PEOPLE & PLACES THE LASTEST INDUSTRY NEWS
OCTA Awards $220.5-Million Contract to
Build County’s First Modern Streetcar Line
Orange County Transportation Authority board members recently awarded
a $220.5-million contract to a construction fi rm to build the fi rst modern
streetcar in Orange County.
Amtrak
10 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2018
the Environmental Protection Agency,
making the Charger one of the cleanest
diesel-electric passenger locomotives
currently in operation.
MassTransitmag.com/12432153
Corona-based Walsh
Construction is expected to
begin work later this year.
▶ The streetcar will span a 4.1-mile route
between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation
Center and Harbor Boulevard
in Garden Grove, stopping at bus stops
along the way. Cars will serve the busy
downtown area of Santa Ana, which
includes county and local government
offi ces and courthouses.
MassTransitmag.com/12431611
California Could be Rolling
all Electric Buses by 2040
▶ Despite worries about how well
environmentally friendly electric buses
will withstand the pounding of everyday
traffi c, the California Air Resources Board
held the fi rst of two hearings on committing
to begin transitioning to a full fl eet of
zero-emission buses in two years.
Northern California agencies already
testing the clean-burning vehicles include
AC Transit, MUNI, the Santa Clara
Valley Transportation Authority and
Monterey-Salinas Transit with SamTrans
joining the list next year.
The message is clear. This will be the
green light of an electric revolution for
public transit with the goal to have only
electric buses on all city streets by 2040.
MassTransitmag.com/12431759
New Orleans RTA is Awarded
$6.3M Grant for 17 New Buses
▶ The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
has landed a $6.3 million federal
grant for 17 new diesel-powered buses, a
boost for the agency’s aging bus fl eet.
The RTA was one of more than 100
agencies nationwide chosen to get grants
under a Federal Transit Administration
program that helps states and transit
agencies replace buses and bus barns.
The government awarded $366 million
total in the 2018 fi scal year. Federal
offi cials received applications this year
from more than 250 agencies, totaling $2
billion in requests.
RTA offi cials announced the grant
Tuesday, calling it a big win for the
authority.
MassTransitmag.com/12431492
Walsh
ORANGE COUNTY Transportation Authority board members recently awarded
a $220.5-million contract to Walsh Construction to build the first modern
streetcar in Orange County. (Rendering of the OC Streetcar)
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner,
Caltrans Introduce New,
Cleaner Locomotives at Los
Angeles Union Station
▶ With a blast of the locomotive’s horn
and a shower of biodegradable confetti,
the Los Angeles — San Diego — San Luis
Obispo Rail Corridor Agency and the
California Department of Transportation
introduced new, cleaner locomotives to
the Amtrak Pacifi c Surfl iner service at Los
Angeles Union Station.
State and local offi cials in attendance
had an opportunity to step aboard one
of 14 new Charger locomotives that will
begin operating starting this fall. The
Charger locomotives, manufactured by
Siemens, will power the next generation
of Pacifi c Surfl iner trains between San
Diego, Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.
The Charger is the fi rst passenger
locomotive to receive the stringent
Tier IV emissions certifi cation from
MassTransitmag.com/12431611
RIBBON CUTTING ceremony in honor
of new Charger locomotives with
(left) Shirley Choate, Interim District
Director Caltrans District 7; Jennifer L.
Bergener, Managing Director LOSSAN
Rail Corridor Agency; Tony Kranz,
Board Member LOSSAN Rail Corridor
Agency; Brian C. Annis, Secretary
of California State Transportation
Agency; Armin Kick, Vice President,
Locomotives and High-Speed
Trainsets, Siemens.
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