the consolidation, stating, “By consolidating more bus transit under the Metrobus brand, we can strengthen the District’s overall transit network, avoid duplicative services, and operate more efficiently.” The adjustments are designed to optimize resource use and improve service efficiency while accommodating the anticipated increase in Metrobus ridership. Read more