Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Wireless contract is expected to generate approximately $25 million for Metro during the initial 15-year contract and an additional $27 million during the five, two-year renewal terms.

BrowseAloud reads aloud text as the user moves the cursor over words. Software is intended to help anyone who has difficulty reading online, including people with mild visual impairments, low literacy and reading skills, and learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

D.C. Metro partners with suicide prevention groups. Weekend riders drive Valley Metro ridership. San Francisco HSR station spot still undecided.

Board discovered that a failure occurred in which a spurious signal generated by a track circuit module transmitter mimicked a valid signal and bypassed the rails via an unintended signal path. Issued nine safety recommendations.

Additional actions taken by Metro in preparation for a regional flu event include coordinating planning with federal, state and local governments, including health departments and emergency management agencies, and establishing a customer outreach program with a Website.

To include disqualification for moving violations within last three years, driver’s license revocations or suspensions and any occurrence of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, AT&T and T-Mobile will build, operate, maintain and own the new wireless network. The firms also will build a second wireless network, which Metro will use for public safety and operational communications.

Changes include a new management structure, the addition of NextBus, and more discussions with operators about safety.

Calls for agency to evaluate track occupancy data on a real-time basis in order to detect losses in track occupancy and automatically generate alerts to prompt such actions as immediately stopping train movements or implementing appropriate speed restrictions to prevent collisions.

Officials will spend the next few days finalizing the language for its policy and notifying employees that the “three strikes” disciplinary policy that had been in place is a thing of the past.