METRO Briefs

N.Y. MTA to close platform gaps
NEW YORK — The New York Public Transportation Safety Board has told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to reduce the danger of gaps between trains and station platforms through an awareness campaign, greater oversight and better engineering. "The gap" has been blamed for hundreds of injuries at commuter railroad stations in and around New York City. To read the full story, click here. Government employees selling fare cards online
WASHINGTON — Federal employees are fraudulently selling their government-provided mass transit fare cards online, congressional auditors say. Investigators from Congress' Government Accountability Office have found at least $17 million in fraudulent transit benefits that were claimed in the Washington metropolitan area during 2006. To read the full story, click here. Boston to improve underground communications
BOSTON — City, state and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials have agreed to pay for a state-of-the-art emergency communications system in subway tunnels. The $16 million project will allow first responders and dispatchers to talk to one another above and below ground, and also allow commanders on the surface to communicate with those inside the T's 29.6 miles of tunnels. To read the full story, click here. Maglev to replace Japanese "bullet" trains
Japan has said it aims to launch its first magnetic levitation (maglev) rail service by 2025. With a top speed of more than 310 mph, the trains will run between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya, and then will be extended to Osaka, replacing the famed Shinkansen "Bullet" trains. To read the full story, click here.