Recipients include California ($901 million) for the construction of new lines in the Central Valley; Florida ($800 million) for the Tampa to Orlando corridor; and Iowa ($230 million) to create a new intercity passenger rail service between Iowa City and Chicago.
The traction system for Beijing Line 15, specially designed and developed by Alstom for the Chinese market, is named OPTONIX and allows the train to consume 30 percent less energy than a conventional metro thanks to performance improvements in the traction system and energy regenerative brakes.
The board of directors voted this week to defer the increase after hearing that measures taken during the past two years to provide for long-term sustainable service have been successful. Also leading to the deferral is better than expected sales tax revenues, according to OCTA.
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., returned a three-count indictment against Farooque Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, charging him with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to help carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at D.C.-area Metrorail stations.
The rollback could happen by the end of the year because of partisan gridlock. The higher benefit could be extended for one year if a green energy tax bill, drafted by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, passes.
It is the first application of PTC in compliance with the U.S. Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which mandates that passenger and freight railroads install PTC by 2015.
The $267 million InterLink provides for the area's first-ever connection between local bus service and the airport, rail service and rental cars. The FHWA provided $124.6 million in direct funding and the U.S. DOT provided a $42 million loan from its TIFIA program.
It currently services eight markets including: Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Tampa, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pompano Beach, and West Palm Beach. Jacksonville and Daytona Beach will be added to the list of destinations by the end of the year to meet customer demand.