MTC awards funding to modernise Bay Area transit systems

San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has allocated US$494 million to help more than 20 Bay Area transit agencies replace or rehabilitate aging buses, ferries, rail cars, tracks and bridges; update safety, control and communications systems; install new fare-collection equipment; maintain services for elderly and disabled passengers; and make other capital improvements. The commitment includes US$447 million of federal transportation funds, supplemented by US$47 million of revenues fr
January 28, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

San Francisco’s 343 Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has allocated US$494 million to help more than 20 Bay Area transit agencies replace or rehabilitate aging buses, ferries, rail cars, tracks and bridges; update safety, control and communications systems; install new fare-collection equipment; maintain services for elderly and disabled passengers; and make other capital improvements. The commitment includes US$447 million of federal transportation funds, supplemented by US$47 million of revenues from the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges.

"Job one for the Commission is what we call 'Fix it First’, which means taking care of the transportation system we already have," explained MTC chair and Santa Clara County supervisor Dave Cortese. "We're also committed to putting federal transportation dollars to work right away. With last month's passage by Congress of the new FAST Act, we finally have some certainty about the level of federal funding coming to the region for the next several years. This allowed us not only to take a big programming action for transit capital priorities in the current fiscal year, but also to begin committing to transit capital investments in upcoming years.”

Among the biggest investments made possible by the new funding are roughly US$50 million for 7357 BART's rail car replacement program; US$17 million to update deteriorating segments of the BART railway; US$97 million to accelerate San Francisco Muni's replacement of dozens of buses and trolley coaches; $36 million for 274 AC Transit to buy 10 new double-deck buses and replace more than 30 of its older 40- and 60-foot buses; and nearly US$17 million to replace two aging San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels. The allocation also reserves about US$52 million for Caltrain's planned replacement of diesel-powered trains with electric vehicles as part of its system electrification and positive train control initiatives.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cost of northern Colombia rail line US$1 billion says study
    March 18, 2015
    It would cost nearly US$1 billion to build a 260 kilometre rail line connecting cities in northern Colombia, according to a study by the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla. The proposed rail corridor would link Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena, which are home to the three biggest ports on the country's Caribbean coast. The train would function as a mixed service line, transporting passengers as well as cargo. "Some details need to be worked out regarding funding sources, which depends more on the
    Read More
  • First phase of Leicestershire bus smart card system completed
    September 27, 2012
    In Leicestershire, UK, the first phase of a US$3.6 million bus smart card system has been rolled out to all concessionary users, in a scheme that the Council says will improve and modernise bus travel throughout the county. The new OneCard system is now in use by elderly and disabled bus passengers. Electronic chips fitted to OneCard passes can be swiped on scanners on First, Centrebus and Arriva buses to register journeys, meaning passes no longer have to be shown. Passengers top up their cards with cash w
    Read More
  • U-M offers open-access automated cars to advance driverless research
    November 22, 2016
    The University of Michigan (U-M) is offering use of its new research vehicles as test beds for academic and industry researchers to test self-driving and connected vehicle technologies at its proving ground. These open connected and automated research vehicles, or open CAVs, are equipped with sensors including radar, lidar and cameras, among other features and will be able to link to a robot operating system. An open development platform for connected vehicle communications will be added later. The op
    Read More
  • MaaS: A global wave that’s starting to break
    January 3, 2024
    Mobility as a Service – or whatever we’re going to end up calling it – makes sense in a world which is looking for less carbon-intensive ways of getting around. John Nuutinen of SkedGo talks to Adam Hill
    Read More

Highlighted Content