Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

In energy savings mode, the energy storage unit absorbs the energy generated by braking rail vehicles and stores it until the system can safely feed it back to the power supply during vehicle acceleration.

Per a $73 million contract, the 18 vehicles will be manufactured from start to finish at Siemens' rail vehicle manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif., a facility powered almost entirely by two megawatts of solar energy. The first new rail cars are expected to be delivered in August 2014.

The $485 million operating budget, which will take effect July 1, 2013, includes accelerating new bus purchases; increasing bus service on 14 lines; increasing light rail vehicle and track maintenance; and improving lighting and station renewal.

Approximately 150 riders were chosen from more than 1,500 applicants to test the mobile application. They will test the app for about a month and provide feedback through surveys. Once the beta test is completed and feedback incorporated, the agency expects to launch the mobile ticketing app to all riders later this summer.

After a sharp increase in smartphone snatches last April and May, transit police increased patrols, conducted undercover missions, scoured agency security cameras and video and dedicated two officers to investigate the robberies.

Twenty-seven light rail vehicles will be retrofitted with an ultra capacitor-based, energy storage system, which captures and stores regenerative braking energy as it is generated, uses the stored energy for acceleration and releases surplus energy to other vehicles on the system as needed.

Seventeen local nonprofits and community-based organizations received funding to help low-income members of the community within the agency’s service district. TriMet partnered with local nonprofit, Ride Connection, to administer the program.

Riders will be able to buy fares using an iPhone or Android phone to download the free app, and purchase tickets and passes instantly.

Part of the agency’s move from eliminating fare zones and establishing its base two-hour ticket. The cost of implementing the new ticket printers is $1.5 million.

The foundation of the $485 million operating budget assumes that the arbitration award for the just-expired contract with the ATU is upheld and TriMet’s offer stands, providing some breathing room and ability to invest in critical infrastructure.