APTA members ask Congress for $16bn in emergency coronavirus support
USA: The public transport industry urgently needs up to $16bn in federal government funding support to survive the coronavirus crisis, the American Public Transportation Association announced on March 19.
London Underground, rail and bus services cut by coronavirus
UK: Major cuts to metro, rail and bus services were announced by Transport for London on March 18, with the operator explaining that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had asked it to focus on enabling ‘critical workers to make essential journeys’ during the Covid-19 pandemic.
San Francisco Bay transport integration proposal
USA: Californian Assemblyman David Chiu has put forward a bill which would require all 27 transit agencies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area’s nine counties to create a ‘seamlessly integrated public transport system’.
FTA approves $4·55bn of transport grants
USA: The Federal Transit Administration has awarded grants totalling $4·55bn to 22 projects.
Federal funding to support innovative approaches to public transport
USA: The Federal Transit Administration has launched the Accelerating Innovative Mobility initiative, which Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said would ‘enhance the service, design, and financing of public transportation systems through forward thinking and innovative practices’.
Porto eyes Chinese trams as ridership grows
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has reportedly selected CRRC Tangshan as preferred bidder to supply and maintain a batch of 18 low-floor light rail vehicles as part of a network expansion project approved earlier this year.
Bus drivers to be retrained for an autonomous vehicle future
SINGAPORE: A memorandum of understanding was signed on October 24 to retrain bus drivers in preparation for the expected deployment of autonomous buses in the city.
Sustainable mobility roadmap set out
INTERNATIONAL: The Sustainable Mobility for All group of 55 organisations published its Global Roadmap of Action toward Sustainable Mobility report on October 23. The launch event took place at the headquarters of the World Bank, a SuM4All member, in Washington DC.
Sarajevo transport funding approved
BOSNIA: The Sarajevo Canton government approved €69·5m of transport funding for the capital on October 17.
Gamifying transport planning in San Diego
USA: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System has launched the Vision Builder Challenge which allows the public to show their support for different transport investment options.
Private sector drives Brazilian urban rail revival
The private sector is expected to play a crucial role in meeting Brazil’s urban rail needs.
Warszawa metro loan agreement signed
POLAND: The city of Warszawa signed a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank on September 26 covering extensions of metro Line 2.