We need to give officials who support us some cover for some pretty tough calls they will have to make with their more conservative colleagues. We also need to call out the ones who don’t support us.

Metro Transit bought approximately 71,000 kilowatt hours of wind-generated electricity from energy supplier Xcel Energy’s Windsource program as part of an Earth Day event. This was just one of many components of its Go Greener initiative.

Part one of a two-part series, this article discusses some factors that should be considered — funding sources, feasibility and site viability — before an organization issues a Request for Qualifications or a Request for Proposal.

Whether transit agencies are looking to procure equipment or hire a contractor, the evolution of track maintenance technologies and services have made it possible to do certain tasks in less time, while keeping workers out of harm’s way.

Mobile devices are surpassing PCs in popularity, becoming the new method for customers to access information about your operation. Responsive web design ensures customers using mobile devices get quick, easy access to all the information on your site.

For the increasing number of customers with smartphones and tablets, safety is enhanced. New features, such as mobile ticketing, crowd-sourced information and even shopping, further improve the ride.

Constrained federal funding is exacerbated in smaller areas where agencies are forced to do more with less. Interestingly, this has not impacted operations as much as it has their plans to purchase more vehicles and complete capital projects.

The $1 billion, 61.5-mile system, being built by the Florida DOT, will utilize an existing rail corridor. The 32-mile first phase will serve 12 stations and link DeBary, to Sand Lake Road, just south of Orlando. Service is expected to begin in 2014.

As part of this year's Top Rail Projects feature, METRO focused on three projects in the works in Houston, Detroit and Tucson, Ariz.

With $14.3 billion in projects, New York City Transit tops this year’s list, followed closely by the Toronto Transit Commission. Three new projects in Tucson, Ariz.; Detroit and Orlando, Fla., totaling $948 million, make their debut.