Federal Transit Administration
Audit Finds U.S. DOT’s Transit Record-Keeping ‘Unreliable,’ ‘Inaccurate’
The disjointed state of "New Starts," the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) program to fund new rail and bus lines, is well-known on the Hill -- in fact, House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) recently quipped that it ought to be renamed "small starts, low starts, and no starts."
August 6, 2009
Understanding Washington’s Metro Crash
The House of Representatives subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia convened yesterday afternoon to hear testimony related to the tragic Washington Metro accident of June 22.
July 15, 2009
U.S. Transit Agency Issues Safety Warning After D.C. Metro Crash
Following quickly on the heels of a National Transportation Safety Board warning about the D.C. Metro's crash-prevention system, U.S. DOT regulators are asking transit agencies nationwide to ensure they have safety backups in place.
July 14, 2009
How Much Operating Aid is Your Local Transit Agency Getting?
President Obama has signed into law a $106 billion war funding bill that includes a provision allowing local transit agencies to spend 10 percent of their stimulus money on operating costs.
June 26, 2009
Transit Planners to Congress: Please Figure Out How to Fund Us
To all but the most ardent transit wonks, the phrase "New Starts" sounds like a motivational tape sold on late-night TV. But those two words actually represent Washington's predominant mechanism to pay for major transit expansions -- everything from expanding an existing rail station to building a new bus line.
June 4, 2009
Why Buy More Trains If You Can’t Afford to Run Them?
Down in balmy South Florida, D-Day is approaching for riders of the the popular Tri-Rail transit system. A looming $18 million shortfall has forced the Tri-Rail board to approve a budget that slices daily service and stops all trains by 2011 -- although ridership has doubled since 2005.
May 27, 2009
Senators Hear From Obama’s Transit Chief-in-Waiting
One of the Capitol's sad, secret truths is that members of Congress often skip committee hearings on issues of vital importance to their states -- and today's confirmation session with Peter Rogoff, the president's nominee to lead the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), was no exception.
May 13, 2009