Randy Clarke
Capital Metro
Capital Metro's board of directors voted to name Randy Clarke as the agency’s next president/CEO. Randy Clarke has served as the vice president of operations and member services at the American Public Transportation Association since April 2016. Prior to that, he spent seven years in various positions with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, including deputy chief operating officer and assistant general manager of engineering, maintenance and preparedness, and senior director of security.
Kimberly A. Howell
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Inspector General Geoffrey Cherrington announced the appointment of Kimberly Howell to the position of assistant inspector general for investigations (AIGI). Howell will oversee the department's internal investigations into potential criminal fraud, waste and abuse. She comes to Metro from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) where she served as the director of the Office of Investigations responsible for overseeing nationwide investigations of alleged criminal and civil wrongdoing within the NRC jurisdiction.
Taslin Alfonzo, APR
Transdev
Transdev, in service to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, announced Taslin Alfonzo has been named as the new public information officer for the organization. A native of New Orleans, Alfonzo comes to Transdev with more than 15 years of journalism and communications experience. Most recently, she served as the PIO and director of marketing and communications for West Jefferson Medical Center (WJMC), where she was responsible for overseeing and implementing external and internal communications for the hospital, as well as the coordination of all media relations and marketing initiatives.
Jen Rodriguez
ARBOC Specialty Vehicles
ARBOC Specialty Vehicles announced the addition of Jen Rodriguez to the ARBOC sales team. Rodriguez was appointed to the regional sales manager position. Rodriguez is responsible for servicing existing accounts and establishing new customers in the western region of the United States. Prior to her position with ARBOC, Rodriguez worked in sales and accounting at Glaval and in sales at Forest River’s Class C division. She also carries experience in customer service and purchasing.
Michael Ford
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District has named Michael Ford its new chief operating officer. The new position was created to oversee all of the agency’s bus and rail operations while meeting the needs of the growing metro region. Ford brings to RTD extensive leadership in public and private transportation in Michigan, Oregon, Washington and California. Across his more-than-30-year career in transit, Ford’s energy and passion for service led to beneficial change, secured public-private partnerships, and gained business and community support.
MTA New York City Transit Acquiring Next-Gen Subway Cars
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted to approve the purchase of 535 next-generation R211 subway cars for use on the “B Division,” which are the lettered routes, as well as the Staten Island Railway. The funding for this project will be provided by the Federal Transit Administration. The contract, totaling $1.4 billion, was awarded to Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. The contract includes options for up to 1,077 additional cars, for a total acquisition of up to 1,612 cars at a cost of $3.7 billion, pending future Board approval.
For the initial, base contract, Kawasaki will design and deliver 440 new closed-end cars for the B Division, 75 closed-end cars for Staten Island Railway, and 20 innovative open gangway cars as part of a pilot program to MTA New York City Transit.
BART’s New Train Cars Start Service
The first new rail cars from Bombardier Transportation went in to service for the Bay Area Rapid Transit. Bombardier is supplying 775 new rail cars for BART's 'Fleet of the Future'. Twenty cars have been delivered from Bombardier's U.S. manufacturing site in Plattsburgh, New York. The remaining cars are scheduled to be delivered by Fall 2021.
Transdev Selected for Autonomous Shuttle Pilot in Jacksonville
Transdev announced it has been selected to operate an autonomous shuttle pilot for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, as part of the agency’s overall plan to replace the Skyway monorail service with shared autonomous vehicles.
The JTA launched the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U²C) Autonomous Vehicle Test and Learn track in December 2017.
Virgin Hyperloop One Shares First Look at the Passenger Experience
Virgin Hyperloop One shared its vision for a seamless travel experience through the first-ever hyperloop passenger application demo, powered by HERE Technologies. The company is showcasing its application designed for real-time, on demand travel, throughout the transportation ecosystem. Passengers will be able to plan, book, and pay for a Hyperloop journey and other modes of transportation including public, private, and ride-shares using the application.
COTA Celebrates Opening of CMAX
The Central Ohio Transit Authority hosted a ribbon cutting, ceremonial ride and panel discussion on January 23 to celebrate the opening of CMAX, the first bus rapid transit line in central Ohio. The limited-stop service launched January 1 and complements regular service on COTA’s second-busiest line along Cleveland Avenue.
Keolis Graduates Largest Class of New Assistant Conductors
Keolis Commuter Services, the MBTA’s commuter rail operating partner, graduated a class of 27 assistant conductors from its Somerville training facility. The new assistant conductors began their training in November 2017.
DemandTrans has been selected by Pace Bus, the suburban transit agency for the Chicago metropolitan region, to deploy its MobilityDR solutions in multiple communities in the Pace service area.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada has announced it is launching a six-month pilot program with Lyft, for Southern Nevada Transit Coalition Paratransit riders beginning in February.
The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority has chosen INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc. to implement an account-based electronic fare and back-office revenue management system on their fixed-route fleet of more than 240 buses.
Grande West Transportation Group Inc. announced it has received new Vicinity orders for approximately $11 million CAD ($8.92 million USD).
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) is partnering with Zipcar to add 15 Zipcars at eight Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink and MARC Train stations.
Stadler is taking over the Knorr-Bremse subsidiary Swedtrac, which specializes in train modernization. The acquisition of Swedtrac will enable Stadler to strengthen its presence in the Nordic countries.
GILLIG LLC announced it will offer FuelSense 2.0 featuring DynActive Shifting beginning in April. The innovative new method of shift scheduling from Allison Transmission delivers up to 6 percent additional fuel savings beyond original FuelSense software.
The Antelope Valley Transit Authority recently completed the integration of their routes into “Google Transit”, a branch of Google Maps that provides real-time route and trip planning for public transit.
