Public transportation

Signing ceremony marks final financial hurdle for commuter rail construction

December 11, 2007 -- Anoka – Federal, state and local officials gathered today at the Anoka County Government Center for the signing ceremony of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for Northstar Commuter Rail. The FFGA commits $156.8 million in federal matching funds and immediately releases another $97.5 million in state bonding money for Northstar construction and trains.    » read more »

December 10, 2007 -- "Based on the information that my staff and I have received and reviewed over the past few weeks, I am now satisfied that the MTA budget is a responsible plan that includes important cost reductions. I agree with Governor Spitzer that this fare increase is necessary to maintain an adequate level of service and balance the needs and obligations of all who use this critical part of the region's infrastructure.    » read more »

December 10, 2007 -- "I commend MTA Chair Dale Hemmerdinger and MTA Executive Director and CEO Lee Sander on the hard work that they and their staff have put into developing a fiscally responsible 2008 budget. Fare increases are a difficult reality, but they have been diligent in their efforts to save the base fare at $2, limit the increase on discount Metrocards, and ease the burden on those who are least able to afford any hike. They combed through the budget to find savings and also to identify revenues to keep fare and toll increases to a level that is fair to the users of the system.    » read more »

CTTRANSIT Adds 22 New Commuter Express Buses To Fleet

December 4, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the replacement of 22 CTTRANSIT buses in the Hartford express bus fleet. The buses will replace an equal number of 1994 high floor commuter buses.    » read more »

INDIANAPOLIS (December 4, 2007) - Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels today announced the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has reached an agreement in principle to purchase more than 150 miles of abandoned railroad corridors that will nearly double rail trail corridors in the state.

"Our goal is to have a trail within 15 minutes of every Hoosier within ten years," Daniels said. "Today we have made a quantum leap forward that puts Indiana several steps closer to achieving this objective."    » read more »

Subway Service Expansion to Far West Side will Provide Critical Transit Access and Will Spur Development in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards Area

December 3, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the start of construction for the extension of the #7 subway line on Manhattan’s far West Side, from its current terminus at Times Square and Seventh Avenue, westward under 41st Street to Eleventh Avenue, and south under Eleventh Avenue to a new station at 34th Street.    » read more »

Agency’s Transaction to Fund First Major Improvements To Port Authority Bus Terminal in More Than 20 Years

November 30, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and the Port Authority today announced an agreement with a prominent New York City development team to build a major office tower above the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a transaction that is expected to generate approximately $500 million over the term of the lease.    » read more »

$17 Million Project Creates New Economic Gateway to Milwaukee

November 26, 2007 -- MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle joined U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and other state and local officials and business leaders today for the grand reopening of the downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station.    » read more »

November 26, 2007 -- MADISON - Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced grants totaling $1,056,449 for 18 projects that will help provide transportation for people with disabilities. The grants will support new public transportation services and alternatives for individuals with disabilities, and will promote coordination between specialized and public transportation in all areas of the state.    » read more »

November 19, 2007 -- RALEIGH, N.C.--U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today buckled up and rode with children in a school bus toMorrisville Elementary School near Raleigh, where she announced a new federal proposal to make school buses safer by requiring higher seat backs and setting new seat belt standards for the nation’s 474,000 school buses.    » read more »

November 20, 2007 -- “I respect Governor Spitzer for making a tough decision and I congratulate him for leading from the front. The Governor and Lee Sander sat down with me and Dan Doctoroff to brief us about this announcement last night, and they committed to working with the City’s MTA board members to share all of the numbers that underpin this decision.    » read more »

November 20, 2007 -- "I have been closely following the public hearings on the potential fare hike by the MTA and I've listened to the public's serious concerns about paying more, especially while times are tight. At the same time, I am acutely aware of the need for state agencies and authorities to be fiscally responsible, pay down debt and plan for the future.

So as the MTA considered a fare hike, my chief concern was making sure that fiscal responsibility was observed and that all avenues were explored before imposing an added burden on the public.    » read more »

Project is First Major Expansion of New York City Subway System since 1936; New Segment Projected to Carry 213,000 Riders Daily

November 19, 2007 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration James Simpson to announce an agreement that guarantees $1.3 billion in federal funding for the construction of the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway.    » read more »

November 17, 2007 -- As an incentive for Connecticut drivers to use public transportation, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) is distributing free trial bus passes to commuters.

All state-owned CTTRANSIT divisions are participating in this incentive program, along with many services provided by transit districts. Included in this promotion are express bus services into Hartford and the I-Bus, which offers interstate express service between Stamford and White Plains, N.Y.    » read more »

Menendez has sent letter to Port Authority asking for reconsideration of fare hike

November 15, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – According to news reports, the Port Authority today will announce a fare hike for PATH trains. U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is reaffirming his opposition to the increase as currently structured.    » read more »