The project is part of Metro's Joint Development Program, which seeks to secure the most appropriate private and/or public sector development on Metro-owned property at and adjacent to transit stations and corridors.
The commission allocated the money as a result of state bond sales last month. The projects are part of the voter-approved Proposition 1B and Proposition 116 bond programs to fund transportation projects throughout the state.
The 13.6 million passengers who rode on Amtrak trains during the first two quarters of FY 2010 (October 2009 - March 2010) contributed to a 4.3 percent increase over the same period the prior year. It also is about 100,000 more riders than the 13.5 million posted in FY 2008, which turned out to be Amtrak's best ridership year in company history when America's passenger railroad carried 28.7 million passengers.
System includes wireless technology, incident management features, security cameras, on-board next-stop announcements and passenger counting.
As part of the DART signaling system, Stantec is adding new software and hardware to support the new power switch interlocking system, which essentially governs the signals to trains that indicate whether it is safe to pass through upcoming intersections. The team will also test the system to make sure it operates safely before the new station opens.